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Josh Thomson: From UFC Washout to UFC Title Contender

Josh Thomson will finally get his shot at UFC gold when he battles Anthony Pettis this December. The former Strikeforce Lightweight Champion has had a long road to get to this point, but it will all be worth it if he can upset the new champion.

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A Rising Star

Thomson began his career with five straight victories. That gave the UFC enough to call him up to the show back in the fall of 2003. Even a decade ago Thomson was being billed as one of the best lightweights in the world.

He began his UFC career with two straight wins. A knockout over Gerald Strebendt and a decision against Hermes Franca. His third UFC fight was against Yves Edwards, a fight that resulted in a highlight reel KO still shown to this day.

In a competitive first round, Edwards capitalized when Thomson made a small error and landed a huge head kick that floored Thomson. Edwards would finish it up with a couple punches, but it was the head kick that stole the show. That KO loss would be enough to send Thomson out of the promotion.

In today’s UFC, Thomson would have gotten another chance after going 2-1. A loss to Edwards is nothing to complain about. However, in 2004 the lightweight division was not a priority for the UFC. Zuffa was still trying to build the brand, and The Ultimate Fighter had yet to send the sport to new heights.

Thus, Thomson was released out into the wild, wild west of the MMA world to fend for himself.

Thomson would move right to PRIDE and Strikeforce. He won his PRIDE Bushido 8 fight against Daisuke Sugie, but dropped his Strikeforce debut to Clay Guida. The Guida loss was a turning point for Thomson. After that fight he won six straight bouts—five in Strikeforce—to earn a shot at the Strikeforce Lightweight Championship.

Trilogy with Gilbert Melendez

Strikeforce is remembered for a lot of things: Fedor’s surprising losses, Cyborg’s dominance, Diaz‘s battles and Rousey’s ascent. Yet what it should be remembered for is the classic trilogy of fights between Thomson and Melendez.

Their first bout came on June 27, 2008.

All five rounds it went: A war of attrition between two lightweights who were not getting their due because of where they were fighting. To those who were watching, they were every bit as accomplished.

Thomson would win the first fight and claim the Strikeforce Lightweight Championship. He would not get to successfully defend it.

His next title fight was against Melendez. The December 19, 2009 fight was just as good as, if not better than, the previous. Though, this time it was Melendez who would get the nod on the judge’s scorecards.

Thomson would not get another shot at the gold for two years. He went 3-1 with all three wins coming inside the Strikeforce organization. He dropped a decision to Tatsuya Kawajiri at the Dynamite!! 2010 card. Importantly, his Strikeforce wins came against Pat Healy, JZ Cavalcante and K.J. Noons. Those quality wins would give him one last shot at the Strikeforce strap.

The trilogy completed with another decision, but Melendez walked out with the title. This time, the decision was split: A testament to just how close the fight was, and how the series played out. It was a classic trilogy that will live on. It helped establish both fighters in the division, and made Thomson’s UFC return highly anticipated.

The Punk Returns

After the UFC ended Strikeforce and brought over the roster, one of the most anticipated fighters was Thomson. His return was set against Nate Diaz on April 20.

Heading into the bout, this was thought to be a potential Fight of the Night contender, but it would only be Thomson who collected a bonus check. He would stun everyone with a Knockout of the Night performance, becoming the first man to stop Nate Diaz.

Thomson was the more athletic fighter, and it showed. He looked sharp.

The finish came in the second frame when Thomson rocked Diaz with a head kick, and then finished up his handy work with punches for the TKO win.

It was a head kick that sent him out of the UFC, and a head kick announced his return to the elite of the lightweight division.

Through the summer, the lightweight title was held up. Injuries have played a big role in Thomson getting his title shot, which is ironic as the talented 155-pound fighter has had trouble staying healthy throughout his career.

Anthony Pettis replaced TJ Grant against Benson Henderson at UFC 164, and he was able to walk out with the title after an armbar stoppage. It was supposed to be Grant getting his shot, but he was not ready to return. Thomson got the call, answered it and now he has his shot at the ultimate glory.

After being unceremoniously released from the UFC years ago when lightweights were fighting for acceptance, Thomson has a chance to grab the title he never had a shot at when he fights Pettis at UFC on Fox 9 in the main event.

It has been a long road back for the AKA product. One that has injury roadblocks and several top level fighters trying to derail him. He has navigated his way through it all, and now only one more is in front of him.

UFC on Fox 9 is the last stop. Thomson’s long road back has led him to this point. We will find out if he can finally wear UFC gold on December 14.

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Anthony Pettis vs. Josh Thomson: Early Head-to-Toe Breakdown

Anthony Pettis took gold from Benson Henderson for a second time when he submitted the UFC lightweight champion at UFC 164 in August. The attention then turned to top contender TJ Grant.
Pettis and Grant were expected to meet at UFC on Fox 9, but Grant…

Anthony Pettis took gold from Benson Henderson for a second time when he submitted the UFC lightweight champion at UFC 164 in August. The attention then turned to top contender TJ Grant.

Pettis and Grant were expected to meet at UFC on Fox 9, but Grant would not be ready in time to see action. Thus, the UFC went looking for another challenger for the new champion and they came up with Josh Thomson. The longtime veteran will try to capture UFC gold for the first time when they meet in December.

Thomson, a former Strikeforce lightweight champion, made a successful return to the UFC with a Knockout of the Night performance against Nate Diaz in April. He gets a shining opportunity thanks to injuries to others, and his dream of becoming the UFC champion has a real possibility of coming true.

The dynamic lightweights will meet on December 14, and this is your early breakdown for the UFC Lightweight Championship bout.

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Josh Thomson Knows This Is His One Shot at a UFC Title and He’s Not Wasting It

Late Wednesday night, UFC lightweight Josh Thomson started getting a huge influx of calls and text messages to his phone all with the same message—congratulations.
As it turns out, some of his friends and family heard the news before he even foun…

Late Wednesday night, UFC lightweight Josh Thomson started getting a huge influx of calls and text messages to his phone all with the same message—congratulations.

As it turns out, some of his friends and family heard the news before he even found out it was official that he would be receiving the next shot at the UFC lightweight title against Anthony Pettis at UFC on Fox 9 in December.

Thomson was as gracious as he could be receiving the words of encouragement, but in reality he knew that he had nothing to celebrate. Not yet anyways.

“It’s nice to know the UFC is giving me the opportunity to fight for their title, but the hard work is just getting started and the fight is the ultimate goal,” Thomson told Bleacher Report on Tuesday. “So it’s nice to know that everyone cares and is calling me telling me congratulations, but I haven’t won anything yet.”

Thomson is no stranger to being a champion, having held the Strikeforce lightweight strap in the past. He’s also been a top-10-level lightweight for the biggest part of the last decade, so he’s used to facing top competition.

This moment still feels special, however, because his latest run in the UFC is not his first. Thomson was part of the promotion when Dana White and the Fertitta brothers took over and started to revamp the once-destitute company. Part of the rebuilding plan involved focusing on the weight classes that were the strongest, and at the time there was no room for 155-pound fighters.

So Thomson and the rest of the division were jettisoned in 2004 until the promotion finally re-introduced the weight class almost two and a half years later. When he left the UFC the first time, Thomson was considered one of the top fighters in the world at lightweight, and now almost 10 years later he’s back at the top and finally getting a chance to compete for that elusive title.

“My honest to God opinion is if they hadn’t gotten rid of the weight class, I probably would have been champion a long time ago in the UFC,” Thomson said. “I feel like I’ve never not been a top lightweight, but injuries have barred me from being as active as I could have been in my career. This was an opportunity that was taken from me back in 2004 when the division wasn’t carrying its own weight. Now, this opportunity is presented to me and you can bet your ass I’m going to capitalize on it.”

The last time Thomson was at this stage in the UFC (where he could have been contending for a belt) he was 25 years old. Now on the cusp of his 35th birthday, the long-time American Kickboxing Academy lightweight is realistic about what this title shot means.

He knows that there is no tomorrow and there is no getting back to this spot again. Thomson looks at this as his one opportunity to shine, and there’s no going back now.

“There is nothing after this. This is it. I’m not 27. I’ll be 35 this weekend. This is it,” Thomson said. “If I lose this fight, the chances of me having time to come back and get another title shot are pretty slim and I know that. You can bet your ass I’m going to put everything into this. I only need to be that good for one night. I can get my ass kicked every single day in training but the only thing that matters is I have to be better than him in that one night.

“I just need to go out there and I need to be better than him that one night. I could go out and have the shi—iest camp in the world, but if I go out there and beat him on that night, that’s all that matters.”

It’s too early for Thomson to start breaking down Pettis in technical terms, although he’s watched plenty of his fights already. The only thing he’s willing to divulge right now is the fact that fans who buy tickets to their showdown on December 14 in Sacramento will get their money’s worth.

“Honestly, the fans are the ones getting the win in this one,” Thomson said. “The fans are going to get the best show of their lives. There’s no other way to describe this. It’s going to be nuts.”

Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and all quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.

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Anthony Pettis vs. Josh Thomson Booked for UFC on FOX 9 Title Fight, With TJ Grant Still Sidelined Due to Concussion

(Strikeforce neva die. WEC neva die. UFC doing best it can, under circumstances. Images via Getty/FOX Sports)

In July, a concussion suffered in training robbed UFC lightweight contender TJ Grant of his title shot against Benson Henderson. Grant was expected to return to action at UFC on FOX 9 (December 14th, Sacramento) against new champion Anthony Pettis, but news broke last night that the Canadian fighter has still not been medically cleared to compete. As Grant wrote on twitter:

“Hey people. Quick update. Unfortunately I won’t be fighting Pettis on dec 14. I am still not yet 100% n can’t commit to fight. UFC is going with someone else instead. It sucks but it is the best for both myself and the UFC. Please don’t worry. Ill be back and if I gotta fight someone else to get back to where I wanna be then that’s what I’m gonna do. I’m not bitter. Thanks”

The promotion confirmed shortly afterward that Pettis will remain on the UFC on FOX 9 card, defending his belt against Josh Thomson. It’s a somewhat unexpected choice, as Thomson’s TKO of Nate Diaz at UFC on FOX 7 represented his first victory in 13 months. Still, his performance against Diaz was extraordinary (“bitch-ass lady sounds” notwithstanding), and The Punk’s epic battles against Gilbert Melendez in Strikeforce always suggested that he might be a better fighter than rankings and records indicate.

(Strikeforce neva die. WEC neva die. UFC doing best it can, under circumstances. Images via Getty/FOX Sports)

Melendez is coming off a decision loss to Benson Henderson in April, and is already booked to fight Diego Sanchez next month. The only lightweight who might have a legitimate gripe about being passed over is Rafael Dos Anjos, who has won five straight fights in the UFC against increasingly nasty competition. But Thomson is a bigger name — and considering that he lives and trains in NorCal, where the event is taking place, the booking is a no-brainer. Plus, Pettis and Thomson have already talked shit at each other on twitter, so yeah, GRUDGE MATCH.

What do you think? Is Pettis vs. Thomson a more interesting title fight than Pettis vs. Grant? And does Thomson have a chance here?

Anthony Pettis vs. Josh Thomson Booked for UFC on FOX 9 Headliner

It didn’t take Josh Thomson long to vault back to the top of the lightweight division. The former Strikeforce champion is now slated to fight Anthony “Showtime” Pettis in a lightweight title fight on December 14 at UFC on Fox 9.
The news was announced …

The news was announced immediately after news broke that Canadian grappler-turned-slugger TJ Grant is unable to fight Pettis on the date due to the same lingering concussion troubles that kept him out of a UFC 164 fight with then-champion Benson “Smooth” Henderson.

Pettis replaced Grant in that fight and won via first-round submission.

It’s an unfortunate turn for Grant, but is a massive opportunity for Thomson.

Thomson is one of the most enduring veterans of the lightweight division, who actually made his UFC debut at UFC 44, in the days before the post-BJ Penn collapse of 2004, which caused the division to be disbanded.

He joined Strikeforce shortly thereafter, where he would fight 13 times, racking up a 10-3 record (losing only to Gilbert Melendez and Clay Guida).

He rejoined the UFC after an eight-year hiatus and made the most of the opportunity by knocking out long-time contender Nate Diaz. He dominated the popular submission artist before scoring a fearsome knockout in Round 2. It was the first knockout loss of Diaz‘s career.

While he dropped a tight split decision to Gilbert Melendez before that at Strikeforce: Barnett vs. Cormier, few are questioning the legitimacy of Thomson’s title shot.

There are currently no other fights attached to UFC on Fox 9. Stick with Bleacher Report for more details on the card as they become available.

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MMA’s Best Brawls of All Time

The process of creating a mixed martial arts countdown is like writing a recognition speech; you will inevitably leave someone out and anger others. But after watching Leslie Smith and Jennifer Maia put on one of the finest brawls in MMA history this p…

Webster’s Dictionary simply defines “brawl” as “a rough or noisy fight or quarrel.” However, fans who have witnessed countless brawls know these fights are anything but simple. They are a primal explosion of hypnotizing violence, an hysterical hurricane of testosterone which permeates an adrenaline rush throughout a stadium or through a television. And what they lack in precise technical showmanship, they make up for with an indelible display of pure heart and courage.

Every fight fan has their favorite, so let’s see which ones made the countdown.

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