Tag: Josh Thomson

Michael Johnson Out, Bobby Green in Against Josh Thomson at UFC on Fox 12

UFC lightweight Michael Johnson (15-8 MMA, 7-4 UFC) has pulled out of his fight with Josh Thomson (20-6 MMA, 3-2 UFC) at UFC on Fox 12 with an injury. MMAJunkie.com reported the news on Friday.  

Update: UFC.com has reported that B…

UFC lightweight Michael Johnson (15-8 MMA, 7-4 UFC) has pulled out of his fight with Josh Thomson (20-6 MMA, 3-2 UFC) at UFC on Fox 12 with an injury. MMAJunkie.com reported the news on Friday.  

Update: UFC.com has reported that Bobby Green will be stepping up on short notice to face Thomson. Green was originally slated to face Abel Trujillo, in a fight that was moved from UFC 176 to UFC Fight Night 47 in Bangor, Maine.

The card, which is headlined by a welterweight showdown between top contenders Robbie Lawler and Matt Brown, is set for July 26 in San Jose, California. The scrap between the two Top 10 lightweights was set as the opening bout of the main card.

The 35-year-old Thomson is coming off a narrow split-decision loss to Benson Henderson at UFC on Fox 10 back in January, and he has gone 4-3 in his last seven fights dating back to 2010. Despite the mixed results, the always-competitive Thomson is ranked No. 3 on the UFC.com rankings.

Johnson is riding an impressive three-fight winning streak, which includes wins over Joe Lauzon, Gleison Tibau and Melvin Guillard. A win over a veteran like Thomson would have propelled him that much closer to title contention.

Taking a fight on two weeks’ notice is a lot to ask in the UFC’s lightweight division, especially against a crafty veteran like Thomson, who has had a full training camp for this fight. It’s a big step up in competition for the No. 12-ranked Green, who will be looking to make it 4-0 inside the Octagon after wins over Jacob Volkmann, James Krause and Pat Healy.  

The details of Johnson’s injury aren’t known at this point, and there is no time frame on when he’ll be able to return to action.  

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Josh Thomson vs. Michael Johnson Booked for UFC on Fox 12 in San Jose

Former Strikeforce lightweight champion Josh Thomson will take on a rejuvenated Michael Johnson at UFC on Fox 12 on July 26. 
The 155-pound scrap will take place at the SAP Center in San Jose, California, and Fox Sports was the first media ou…

Former Strikeforce lightweight champion Josh Thomson will take on a rejuvenated Michael Johnson at UFC on Fox 12 on July 26. 

The 155-pound scrap will take place at the SAP Center in San Jose, California, and Fox Sports was the first media outlet to report the matchup. 

Thomson, who is 2-3 in his last five bouts, is the No. 3 lightweight in the UFC’s official rankings after scoring convincing wins over KJ Noons and Nate Diaz and losing decisions to Tatsuya Kawajiri, Gilbert Melendez and Benson Henderson. 

However, the split-decision losses to Melendez and Henderson were heavily debated among fans and analysts alike. Some thought the judges’ scores could have gone the other way.

“The Punk” recently made headlines after sending out a profanity-laced tweet, calling out welterweight Nick Diaz, though he stated that his phone had been stolen and he didn’t actually send the tweet shortly afterward. 

Johnson, a runner-up on Season 12 of The Ultimate Fighter, has shown vast improvements in his game after joining the Boca Raton, Florida-based Blackzilians camp. 

“The Menace” is riding a three-fight win streak over respected names in Joe Lauzon, Gleison Tibau and Melvin Guillard.

Earlier in the week, Johnson invited Thomson to square off with him at UFC on Fox 12, referencing his recent drama with the Diaz brothers:

While Thomson did not respond, obviously the UFC brass took notice.

The UFC ranks Johnson as the No. 10 lightweight, although a win here would likely have him knocking on the door of a title shot. 

No main event has been announced for the summer event yet, and the only other bout officially on tap for the card is a light heavyweight matchup between Anthony Johnson and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. 

 

John Heinis is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA editor for eDraft.com.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Friday Links: A Four-Second Heavyweight Knockout, Josh Thomson vs. Michael Johnson Booked for UFC San Jose, Best Beers to Drink at Breakfast + More

(Another lightning-fast knockout from UCMMA, just two months after the last one. Hey, could somebody get us the name of the blonde Hot Potato at 0:28-0:41? #hnnnnng)

Josh Thomson vs. Michael Johnson Booked for San Jose UFC on FOX Event (FoxSports)

When It Comes To PPV The UFC Could Learn A Lesson From Boxing (BloodyElbow)

After Rash of Weigh-In Gaffes, Cage Warriors to Dock 60 Percent of Cash (MMAJunkie)

A 16-year-old Conor McGregor at his very first UFC event, with a totally freaked-out Chuck Liddell. (Facebook.com/CagePotato)

Jack Slack: Remembering Jimmy Ellis (Fightland)

MMA Referee Leon Roberts Sinks Rear-Naked Choke on MMA Fighter Who Wouldn’t Stop Punching His Opponent (MiddleEasy)

Miguel Torres Signs With GLORY Kickboxing, Will Make Debut in June (MMAFighting)

The 50 Best Comic Book Movies of All Time (Guyism)

Meet Kyndal Kyaire, the Girlfriend of Johnny Manziel (EveryJoe)

Fantasy-Casting the Upcoming “Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers” Movie (Holytaco)

Not My Best Day #7: How to Deal With Frenemies and Park-Flashers (PopHangover)

10 Places You Should Not Bring Your Mother On Mother’s Day (Mommyish)

This Wes Anderson Porn Parody Is So Accurate That You’ll Be Shocked When Bill Murray Doesn’t Show Up (Crushable)

The 11 Best Beers to Drink at Breakfast (HiConsumption)

Screen Junkies Show: Who’s the Baddest Movie Monster of Them All? (ScreenJunkies)


(Another lightning-fast knockout from UCMMA, just two months after the last one. Hey, could somebody get us the name of the blonde Hot Potato at 0:28-0:41? #hnnnnng)

Josh Thomson vs. Michael Johnson Booked for San Jose UFC on FOX Event (FoxSports)

When It Comes To PPV The UFC Could Learn A Lesson From Boxing (BloodyElbow)

After Rash of Weigh-In Gaffes, Cage Warriors to Dock 60 Percent of Cash (MMAJunkie)

A 16-year-old Conor McGregor at his very first UFC event, with a totally freaked-out Chuck Liddell. (Facebook.com/CagePotato)

Jack Slack: Remembering Jimmy Ellis (Fightland)

MMA Referee Leon Roberts Sinks Rear-Naked Choke on MMA Fighter Who Wouldn’t Stop Punching His Opponent (MiddleEasy)

Miguel Torres Signs With GLORY Kickboxing, Will Make Debut in June (MMAFighting)

The 50 Best Comic Book Movies of All Time (Guyism)

Meet Kyndal Kyaire, the Girlfriend of Johnny Manziel (EveryJoe)

Fantasy-Casting the Upcoming “Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers” Movie (Holytaco)

Not My Best Day #7: How to Deal With Frenemies and Park-Flashers (PopHangover)

10 Places You Should Not Bring Your Mother On Mother’s Day (Mommyish)

This Wes Anderson Porn Parody Is So Accurate That You’ll Be Shocked When Bill Murray Doesn’t Show Up (Crushable)

The 11 Best Beers to Drink at Breakfast (HiConsumption)

Screen Junkies Show: Who’s the Baddest Movie Monster of Them All? (ScreenJunkies)

Nate Diaz Responds to Josh Thomson’s Hacked-Phone Allegations on Twitter

Nate Diaz isn’t buying Josh Thomson’s hacked-phone allegations. 
First, Thomson tweeted the following to the Diaz brothers, Nick and Nate, slamming them both in the process:  

I knocked out your brother, I’ll knock ur b—- a&ndash…

Nate Diaz isn’t buying Josh Thomson‘s hacked-phone allegations. 

First, Thomson tweeted the following to the Diaz brothers, Nick and Nate, slamming them both in the process:  

I knocked out your brother, I’ll knock ur b—- a– out in San Jose July 26th.Let’s do it B—-, San Jose vs Stockon. Yup, F— U NICK DIAZ!

While that tweet has since been deleted by Thomson, word of The Punk’s call-out had already made its rounds, and the younger Diaz, Nate, took note.  

Despite a few apologies from Thomson after the fact, Nate’s dormant vitriol stirred awake, and the Stockton bad boy tweeted the following in response: 

Them’s fighting words. 

Of course, Thomson and Diaz already fought, with Thomson earning a second-round knockout via head kick at UFC on Fox 7 in April 2013. 

Still, the beef is juicy, and any time Nate Diaz speaks on social media, hilarity ensues. The man does not go out of his way to avoid a scrap—verbal or otherwise—and his fight-first, think-later attitude makes for Twitter gold. 

In this case, it’s unlikely that Diaz would receive a rematch with Thomson, but in an age of ever-increasing “hacked” phones, the 209 product does raise an interesting point. 

Thomson may be backpedalling on his words after a night of irresponsible decisions, or he may have legitimately suffered from an act of thievery. 

Regardless, The Punk appears legitimately apologetic for his harsh words, and it looks like a fight with either Diaz is out of the picture for now. 

Unless, of course, Thomson sees either Diaz brother in a back alley somewhere. If this latest Twitter jab is any indication, the Stockton slap is cocked and ready for action. 

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Phone Thief Hijacks Josh Thomson’s Twitter and Calls Out Nick Diaz


(Photo via Getty)

It’s deja vu in the MMA world as Josh Thomson claims that his phone was stolen after his twitter issued an inflammatory call-out of Nick Diaz early this morning.

Stern words, sterner than Thomson is usually known for (unless he’s talking about gay marriage). July 26th, in case you forgot, is the date of UFC on FOX 12, located in Thomson’s hometown of San Jose.

Thomson sent out a series of tweets several hours later, claiming that his phone was stolen and that he’d never tweet such sordid things:


(Photo via Getty)

It’s deja vu in the MMA world as Josh Thomson claims that his phone was stolen after his twitter issued an inflammatory call-out of Nick Diaz early this morning.

Stern words, sterner than Thomson is usually known for (unless he’s talking about gay marriage). July 26th, in case you forgot, is the date of UFC on FOX 12, located in Thomson’s hometown of San Jose.

Thomson sent out a series of tweets several hours later, claiming that his phone was stolen and that he’d never tweet such sordid things:

What’s the CagePotato verdict? Meh. The tweet, while crass, was ultimately benign. It’s not like he was pulling a Jon Jones. Furthermore, Thomson’s reaction to it was swift and consistent. Unlike Jones, he didn’t give a dozen different excuses ranging from a rogue PR firm to a hacked phone. Was Thomson telling the truth though? That’s a little harder to tell. It’s pretty miraculous that the thief was an MMA fan knowledgeable enough not only to know Nick Diaz was from Stockton, but that UFC on FOX 12 took place on the 26th and in San Jose. Maybe Thomson called out Diaz in an alcohol induced haze? The tweet was written at about 4 am, after all. MMA historian and Bleacher Report lead writer Jonathan Snowden put it a little more succinctly:

We’ll add any updates as they come. Until then, we’ll be working on a database of all the times phones were hacked and stolen in MMA.

Josh Thomson to Nick Diaz: ‘I’ll Knock Your B—- a– out in San Jose’ (UPDATED)

UPDATE: 9:24 p.m. Eastern Time
Thomson has since stated that his phone was stolen and he would never disrespect another fighter in the manner that his controversial tweet did. 

People that know me, know I wouldn’t ever talk about a fighter like t…

UPDATE: 9:24 p.m. Eastern Time

Thomson has since stated that his phone was stolen and he would never disrespect another fighter in the manner that his controversial tweet did. 

— End of update —

UFC lightweight contender Josh Thomson appears to be getting antsy sitting on the sidelines following a controversial split-decision loss to Benson Henderson at UFC on FOX 10 in January. 

That, combined with a legitimate dislike for fellow ex-Strikeforce titleholder Nick Diaz, led to an epic callout on Twitter early this morning (NSFW). 

“I knocked out your brother, I’ll knock ur b—- a– out in San Jose July 26th.Let’s do it B—-, San Jose vs Stockon. Yup, F— U NICK DIAZ!”

Despite just a 2-3 mark in his past five fights, a good portion of pundits believe he was robbed in his losses to Henderson and upcoming UFC title challenger Gilbert Melendez. 

According to the UFC’s official rankings, “The Punk” has still solidified himself as the No. 4 lightweight in the world, despite the rough patch. 

Thomson scored a big win over Nick’s younger brother, Nate Diaz, at UFC on FOX 7 last April, becoming the first fighter to stop the Stockton bad boy with strikes. 

Meanwhile, Nick Diaz retired from the cage after being dominated by then-welterweight champ Georges St-Pierre at UFC 158 in March of 2013. 

The elder Diaz brother insists he has no intention of coming back unless he gets a title shot and/or a $500,000 fight purse, per Yahoo! Sports. 

However, Thomson’s strong words may cause him to reconsider. 

Thomson is a career lightweight, while Nick Diaz hasn’t cut down to 155 pounds since November of 2007.

However, based on the nature of his callout, it doesn’t seem like the American Kickboxing Academy fighter would have a problem bulking up a bit for this grudge match. 

UFC on FOX 12 takes place on July 26 in San Jose, California, Thomson’s backyard. 

Given the latest turn of events, is Thomson vs. Nick Diaz the perfect fight to book for one of the UFC’s summer cards?

 

John Heinis is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA editor for eDraft.com.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com