Tag: Breaking News

Josh Thomson: ‘I am Not Against Gay Marriage or Gay Rights in Any Way’

UFC lightweight contender Josh Thomson came under fire yesterday after he made comments comparing gay marriage to pedophilia, incest and polygamy, via Vigilante MMA. Today, “The Punk” has deleted all Facebook and Twitter posts on the comment and i…

UFC lightweight contender Josh Thomson came under fire yesterday after he made comments comparing gay marriage to pedophilia, incest and polygamy, via Vigilante MMA. 

Today, “The Punk” has deleted all Facebook and Twitter posts on the comment and issued a press release apologizing, via Bloody Elbow, as well as stating that members of the media took his words out of context. 

“Yesterday top UFC lightweight contender Josh Thomson used social media to poll fans with what turned out to be a controversial and thought provoking topic.

The subject of gay rights, including gay marriage, is sensitive for many people and Mr. Thomson fully supports equality for all human beings.

The statements made by Mr. Thomson were intended to provoke thought on some of the bigger issues that come up when people start to fight not only for equality but for more off-the-wall rights often frowned upon by society.

‘I am not against gay rights or gay marriage in anyway,’ stated Thomson. ‘My comments were completely taken out of context by some members of the media and I have since removed them out of respect for anyone who may have been offended. It was not my intention to offend or hurt anyone.’

With organizations fighting for legalized polygamy and the North American Man/Boy Love Association (http://NAMBLA.ORG) fighting for rights of their own, the line between equality and controversy becomes very thin. Mr. Thomson was merely giving extreme examples of very real movements in our country but he in no way meant to isolate the gay community in a negative manner.”

For those who missed it, here’s one of the messages Thomson posted on social media Wednesday:

“I’m only asking a question. My next question is, should siblings be allowed to marry siblings? My point is, where do you draw the line? I personally don’t care who you marry but I also am smart enough to know that it opens a gateway to men/women trying to marry young kids, siblings marrying each other and people having multiple husbands an wives. You have to think all of these things are okay otherwise your stopping them from being happy as well which is hypocrisy. Equality doesn’t stop with gay marriage, it just starts with it.”

After notching a 10-3 record in Strikeforce, where he captured the lightweight title in June 2008, Thomson made his UFC return against recent title challenger Nate Diaz at UFC on FOX 7 in April. 

Despite being a massive underdog, Thomson frustrated Diaz by keeping him at range before blasting him with a headkick in the second round and finishing him off with punches on the ground. 

The American Kickboxing Academy mainstay currently has the No. 5 spot in the UFC’s official lightweight rankings after being the first man to score a (technical) knockout over Diaz. 

Coincidentally, the UFC issued a 90-day suspension and $20,000 fine to Diaz last month for tweeting a homophobic slur, via MMA Fighting, though Thomson never used any derogatory words in his dialogue with fans. 

Therefore, it seems unlikely that he will suffer any sanctions from his employer. 

Was Thomson’s apology sincere or is he only backtracking on his recent comments about gay marriage since he received a ton of backlash from MMA media and fans?

 

John Heinis is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA Editor for eDraft.com and contributes MMA videos to The Young Turks Sports Show. 

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Cain Velasquez vs. Junior dos Santos 3 Reportedly Headed to Houston in October

The trilogy between UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez and former titleholder Junior dos Santos will come to a close later this year, as the two fighters are expected to meet at UFC 166 in October. The October show will likely land back in Housto…

The trilogy between UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez and former titleholder Junior dos Santos will come to a close later this year, as the two fighters are expected to meet at UFC 166 in October.

The October show will likely land back in Houston, where the UFC would potentially return for the first time since UFC 136 in October 2011.

According to Sportsnet’s Joe Ferraro, UFC President Dana White revealed details about the heavyweight tilt during a media session on Thursday in Winnipeg as part of the UFC 161 pre-fight activities.

Thus far, Velasquez and Dos Santos are tied at one win apiece in their fights. This third bout will settle the rivalry and who is the UFC heavyweight champion.

In their first meeting, Velasquez entered the fight as champion when he faced Dos Santos in the inaugural bout for the UFC’s new television deal with Fox.

 As hyped as the fight had been in the months leading up to the battle, the result was much different, with Dos Santos clocking Velasquez with an early punch and finishing the fight at just over one minute into the first round.

Velasquez came back strong and earned a shot at redemption when he faced Dos Santos for a second time at UFC 155 to close out 2012.

The second fight was a much different result than the first, with Velasquez controlling every aspect of the bout with his wrestling, clinch work and dominant stand-up. Velasquez regained the belt with a punishing performance to hand Dos Santos his first loss in the UFC.

Now with both fighters coming off of wins at UFC 160, they will meet for a third time to hopefully settle the debate of who truly is the best heavyweight fighter on the planet.

The promotion had hinted following the conclusion of UFC 160 that it would consider bringing Velasquez and the heavyweight title fight to the city of Houston later this year and now it appears that wish will become reality.

The UFC has now set up several major title fights to bolster the lineup of pay-per-views to close out 2013.

The lightweight title will go up for grabs in August, followed by a light heavyweight main event in September and the newly announced heavyweight bout between Velasquez and Dos Santos now being confirmed for October.

 

Damon Martin is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Georges St-Pierre, Johny Hendricks Headed for Showdown in November

Johny Hendricks’ long wait to get his shot at UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre is apparently almost over, because it appears he will fight for the belt in November with the bout most likely landing in Las Vegas. During a media gathering at …

Johny Hendricks’ long wait to get his shot at UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre is apparently almost over, because it appears he will fight for the belt in November with the bout most likely landing in Las Vegas.

During a media gathering at UFC 161 in Winnipeg on Thursday, UFC President Dana White let the cat out of the bag by saying that St-Pierre vs. Hendricks will “probably” go down in November.

The likely destination for the bout is Las Vegas, although no further details were released during White’s conversation with the media.

The bout between St-Pierre and Hendricks has been rumored for months, but not until Thursday did an actual timeline get placed on when it would take place.

Hendricks has been considered the No. 1 contender in the division for the better part of the last year, but delays continued to happen—most notably former Strikeforce champion Nick Diaz getting a title shot in March despite coming in off a loss and a one-year suspension for testing positive for marijuana in his last fight.

Always the hard worker, Hendricks kept pursuing the belt and even took a very dangerous fight against former interim champion Carlos Condit at UFC 158 in March.  The risk almost backfired with Condit coming close to winning the fight, but ultimately Hendricks pulled out the decision and cleared the way for his shot at St-Pierre.

Now the former NCAA wrestling champion will get his first shot at a major MMA title when he takes on one of the top pound-for-pound fighters on the planet later this year.

St-Pierre will look to make his third consecutive title defense following major knee surgery that kept him out of the sport for over a year between 2011 and 2012.  Following his rehab stint to get the knee back to full health, St-Pierre bested Condit in his fight back before defeating Diaz at UFC 158.

Now, the incumbent champion has arguably his toughest test to date, as Hendricks comes into the fight with a similarly solid wrestling game and knockout power in both hands.

While the final plans for St-Pierre and Hendricks are still in the works, it’s likely the welterweight title fight will headline the major UFC pay-per-view that will take place in November.

UFC officials will likely release more details once bout agreements have been issued and the promotion can start for the St-Pierre vs. Hendricks showdown.

Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Jon Jones vs. Alexander Gustafsson Headlines UFC 165 in Toronto

UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones will head to the city of Toronto to face top contender Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 165 on September 21. UFC president Dana White confirmed the news when speaking to members of the media on Thursday dur…

UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones will head to the city of Toronto to face top contender Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 165 on September 21. UFC president Dana White confirmed the news when speaking to members of the media on Thursday during a press event surrounding UFC 161 in Winnipeg.

According to White, the plan is for Jones to make his fifth title defense in the headline fight for the promotion’s return to Canada:

Just yesterday, Jones tweeted that he had talked to White and expected a fight announcement to happen soon.

Jones has fought in Toronto twice previously, defeating Lyoto Machida at UFC 140 and Vitor Belfort at UFC 152. Both bouts ended in submission victories for the defending champ of the 205-pound division.

Jones and Gustafsson have both been asking the UFC to put the fight together via Twitter and other networks, and now both of them will get their wish.

For Jones, this fight is the chance to break the record for the most consecutive light heavyweight title defenses in UFC history. He currently has five in a row, which is a record also held by former light heavyweight champion and UFC Hall of Famer Tito Ortiz.

Jones has made it clear that his goal is to break that record before talking about any potential superfights or an eventual move to the heavyweight division. 

Challenging Jones’ hunt for the record will be the Swedish-born Gustafsson, who returns to action for the first time since last December when he defeated former champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua.

Gustafsson was supposed to return to his home country in April against former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Gegard Mousasi, but a cut suffered late into his training camp prevented him from being cleared in time to take the bout. 

Though discouraging at the time, missing that main event fight on Fuel TV allowed the Swede to step into a title shot after winning his last six fights in a row, including finishes in four of them.

Jones vs. Gustafsson is the first confirmed bout for the UFC’s return to Toronto, but more fights will likely be added in the coming weeks.

 

Damon Martin is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Dana White: Jon Jones Will Fight Alexander Gustafsson This Fall

Jon Jones asked. And now Jon Jones has received. In response to a fan’s query on Wednesday morning, UFC President Dana White tweeted the news that the UFC light heavyweight champion will defend his title some time this fall against top contender A…

Jon Jones asked. And now Jon Jones has received. 

In response to a fan’s query on Wednesday morning, UFC President Dana White tweeted the news that the UFC light heavyweight champion will defend his title some time this fall against top contender Alexander Gustafsson (h/t Bloody Elbow):

Jones himself dropped his own Twitter hint on Tuesday, noting that an announcement was forthcoming:

White had previously indicated that Lyoto Machida, not Gustafsson, would get the next shot at Jones. However, that decision was met with some disappointment, as Jones previously fought Machida, winning by chokeout in his second title defense, back in 2011. Jones and Gustafsson have never fought.

That disappointment was evidently shared by Jones, who in recent weeks has called for “The Mauler.” Based on his tweet, White has heeded those calls.

Jones (18-1) defended his belt for the fifth consecutive time April 27 at UFC 159, scoring a first-round TKO of Chael Sonnen. Jones has said he wants to break Tito Ortiz’s record for light heavyweight title defenses, and only then will he begin entertaining fights at heavyweight or cross-divisional superfights. A win over Gustafsson would give Jones the record. 

Fans and pundits alike are clamoring for a massive bout between Jones and pound-for-pound king and middleweight champ Anderson Silva. 

Gustafsson (15-1) is on an impressive six-fight win streak in the UFC, most recently notching a decision win over Mauricio “Shogun” Rua. 

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

MMA Fighter Throws Up During Post-Fight Interview

Cliff Thompson isn’t a household name in the world of mixed martial arts. He has had just two pro bouts, neither with a major organization, and at 34 years of age, lacks the label of a prospect.His name is currently making the online rounds, though, an…

Cliff Thompson isn’t a household name in the world of mixed martial arts. He has had just two pro bouts, neither with a major organization, and at 34 years of age, lacks the label of a prospect.

His name is currently making the online rounds, though, and not because he moved to 2-0 as a professional fighter this past Saturday. No, Thompson’s skyrocketing notoriety has little to do with his work inside the cage.

Instead, it is Thompson’s Wild Bill’s Fight Night 57 post-fight interview that is at the heart of the newfound attention—an interview that didn’t really go as planned.

Tasked with getting some perspective from Thompson, interviewer George Kennebrew took to questioning the victorious fighter with a level of zeal and passion that only made the subsequent occurrence all the more outrageous. 

Once Kennebrew completed his enthusiastic introduction of Thompson and tilted the mic towards his subject, the fighter responded not with words, but with actions. Specifically, he ducked, covered his mouth and proceeded to hurl his guts out.

It’s not uncommon for extreme physical exertion—like participating in a 15-minute fight—to induce vomiting. But this practice is usually concealed behind bathroom-stall doors, or at least indulged in buckets or garbage cans in an obscure location.

Rarely is the old post-fight throw-up featured on camera in the midst of an interview.

On the bright side, if Thompson never makes it very far as a fighter, at least he’ll still have this moment, and he’ll forever be known as “the guy who puked during an interview.”

That’s something, right?

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com