TORONTO - Shawn Tompkins, a renowned mixed martial arts coach who worked with some of the biggest names in the business, died Sunday morning.

He was 37. His death was confirmed by his manager Gary Ibarra.

A former Muay Thai fighter in his own right, the native of London, Ont., became a highly regarded MMA trainer and worked out of the Tapout Gym in Las Vegas.

"That was my go-to guy every time I went to Vegas," said Donald (Cowboy) Cerrone after his win at UFC Live 5 in Milwaukee on Sunday. "He'd hold pads for me.

"I fought his guys a lot, and I would go to Vegas and call Shawn and be like, 'Yo, can we hit at (9 a.m.) tomorrow morning?' He'd say, 'Anything for you, bro.' He was always there for me, and for the sport, he's helped out a lot of people, and he's been there for everybody."

Tompkins was responsible for the development of some of Canada's most prominent fighters, including Sam (Hands of Stone) Stout, Mark (The Machine) Hominick and Chris (The Polish Hammer) Horodecki. He was married to Stout's sister Emilie.

"Obviously, he's helped produce some great fighters and some very exciting fighters," Chris Lytle said after his main-event win over Dan Hardy. "It kind of puts into perspective what's important. He's a great guy who helped do a lot for the sport, and all of a sudden he's not with us anymore. That means a lot to me."

As reports of Tompkins' death began to surface, UFC announcer Mike Goldberg offered condolences during the broadcast of UFC Live 5.

"I heard just before we walked out of the locker room (after my fight)," Dan Hardy said. "I stayed at his house about two years ago for four weeks of training. I trained with him a few times. Great guy. I'm upset by it. I really am.

"He was a very important coach. I think he changed striking in MMA to a certain extent."

Tompkins first started coaching in MMA in 2007 with the Los Angeles Anacondas of the defunct International Fight League. He then worked as a striking coach at MMA star Randy Couture's Xtreme Couture gym in Las Vegas.

At Xtreme Couture, Tompkins worked with former champions Wanderlei Silva and Vitor Belfort.

"Shawn was a mentor and coach to many of us in the MMA world," Couture posted on Twitter. "He will be sorely missed!!!"

Tompkins left Xtreme Couture in 2009 to establish his own team at Tapout.

"Big loss for our sport," UFC co-owner Lorenzo Fertitta posted on Twitter. "Shawn Tompkins. We will miss him!"

With files from John Morgan in Milwaukee