Morning Report: Josh Thomson labels welterweights and heavier as one-dimensional, saying ‘They’re not mixed martial artists’

UFC lightweight Josh Thomson better keep his head on a swivel the next time he strolls into the American Kickboxing Academy. A training partner to UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez and light heavyweight contender Daniel Cormier, Josh Thomson aparently doesn’t think much of athletes competing in MMA’s weightier weight classes.

“You hit 185, 205, and heavyweight, those guys are always just good at like one thing, two things, but they’re not great all the way around,” Thomson tells FOX Sports. “There’s ways to finish them. So if you’re a well-rounded athlete, you can finish those guys. You can find ways to finish those guys.

“With 55-pounders and below, good luck, man. Everybody’s good all around — they’re good wrestlers, they’re good jiu-jitsu guys, they’re good standup guys, they’re game to throw down and they’re always in shape. 170 is kind of like the limbo — like there’s some well-rounded guys in there. [Georges St-Pierre] was the champion so long because he was the most well-rounded and usually in the best shape. But that’s kind of like the whole new guy — that’s why Rory MacDonald does well. He’s in shape, he’s got pretty good jiu-jitsu, he’s hard to take down but he’s got good standup. He’s well-rounded with good shape. Those are the guys that are hard to beat.”

While guys like Chris Weidman, Lyoto Machida, Jon Jones and Alexander Gustafsson would likely feel pretty secure in their skill sets, Thomson insists they don’t stack up with lighter-weight fighters.

“You start getting in the 185’s, 205, heavyweight, they start being one-dimensional, two-dimensional fighters,” says Thomson. “They’re not mixed martial artists. They’re not as good as the 55-pounders and below,” Thomson said. “They’re just not. To me that’s just a fact.”

The owner of a cardio studio in San Jose, Thomson might be just the man to rescue these souls from the top of the UFC’s pound-for-pound rankings.

Star-divide

5 MUST-READ STORIES

Peahead’s revenge. Dustin Poirier will get his chance to derail Conor McGregor’s hype at UFC 178.

Nurmy. Khabib Nurmagomedov is headed for surgery after tearing the meniscus in his right knee.

Signal to noise. Luke Thomas breaks down the best and worst of UFC Fight Night: McGregor vs. Brandao.

Baroni blog. Phil Baroni details his return to fighting ahead of his bout with Karo Parisyan at Bellator 122.

King. Bobby Green talks working through his brother’s death, a broken ankle and raising a newborn while preparing for this weekend’s UFC on FOX 12.

Star-divide

MEDIA STEW

Star-divide

Free Fight: Robbie Lawler vs Bobby Voelker.

Star-divide

Speak of the devil. “Josh Thomson breaks down the techniques behind the moves that have made him one of the most exciting fighters in the history of the lightweight division.”

Star-divide

Eddie Bravo explains the Rubber Guard to Rickson Gracie.

Star-divide

Team Alpha Male takes over a golf course.

Star-divide

Fighters remember their favorite B.J. Penn moments.

Star-divide

Joan Jett approves.

Star-divide

Long watches.

Did Police “Choke” NY Man to Death? (Gracie Breakdown – Viewer Discretion Advised)

Star-divide

TWEETS

Star-divide

$$$

Tell Jon I’m taking a cut of his PPV.

Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) July 22, 2014

If you build them I will come.

— The Diamond (@DustinPoirier) July 22, 2014

Star-divide

Never forget.

Found a pic of @SpiderAnderson & I training,taken by @eduardo_alonso 12+years ago, when we were both chasing a dream! pic.twitter.com/ZMHET9WEtb

— Shogun Rua (@ShogunRua) July 19, 2014

Star-divide

Get well soon.

Pass the examination of the knee in Moscow

Star-divide

#criscyborg #invictafc #champion #keeptrust #teamcyborg #ideanutrition #shutF^#up #dontSpeakShit #atitude #Mahatma Gandhi #GodInControl #trashtalkBullshit

Aqueles que têm um grande autocontrole, ou que estão totalmente absortos no trabalho, … http://t.co/2OtvlzLPYS pic.twitter.com/WoFsUmw3pN

Cris Cyborg (@criscyborg) July 22, 2014

Star-divide

Scary.

How about that. Super sketch driving with this popping and cracking lastnight Super rock broke it pic.twitter.com/olEI7kYO6F

— Cowboy Cerrone (@Cowboycerrone) July 22, 2014

Star-divide

Big week.

I liked it so I put a ring on it @orlaghhunter pic.twitter.com/yvkgAG7mcQ

— Coach Kavanagh (@John_Kavanagh) July 22, 2014

Star-divide

The struggle.

Damnit my inner fat kid got the best of me again. #junkfoodaddiction #thestruggle pic.twitter.com/nZdrMCdo3G

Will Brooks (@illwillbrooks86) July 23, 2014

Golf courses installing 15″ holes and foot (soccer) golf to increase revenue. WTF just lower the price and add some cute cart girls.

Luke Rockhold (@LukeRockhold) July 23, 2014

When I said I was watching my daughter @ufc someone just asked me if she was a ring girl 😀

— DrAnnMaria (@DrAnnMaria) July 22, 2014

Girls date me then get boob jobs …I wish it was the other way around

Zach Underwood (@Thunderwood01) July 23, 2014

Star-divide

But the abs.

Sorry guys but I had to eat a in-n-out 4 by 4. Couldn’t help!! Haha Remember: Work hard, train hard but play harder. pic.twitter.com/TqfFnFAUPB

Claudia Gadelha (@ClaudiaGadelha_) July 22, 2014

Star-divide

Please no.

Awesome first day on my new Breakout @harleydavidson my son is loving it too! http://t.co/qP7S0FNVWO

— Chris Weidman (@ChrisWeidmanUFC) July 22, 2014

Star-divide

Sounds good.

I’m going to check out this Scott Coker guy @bellatormma this Friday.. I’ll let y’all know what’s up. pic.twitter.com/4420EYReOC

Quinton Jackson (@Rampage4real) July 22, 2014

Back at it. #restarts #2ndchances http://t.co/uQO3NVwCGl

Todd Duffee (@ToddDuffee) July 23, 2014

Star-divide

A little boxing.

Star-divide

FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS

Announced yesterday (Jul. 22 2014)

Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier at UFC 178

Star-divide

FANPOST OF THE DAY

Today’s Fanpost of the Day comes via HerrDannyboy.

Why 2013 Kicked this MMA Fan’s @ss Part 7A: July: He took it for granted… Prologue

Note: To those who care: Part 6 can be found here:

Why 2013 Kicked this MMA Fan’s @ss Part 6: June: The Thrill of Brazil, the Agony of Winnipeg

Mea culpa: This one will be updated with [more] vitriol.

I was so taken aback and disgusted by the absurdity of Schaub and the ennui of UFC 161 (Why 2013? Why!!), I ended up overlooking some very noteworthy Folklore and Tidbits, namely:

Mark Hunt giving the usual number of fucks (How many?) and brushing off his painful and life-threatening UFC 160 battle wounds like they were mere mosquito bites (I dare you to click on these 2 links. Go on! I double dare you).

Brandon Schaub and Matt Mitrione engaging in a meeting of the minds on Twitter (Surprise! The minds are a no-show).

Roy Nelson channeling his inner Harriet Beecher Stowe.

A Noob challenging Anderson Silva.
****

Disclaimer

Anderson Silva and George St-Pierre are the reason I started watching MMA religiously.

As I’ve said before, they are my 2 favorite fighters (JDS being the 3rd) in that order… and as you found out in March Madness, I’m a Montrealer that only watches fight sports.

Therefore, the magnitude of the psychological beating I’ve received in July 2013 cannot be expressed in the number of words acceptable for a thesis, let alone a Fanpost.

It was impossible for me to be succinct, so this one’s been dismembered.

You’ll be getting the limbs one at a time.

Check out the rest of the post here.

Star-divide

Found something you’d like to see in the Morning Report? Just hit me up on Twitter @SaintMMA and we’ll include it in tomorrow’s column.

UFC lightweight Josh Thomson better keep his head on a swivel the next time he strolls into the American Kickboxing Academy. A training partner to UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez and light heavyweight contender Daniel Cormier, Josh Thomson aparently doesn’t think much of athletes competing in MMA’s weightier weight classes.

“You hit 185, 205, and heavyweight, those guys are always just good at like one thing, two things, but they’re not great all the way around,” Thomson tells FOX Sports. “There’s ways to finish them. So if you’re a well-rounded athlete, you can finish those guys. You can find ways to finish those guys.

“With 55-pounders and below, good luck, man. Everybody’s good all around — they’re good wrestlers, they’re good jiu-jitsu guys, they’re good standup guys, they’re game to throw down and they’re always in shape. 170 is kind of like the limbo — like there’s some well-rounded guys in there. [Georges St-Pierre] was the champion so long because he was the most well-rounded and usually in the best shape. But that’s kind of like the whole new guy — that’s why Rory MacDonald does well. He’s in shape, he’s got pretty good jiu-jitsu, he’s hard to take down but he’s got good standup. He’s well-rounded with good shape. Those are the guys that are hard to beat.”

While guys like Chris Weidman, Lyoto Machida, Jon Jones and Alexander Gustafsson would likely feel pretty secure in their skill sets, Thomson insists they don’t stack up with lighter-weight fighters.

“You start getting in the 185’s, 205, heavyweight, they start being one-dimensional, two-dimensional fighters,” says Thomson. “They’re not mixed martial artists. They’re not as good as the 55-pounders and below,” Thomson said. “They’re just not. To me that’s just a fact.”

The owner of a cardio studio in San Jose, Thomson might be just the man to rescue these souls from the top of the UFC’s pound-for-pound rankings.

Star-divide

5 MUST-READ STORIES

Peahead’s revenge. Dustin Poirier will get his chance to derail Conor McGregor’s hype at UFC 178.

Nurmy. Khabib Nurmagomedov is headed for surgery after tearing the meniscus in his right knee.

Signal to noise. Luke Thomas breaks down the best and worst of UFC Fight Night: McGregor vs. Brandao.

Baroni blog. Phil Baroni details his return to fighting ahead of his bout with Karo Parisyan at Bellator 122.

King. Bobby Green talks working through his brother’s death, a broken ankle and raising a newborn while preparing for this weekend’s UFC on FOX 12.

Star-divide

MEDIA STEW

Star-divide

Free Fight: Robbie Lawler vs Bobby Voelker.

Star-divide

Speak of the devil. “Josh Thomson breaks down the techniques behind the moves that have made him one of the most exciting fighters in the history of the lightweight division.”

Star-divide

Eddie Bravo explains the Rubber Guard to Rickson Gracie.

Star-divide

Team Alpha Male takes over a golf course.

Star-divide

Fighters remember their favorite B.J. Penn moments.

Star-divide

Joan Jett approves.

Star-divide

Long watches.

Did Police “Choke” NY Man to Death? (Gracie Breakdown – Viewer Discretion Advised)

Star-divide

TWEETS

Star-divide

$$$

Star-divide

Never forget.

Star-divide

Get well soon.

Pass the examination of the knee in Moscow

Star-divide

#criscyborg #invictafc #champion #keeptrust #teamcyborg #ideanutrition #shutF^#up #dontSpeakShit #atitude #Mahatma Gandhi #GodInControl #trashtalkBullshit

Star-divide

Scary.

Star-divide

Big week.

Star-divide

The struggle.

Star-divide

But the abs.

Star-divide

Please no.

Star-divide

Sounds good.

Star-divide

A little boxing.

Star-divide

FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS

Announced yesterday (Jul. 22 2014)

Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier at UFC 178

Star-divide

FANPOST OF THE DAY

Today’s Fanpost of the Day comes via HerrDannyboy.

Why 2013 Kicked this MMA Fan’s @ss Part 7A: July: He took it for granted… Prologue

Note: To those who care: Part 6 can be found here:

Why 2013 Kicked this MMA Fan’s @ss Part 6: June: The Thrill of Brazil, the Agony of Winnipeg

Mea culpa: This one will be updated with [more] vitriol.

I was so taken aback and disgusted by the absurdity of Schaub and the ennui of UFC 161 (Why 2013? Why!!), I ended up overlooking some very noteworthy Folklore and Tidbits, namely:

Mark Hunt giving the usual number of fucks (How many?) and brushing off his painful and life-threatening UFC 160 battle wounds like they were mere mosquito bites (I dare you to click on these 2 links. Go on! I double dare you).

Brandon Schaub and Matt Mitrione engaging in a meeting of the minds on Twitter (Surprise! The minds are a no-show).

Roy Nelson channeling his inner Harriet Beecher Stowe.

A Noob challenging Anderson Silva.
****

Disclaimer

Anderson Silva and George St-Pierre are the reason I started watching MMA religiously.

As I’ve said before, they are my 2 favorite fighters (JDS being the 3rd) in that order… and as you found out in March Madness, I’m a Montrealer that only watches fight sports.

Therefore, the magnitude of the psychological beating I’ve received in July 2013 cannot be expressed in the number of words acceptable for a thesis, let alone a Fanpost.

It was impossible for me to be succinct, so this one’s been dismembered.

You’ll be getting the limbs one at a time.

Check out the rest of the post here.

Star-divide

Found something you’d like to see in the Morning Report? Just hit me up on Twitter @SaintMMA and we’ll include it in tomorrow’s column.