(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)
(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)
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…
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.
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.
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.
People that know me, know I wouldn’t ever talk about a fighter like this. My phone was stolen last night while at dinner.
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.
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-fightpress 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.
Even in a non-title bout, Benson Henderson had an opportunity to distinguish himself among the elite in the 155-pound division. But with a controversial split-decision win over Josh Thomson, Henderson only further established himself as one of UFC’s mo…
Even in a non-title bout, Benson Henderson had an opportunity to distinguish himself among the elite in the 155-pound division. But with a controversial split-decision win over Josh Thomson, Henderson only further established himself as one of UFC’s most divisive stars.
There’s nothing Henderson himself can do about the mind-boggling 4-to-1 decision given by the tiebreaking judge. Well, except never let the fight go the distance in the first place. Though Saturday night’s victory moves Henderson to a stellar 19-3, he’s hardly been dominating:
It’s now been over four years since Henderson took a fight’s decision out of the judges’ hands, a perplexing stat for one of the best lightweights. Though the victories continue to pile up, public patience has to be wearing thin with the supremely talented 30-year-old who continues to insist on long, tight fights that offer almost no answers.
Indeed, after two losses to Anthony Pettis, it appears highly unlikely that Henderson will receive another title shot. Former top contender T.J. Grant figures to get that fight against Pettis if the duo can get healthy on relatively similar timetables. For now, it’s totally unclear who Henderson might face next, especially given that a rematch with Thomson does not appear in the cards.
In fact, Thomson asserted after the fight that he might retire after suffering a broken thumb in the first round. Thomson did an admirable job of battling through while Henderson rallied, despite essentially fighting with one hand. But, per Fox Sport’s Damon Martin, the raw emotion from Thomson after the fight suggested a devastated fighter:
This might be it. The Gilbert fight, that to me was a close fight, but I can see how it went either way. This fight I felt like I won. I won with one hand. I beat the former UFC champion, it was 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.
I had this all in my head. A 15-, 16-week camp will really get to you. I’m no spring chicken. I just love this sport. It was kind of coming up before the title fight was offered, a little bit. There’s a possibility (I would have turned down the title shot) because what’s the point of winning the title if you’re not going to be fighting much longer? I don’t want to do that to the UFC either.
In reality, Thomson was the only fighter who entered the bout with a realistic shot at Pettis. Considering all the scrambles where Thomson could not put Henderson away, it seems reasonable to argue that the injury was what made the fight close in the first place.
The 35-year-old may have lost his last best chance at a UFC belt, especially considering the rehab time he will need if he decides to launch a comeback. If there’s any consolation for Thomson, it’s that the Pettis and Davis injuries mean that there is unlikely to be a title bout soon. The prolonged search for a clear-cut lightweight contender buys Thomson time at one final run.
It’s unfortunate, because a win would have likely solidified Thomson as that No. 1 contender. Many fans believe he fulfilled that role anyway. But for now, Henderson’s victory leaves the lightweight field as convoluted as ever.
Nate 
