Author: Chad Dundas

Josh Thomson Faces Fighting’s Toughest Decision After Loss to Benson Henderson

This is something I don’t normally say, but I think it would be shame if Josh Thomson never fought again after losing to Benson Henderson on Saturday at UFC on Fox 10.
Typically, when it comes to MMA, I would describe myself as pro-retirement. Ou…

This is something I don’t normally say, but I think it would be shame if Josh Thomson never fought again after losing to Benson Henderson on Saturday at UFC on Fox 10.

Typically, when it comes to MMA, I would describe myself as pro-retirement. Our sport is so mentally and physically demanding—and the payoffs generally so meager compared to the risks—that the moment a fighter decides it’s not worth it anymore, it’s time to call it a career.

If he or she can make a living working behind the scenes, in front of a camera or in an entirely different industry, that’s usually the best possible move. As mere spectators, it’s our duty to respect the decision, just as we did for Nick Diaz last year and Georges St-Pierre last month.

But even in a field where we’re used to unhappy endings and unfulfilled dreams, it would feel particularly unfair if things ended like this for Thomson.

The longtime MMA veteran had enjoyed the biggest star turn of his career since returning to the UFC in 2013. The previous dozen years left him as little more than the second-best lightweight in Strikeforce, a guy who’d likely be remembered for coming up short in his classic trilogy with Gilbert Melendez.

His second-round knockout of Nate Diaz at a UFC on Fox show last April changed all that, and a couple of unforeseen injuries at the top of the 155-pound division allowed him to ride the wave well past most of our expectations.

Saturday’s bout with Henderson should’ve been another triumph. Thomson came in as more than a 2-1 underdog but destroyed those odds, as he continually dragged Henderson to the mat and climbed on his back.

Even after breaking his thumb in the first round, Thomson controlled most of the action. Again and again, he managed to get to a dominant position, threatening Henderson with submissions while crafting an advantage that seemed obvious to most onlookers, if not the ringside officials.

The gritty performance should’ve boosted him into the title shot he was promised late last year, or at least set him up for a championship eliminator against a returning T.J. Grant in the coming months.

Instead, after the judges botched another one—and Henderson won his umpteenth controversial decision—it left him contemplating the end.

We’re still not sure exactly how seriously to take the numerous hints Thomson made at retirement during the post-fight press conference. History has taught us not to put much stock in the things fighters say in such close proximity to the actual bout.

Still, it was unusually galling to watch Thomson choke back tears and try to find the right words while Henderson sat on the other side of the podium, cracking jokes and reveling in victory.

It was also disappointing to read critical comments from Dana White, who said in the immediate aftermath that neither fighter “really went after it and tried to pull out the win,” according to MMA Junkie.com.

Hopefully, those criticisms will fade in the coming days. At some point, UFC brass will realize that Thomson almost beat a former champion with only one opposable thumb. It will likely give Thomson a couple weeks to cool off and come back at him with an offer to fight another top contender.

God knows he deserves it. The biggest question may be whether it’ll be enough to entice Thomson back into the cage.

I kind of hope so.

At this point, he’s certainly in the twilight of his career, but at 35 years old, he’s never looked more capable. For all his talk about having a rough time preparing for this bout, Thomson took Henderson to his absolute limit, even after suffering what should have been a debilitating injury.

If justice had been served, he’d be the No. 1 contender right now—or at least he’d be able to walk away and make this a storybook ending for his career.

But few storybooks end with their protagonists getting jobbed on a lousy decision.

Thomson deserves one more chapter.

I hope he gets a good one and I hope he takes advantage.

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Benson Henderson Remains UFC’s Most Frustrating Star After Edging Josh Thomson

Benson Henderson won’t go quietly.
The former lightweight champion’s split-decision victory over Josh Thomson on Saturday kept him comfortably ensconced among the 155-pound elite, much to the chagrin of his opponent, most spectators and pro…

Benson Henderson won’t go quietly.

The former lightweight champion’s split-decision victory over Josh Thomson on Saturday kept him comfortably ensconced among the 155-pound elite, much to the chagrin of his opponent, most spectators and probably UFC matchmakers too.

As for the fact that yet another controversial judges’ verdict in his favor only reinforced Henderson’s reputation as perhaps the sport’s most vexing talent—a guy whose UFC record contains more than its share of questionable decisions—he refused to apologize.

“I like Ws,” Henderson said at the post-fight press conference (via MMAJunkie). “I like getting my hand raised and I’ll take it any way I can get it. Slipping on a banana peel, by the skin of my teeth. By any means, you know?”

With his penchant for getting the nod in close fights, Henderson has grown into a singular, frustrating figure in the MMA landscape. I’m not sure we’ve ever seen anyone quite like him before—a guy so adept at winning bouts the vast majority of onlookers think he ought to have lost.

Certainly, he is among the very best fighters of the talent-rich lightweight class, but it’s now been nearly four years since he’s crafted a stoppage victory.

His game-planning and fighting style seem specifically designed to get him into close bouts and the fact that he’s won a few that easily could’ve gone the other way hasn’t earned him much capital with fans.

This latest outcome also did very little to point the way forward for a 155-pound division stuck in the doldrums, with both its champion (Anthony Pettis) and erstwhile No. 1 contender (T.J. Grant) out nursing injuries.

According to MMAJunkie, UFC president Dana White told a Las Vegas television station this was just a “typical Ben Henderson fight,” by which he meant it was very long, very close and resulted in very few definitive answers.

Many spectators thought Thomson would be announced as the winner after he controlled much the competitive, five-round affair with his grappling. Even after he broke his thumb in the first round, he managed to take Henderson down and capture his back on numerous occasions throughout the fight.

In the end, however, the judges appeared to favor Henderson’s sheer volume of strikes over Thomson’s control, handing Henderson a split verdict (48-47, 47-48, 49-46).

MMAJunkie suggests that, had Thomson won the razor-close decision, he would have been “next in line” for a championship opportunity. Henderson, with two previous losses to Pettis on his record, won’t get the same deal. Even after Saturday’s victory, White indicated Bendo shouldn’t hold his breath.

“He didn’t do anything that’s going to have anybody screaming, ‘Oh, I want to see him get another shot at Pettis,’” White said.

In other words, there is still no clear direction for the lightweight division, still no healthy and clear-cut No. 1 contender, and still no great ideas about what exactly to do with Henderson.

Much of what happens next may depend on how quickly Pettis and Grant can get healthy. If their rehabilitation schedules somehow line up, Grant could finally get the title shot first promised to him last August. If not, then Henderson’s win could potentially open the door for a litany of contenders.

The most obvious course of action might be to have Henderson rematch with Thomson, but few people seemed to be scrambling for that in the immediate aftermath.

Perhaps half because Thomson’s broken thumb could keep him on the shelf for a while and half because fans know deep down it would only result in another “typical” Henderson fight.

Depending on any number of uncontrollable factors, Henderson may next end up with a rematch against Gilbert Melendez in what would seem like as good a title eliminator as any. A bevy of top-10 lightweights like Khabib Nurmagomedov, Rafael dos Anjos or even Donald Cerrone—who also won on Saturday night—could also wind up in the pole position after another win or two.

The future is perhaps most uncertain for Thomson, who came to the post-fight press conference with his arm in a sling, emotionally wrought and saying he wasn’t sure if he could muster the will to launch another comeback.

“This could be it, man,” said the deflated former Strikeforce champion.

Though he shook Henderson’s hand and told him “good job,” no one seemed more befuddled by the decision than Thomson. At 35 years old, he said he could feel his last best chance at UFC gold slipping through his fingers.

It remains unclear if his hints at retirement will stick, but he wasn’t in a very optimistic mood after the decision was announced.

“This fight, I felt like I won,” Thomson said. “I won it with one hand. I beat the former UFC champion, the guy who was here for two years and I beat him with one hand. That’s what I can’t stomach. I’m a better fighter, that’s what pisses me off.”

He was not alone in those feelings.

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Benson Henderson, Josh Thomson and the Strange State of the Lightweight Division

For a long time, the UFC lightweight division was beyond reproach.
Just as light heavyweight was once regarded as the fight company’s glamour division, the 155-pound class was for years universally heralded as the Octagon’s most competitive…

For a long time, the UFC lightweight division was beyond reproach.

Just as light heavyweight was once regarded as the fight company’s glamour division, the 155-pound class was for years universally heralded as the Octagon’s most competitive. In a sport where chaos was often the default setting, lightweight was so dependably great for so long, perhaps its supremacy was something we all started to take for granted.

Note the past tense in that paragraph.

As Benson Henderson and Josh Thomson prepare to fight over fairly inexplicable stakes on Saturday night, the 155-pound division finds itself in a precarious position. Not to play Chicken Little here, but it’s starting to feel as though MMA’s best weight class just ain’t what it used to be.

The champion is injured, the erstwhile No. 1 contender is injured, and—depending on what happens between “Bendo” and “The Punk” at UFC on Fox 10—matchmakers could have a dilemma on their hands as they attempt to pave the way forward.

If you’re a fan of the lightweight division—or maybe if you just like your fighting to come equipped with coherent storylines—your best bet may be to root for Thomson this weekend.

Henderson is close to a 3-to-1 favorite, but a win by the former champion might do nothing but cast the weight class into even more prolonged stasis. He has already lost twice to champion Anthony Pettis, and after their lopsided UFC 164 bout, company president Dana White said Bendo is not likely to get a third chance.

Pettis said this week he’s targeting a July return (and that he’s picking Henderson over Thomson), but UFC-affiliated orthopedic surgeon Robert Klapper poured cold water on that notion during Wednesday’s episode of UFC Tonight.

“I would pray for him,” Klapper said. “Coming back in July? That’s really optimistic.”

Meanwhile, TJ Grant—the man with the best claim to top contender status—remains sidelined after suffering a concussion last summer. He has no timetable for a comeback, and at this point we’re all just hoping his medically mandated vacation isn’t permanent.

So, yeah, complete and utter gridlock.

If Henderson beats Thomson and Pettis recovers from his injury before doctors can clear Grant, maybe we should just start drawing names out of a hat.

Assuming Henderson holds serve, it’s possible the next title shot could default to Gilbert Melendez, who is officially ranked as the UFC’s No. 2 lightweight. But “El Nino” is just one fight removed from his own loss to Henderson (No. 1) nine months ago, and in a perfect world, he’d need at least one more victory over a ranked opponent to solidify his status.

To that end, a fight between Melendez and the fast-rising Khabib Nurmagomedov (No. 7) that was targeted for UFC 170 was recently scrapped for undisclosed reasons. Nate Diaz (No. 5) also reportedly refused the organization’s terms for a fight against Nurmagomedov, and the whole mess only added to the feeling that nobody at lightweight is going anywhere fast.

It’s frustrating. You’re not supposed to have these problems at this weight class.

But maybe after years of being the UFC’s most treacherous shark tank, the 155-pound class is just plain worn out. Perhaps its long tenure as the sport’s most notorious meat grinder has finally taken a toll.

Many of the division’s perennial stalwarts—Gray Maynard, Jim Miller, Melvin Guillard—have fallen off the pace of late.

Fan favorites Frankie Edgar and Clay Guida are now featherweights, as are lesser-known commodities like Dennis Siver, Jeremy Stephens, Charles Oliveira and Nik Lentz.

We’re still waiting to see if former contenders such as Evan Dunham and Gleison Tibau can right the ship before it’s too late, and longtime title threats like Diaz and Donald Cerrone don’t have unlimited windows, either.

At the same time, the division’s young guns—far and away the best reason to hope for its quick return to prominence—still aren’t quite ready for prime time. Men like Nurmagomedov, Bobby Green, Edson Barboza, Rafael dos Anjos and Michael Johnson could all be stars by the end of 2014, but as of right now they all need to incubate a bit longer.

As lightweight has slumped, suddenly juicy plot twists at welterweight and middleweight have stolen some of its thunder. A vacant title and a wealth of contenders at 170 pounds will arguably make that division the UFC’s most interesting during this calendar year, and the swirling controversy around Vitor Belfort’s upcoming 185-pound title shot should garner a good deal of spotlight as well.

If lightweight wants to go on being the UFC’s most respected division—heck, if it just wants to keep up—it better find a way to break out of its current funk, and fast.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Bold Predictions for UFC on Fox 10: Can Josh Thomson Stay in the Title Picture?

The injury bug loves the taste of UFC lightweights.
First, it took a bite out of T.J. Grant last August, waylaying him with a concussion prior to a scheduled title fight with Benson Henderson. In his stead, Anthony Pettis won the 155-pound championship…

The injury bug loves the taste of UFC lightweights.

First, it took a bite out of T.J. Grant last August, waylaying him with a concussion prior to a scheduled title fight with Benson Henderson. In his stead, Anthony Pettis won the 155-pound championship, only to suffer a knee injury before his first defense against Josh Thomson.

Both Grant and Pettis are still on the mend, and so it has fallen to this: Henderson and Thomson meet on Saturday at UFC on Fox 10 in what might as well be billed as a sort of bizarre last-man-standing match.

The stakes are uncertain, as Henderson just lost to Pettis at UFC 164 and Thomson’s claim to No. 1 contender status likely depends on the future health of Grant. Honestly, it might be enough if this bout can deliver a clear-cut winner who doesn’t need some sort of surgery and months of rehab.

Small victories.

In any case, there will be winners and losers. If you feel like you can’t wait until the weekend to find out the results, MMA lead writers Chad Dundas (that’s me) and Jonathan Snowden are here to give you Sunday’s headlines right now.

Read on, although know in advance that we can’t guarantee your health…

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Refreshingly Honest Josh Thomson Gets Chance to Shake Up Lightweight Status Quo

If you’ve read almost anything about Josh Thomson leading up to Saturday’s bout against Benson Henderson at UFC on Fox 10, you already know he doesn’t have time for games.
Maybe he feels like he’s too old for that stuff. Th…

If you’ve read almost anything about Josh Thomson leading up to Saturday’s bout against Benson Henderson at UFC on Fox 10, you already know he doesn’t have time for games.

Maybe he feels like he’s too old for that stuff. Though he still carries the moniker of a much younger man—”The Punk”—he’s 35 years old now and more than a decade into a 31-fight MMA career.

At this stage, he’s more elder statesman than defiant kid, so you’ll have to forgive him if he refuses to blow smoke about how great he feels or how amazing his training camp has been.

Even if that stuff has become the industry standard, Thomson says he’d rather stick with the truth.

“Fighters are liars,” he says. “We are liars. It’s hilarious, man. The funny part is that after the fight it’ll be, ‘Oh no, actually, I pulled my groin’ or ‘My foot was messed up. I broke my hand in camp.’ Whatever. You might as well just talk about it.”

Thomson says these things this week as he completes his mandatory pre-fight media obligations—a full slate of 10-minute interviews, where everybody asks him pretty much the same questions. The system is designed to perpetuate cliches; it’s a method that makes it nearly impossible for anyone to say or do anything particularly meaningful.

Maybe without even knowing it, Thomson’s honesty about how this camp has been difficult for him turns that process on its head. The speed-date-style interview is designed for fighters who give short, rehearsed answers to largely by-the-book questions, but Thomson doesn’t communicate that way.

To fill 10 minutes with him, you only need to bring about four questions. The most pleasant surprise of getting reacquainted with Thomson after the nine years he spent marooned in Strikeforce is not only that he won’t lie but also that he’s so chatty.

In almost painstaking detail, he recounts the plot twists that spoiled his scheduled lightweight title shot against Anthony Pettis last December. He recites it in a rapid-fire staccato, sounding like he’s explained it all about a million times in the last few days, because he probably has.

Thomson had gotten about five weeks into training for the opportunity of a lifetime when word came down that the fight was off. Pettis had injured his knee and would need surgery and several months of recovery.

Thomson was understandably pretty bummed.

“It was just kind of the feeling of cloud nine—I’m going to fight for the title, I’m going to fight for the title—and then the fight fell through and it was like, ah crap,” he says. “I think that’s just natural. Any time your title fight falls through I think anyone would feel that way.”

Thomson shut down his training camp and, in an effort to blow off some steam, traveled to Las Vegas to watch Georges St-Pierre fight Johny Hendricks at UFC 167. Friday night before the event, he got a phone call from matchmaker Joe Silva, who offered him a bout with Henderson instead.

The following week, still fired up from seeing Hendricks nearly wrench the title away from St-Pierre, Thomson went home to San Jose and dived back into training. In retrospect, he says he should have done the math first and realized he was still 11 weeks out from fighting Henderson on national TV.

“I probably should’ve taken another week or two off after that,” Thomson says, “but I’m just the kind of person that always thinks there’s not enough time. I just went home on Monday and started training again. The reality of it is that the last three to four weeks of my camp, I’ve just been kind of going through the motions. It was really just a miscalculation on my part.”

When he fights Henderson on Saturday night, Thomson will get his second chance to throw convention on its ear. He comes into the contest as a bit more than a 2-to-1 underdog to the guy who ruled over the lightweight division for 18 months, prior to his own loss to Pettis at UFC 164.

A victory over Henderson would amount to a big statement from Thomson—leaps and bounds bigger even than his TKO win over Nate Diaz last April. It would keep him in the driver’s seat for the next shot at Pettis, pending the long-delayed return of erstwhile No. 1 contender T.J. Grant.

At least on that front, Thomson is saying all the right things. Despite his tough training camp, he says Henderson better be ready to handle his best effort. He points out that previously the worst camp of his life came before his June, 2008 bout with Gilbert Melendez, when Thomson won the Strikeforce lightweight title.

Still, he says he considers Henderson the best fighter in the 155-pound ranks, quipping: “If you can’t get motivated to fight the former champion, the guy who’s been champion for the last couple of years, man, something’s wrong with you.”

“Pettis has got his number,” Thomson adds of Henderson. “He’s had his number for their two fights, but my personal opinion is that (Henderson) is stylistically probably the hardest fight for anybody in the UFC in our lightweight division.”

As for what happens after that, he is trying to take a realistic and—surprise!—honest approach. Even though he was scheduled to fight for the title late last year, a victory this week doesn’t necessarily secure another championship opportunity.

Much will likely be determined by how quickly Grant is able to return from the concussion that has kept him out since last July.

“It’s not really my call, you know that,” Thomson says. “Everybody knows the fighters don’t make the calls in the UFC. If T.J. is ready to fight and Pettis isn’t ready to fight, then probably T.J. and I are going to fight. Let’s just be honest about it. If Pettis is ready, then I hope I get the nod.”

 

Chad Dundas is a lead writer for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Mapping the UFC Welterweight Division Without Georges St-Pierre

Newsflash: Georges St-Pierre is gone, you guys.
In stark opposition to one of professional fighting’s most clichéd rallying cries, the champ is not here. At least not at the moment.
As St-Pierre’s indefinite sabbatical nears the end …

Newsflash: Georges St-Pierre is gone, you guys.

In stark opposition to one of professional fighting’s most clichéd rallying cries, the champ is not here. At least not at the moment.

As St-Pierre’s indefinite sabbatical nears the end of its second month, it’s starting to feel more and more like the greatest welterweight of all time might not be coming back.

Last week’s outburst about the UFC’s laissez-faire drug testing policies (and the company’s rote response) revealed the gulf between GSP and his former employers might be even wider than we first thought. He’s not just tired, hurt and sorting through personal issues, he’s angry.

And if St. Pierre is waiting for a change in policy from the notoriously stubborn fight company, he could be waiting a long time.

Perhaps for the first time, we must seriously consider the reality of the UFC’s 170-pound division without him. As unpleasant as it sounds, it’s time we tried to find our bearings in these turbulent, uncharted waters.

Here’s a look at who the major players might be and how the immediate future of the welterweight class could play out…

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