Josh Thomson has received some negative feedback from fans after posting questions on Twitter and Facebook regarding gay marriage. The Strikeforce and UFC veteran used his respective accounts to ask for feedback on where pro-marriage individuals draw t…
Josh Thomson has received some negative feedback from fans after posting questions on Twitter and Facebook regarding gay marriage. The Strikeforce and UFC veteran used his respective accounts to ask for feedback on where pro-marriage individuals draw the line. The tweets are still the topic of discussion in forum boards, despite the fighter going quiet about the subject since the initial interaction with fans.
On June 10, Thomson started by posting on his Twitter account:
“Should you be allowed to marry whoever you want? Before you answer that, should u be allowed to have more than 1 wife?”
The message was relayed on the fighter’s Facebook account automatically. Thomson received some opinions but no direct backlash for posing this particular question. However, in his follow-up comments on his Facebook, Thomson jumped into a kind of implied Reductio ad absurdum.
“I’m not talking about just gay marriage. I’m talking about where does it stop? Where do you draw the line? People wanna marry animals, children, siblings, multiple husband/wives, etc?”
While the initial question is fair, the likening of homosexual adults of the same gender to children and animals garnered some negative feedback. Thomson was not without his backers, however.
Former UFC veteran and champion Pat Miletichresponded on Thomson’s Facebook:
Josh is spot on. It may seem extreme to use some of his examples of ‘where does it end’ but I guarantee someone will want to marry their 1st cousin or even sibling. At what point does lack of civil liberty put this nation at risk? It’s already happened and will only get worse.
Miletich did not elaborate on how marriage alteration can create risk for a country.
Regardless of one’s stance on the issue, the initial question is fair. It is not impolite or improper for one to pose a question about social morality and practice. Thomson’s error appears to be in stretching his concern thin and utilizing poor logical formulation in the process.
The UFC has in the past handed out fines for anti-gay commentary; however, Thomson’s situation is not equal to past statements, like those made by Nate Diazfollowing his fight with Thomson. It will be interesting to note if the UFC does find any reason to reprimand the fighter.
To his credit, Thomson only posed a question. One can infer his stance, but he did not speak against homosexuals throughout the course of the debate. Still, the UFC is a private company, and some form of professional backlash could be seen in the coming days.
Donald Cerrone has never lost two fights in a row. In a 26-fight professional career, that’s a solid accomplishment, especially when you look at the frequency and the quality of opponent Cerrone has faced during his time with the WEC and UFC.&n…
Donald Cerrone has never lost two fights in a row. In a 26-fight professional career, that’s a solid accomplishment, especially when you look at the frequency and the quality of opponent Cerrone has faced during his time with the WEC and UFC.
When Cerrone entered the Octagon at UFC 160, he was not only facing K.J. Noons, but the prospect of two straight defeats after falling to Anthony Pettis in his last outing.
After assaulting Noons for 15 minutes, Cerrone had his hand raised in victory. Cerrone dominated the fight from start to finish and left a significant amount of Noons’ blood splattered across the mat, adding to the gore fest that the fight card had become.
The victory served notice to the lightweight division. The fighter known to the world as “Cowboy” was not going to let the defeat at the hands of Pettis keep him down for long. Cerrone shook off that defeat, put it in the past and came back with a statement win over Noons.
No, it didn’t earn him another “Fight Night” bonus to add to his growing collection, but that wasn’t due to lack of effort. After all, according to FightMetric, Cerrone’s 78 significant strikes landed during the bout were the most landed on an action-packed fight card.
So where does the win leave Cerrone? A glance at the UFC Rankings puts him at No. 6 in the lightweight division behind Gilbert Melendez, Anthony Pettis, T.J. Grant, Josh Thomson and Gray Maynard.
We know that Grant has earned the next shot at lightweight champion Benson Henderson, so that bout is out of the question for Cerrone. Pettis is going to face Jose Aldo at UFC 163 in a featherweight title bout, so that rematch is a no-go.
Melendez and Maynard are both coming off losses, so those fights, while possible, don’t make a lot of sense. That leaves Josh Thomson, the fighter who knocked out Nate Diaz in April.
When the topic of Thomson was brought up at the UFC 160 post-fight press conference, Cerrone did not hesitate to say, “Absolutely, why not. I’ll fight anybody. Give me when and where, and I’m game for whoever, but that definitely makes sense. It would be a fun fight.”
The fight makes sense for both fighters as well as for the UFC. Two veteran fighters with a combined 29 stoppage victories between them facing off for a chance to fight for UFC gold, that’s a fight that fans will want to see and one that Cerrone is already looking forward to. Cerrone is correct; that would be a fun fight.
The UFC will return to Milwaukee on August 31, and Diego Sanchez is looking for a partner to tangle with.After a two-year hiatus, the Octagon will once again roll through the BMO Harris Bradley Center for UFC 164. The event is part of the Harley-Davids…
The UFC will return to Milwaukee on August 31, and Diego Sanchez is looking for a partner to tangle with.
After a two-year hiatus, the Octagon will once again roll through the BMO Harris Bradley Center for UFC 164. The event is part of the Harley-Davidson “Hometown Throwdown” that will help to mark the company’s 110th anniversary celebration.
While Sanchez is attached to the card, he is currently without a scheduled opponent, and “The Dream” is taking matters into his own hands.
As announced on Fuel TV’s UFC Tonight, the 31-year-old has selected three fighters he would like to square off with in the “Brew City.” There has been no word so far about them accepting the fight, but with Sanchez campaigning for the matchups, it is worthwhile to keep an eye on the developing situation.
Here is a look at Sanchez’s wish list for UFC 164.
Josh Thomson
After making a successful return to the lightweight division against TakanoriGomi at UFC on Fuel TV 8 in March, Sanchez is looking for a path toward a title shot. That being said, the 155-pound division is one of the most competitive under the UFC banner. There is no easy route to take when traveling north, and a bout with Josh Thomson would make for a sensible next step.
“The Punk” recently made a huge statement in his return to the Octagon, when the AKA staple scored a TKO victory over Nate Diaz at UFC on Fox 7 in April.
It was the former Strikeforce champion’s first victory in the UFC fold since 2004, and by defeating the brash Stocktonian, Thomson put himself within striking distance of a title shot. The only issue with said title shot is that traffic in that area appears to be congested for the time being.
With the No. 1 contender slot set to be determined by Gray Maynard and T.J. Grant at UFC 160, it will be several months before champion Benson Henderson will put his belt on the line. As a result, Thomson will have to take another fight to keep himself in a position to contend, and with most of the top fighters in the weight class coming off losses, a date with Sanchez could be the perfect option.
Both fighters like to push the pace when the cage door closes, and a scrap between Sanchez and Thomson could deliver 15 minutes of goodness.
The biggest stylistic difference between the two fighters is that Sanchez prefers to close the distance, whereas Thomson likes to use his footwork and attack from the outside. Nevertheless, neither fighter has a problem with getting down to business, and this fight would deliver for the Milwaukee fighting faithful in attendance.
Nate Diaz
Following Sanchez’s victory over Gomi in Japan, the TUF 1 winner told Fuel TV in his post-fight interview that he would like to be the first person to defeat both Diaz brothers.
Back in 2005—during Nick Diaz‘s first stint in the UFC—Sanchez wrestled his way to a unanimous-decision victory over the Cesar Gracie-trained fighter. The Jackson’s MMA-trained fighter would go on to greater glory under the UFC banner, while Diaz would continue to have trouble with wrestlers—as shown in his recent loss to Georges St-Pierre.
Fast forward eight years, and Sanchez is now targeting the younger Diaz brother. After a tough run in the welterweight division, theTUF 5 winner returned to the lightweight division and scrapped his way to the top of the weight class. Victories over TakanoriGomi, Donald Cerrone and Jim Miller earned Diaz the opportunity to compete for Henderson’s 155-pound strap.
Unfortunately for Diaz, the task was too steep, and the 28-year-old suffered a lopsided defeat at the hands of the current champion. And the problems didn’t stop there. After suggesting he might return to the welterweight division in the future, Diaz squared off with Thomson at UFC on Fox 7 and was stopped for the first time in more than six years.
Six months ago, he was a title contender, and now Diaz is facing back-to-back losses and an uncertain road for his future. While the bout does nothing for Sanchez’s title hopes, the fight makes sense in terms of entertainment value. The former title challenger is notorious for his pre-fight intensity, and when matched against Diaz‘s natural disdain for the opposition, the pre-fight buildup could produce fireworks.
If Diaz does decide to return to welterweight, that is no problem for Sanchez. He told UFC Tonight that he would be willing to fight Diaz at either weight, if the bout with Thomson couldn’t be made.
Gilbert Melendez
The third opponent on Sanchez’s wish list is former Strikeforce champion and recent UFC lightweight title contender Gilbert Melendez.
In the eyes of some MMA fans and media pundits around the sport, “El Nino” should be wearing the 155-pound strap. After a five-round back-and-forth dustup with Henderson, the “Skrap Pack” leader came out on the losing end of a controversial split decision. Nevertheless, the defeat means Melendez will have to earn his way back to the top, and Sanchez is looking to bar his path.
Melendez recently told Bleacher Report’sDamon Martin that he wants his next fight to carry title implications. And while Sanchez’s controversial split-decision victory over Gomi didn’t catapult him to the top of the rankings, the current situation in the lightweight division could lead to Sanchez being the best option for Melendez.
Melendez is in a unique position. After losing a razor-thin decision to Henderson, he is most likely just one win from having another title shot. But with the rest of the top fighters in the division either being booked up or having been knocked out of contention with a loss, the options are few and far between. The 30-year-old Santa Ana-native has ruled out a possible fourth fight with Thomson, which leaves a tussle with Sanchez as a possibility.
Matching a fighter coming off a win against one coming off a loss is typically strange business for the UFC, but when considering the current positions of Melendez and Sanchez , a bout between them makes sense—maybe not perfect sense in the greater picture, but it is far from crazy.
As a big fan of TUF 12’s Cody McKenzie, I’ve come to realize that it’s hard to fault the guy for his nonsensical and often self-destructive decisions, especially when it comes to choosing his opponents. The man reaches for the stars, dammit, and will simply not be told that he doesn’t have the right to call out Frankie Edgar, or Jose Aldo, or Chad Mendes, despite the fact that just managed to bring his win-loss ratio in the UFC to the .500 mark.
No, “The AK Kid” wasn’t one to overthink, or even realizethe fact that he had dropped 3 out of his last 4 fights heading into his do-or-die bout with Leonard Garcia at UFC 159, which is why it makes total sense that he, now a featherweight, is calling out top lightweight contender Josh Thomson, like he didn’t just save his UFC career by beating a guy on a four-fight losing streak. How can you not love this kid?
As a big fan of TUF 12′s Cody McKenzie, I’ve come to realize that it’s hard to fault the guy for his nonsensical and often self-destructive decisions, especially when it comes to choosing his opponents. The man reaches for the stars, dammit, and will simply not be told that he doesn’t have the right to call out Frankie Edgar, or Jose Aldo, or Chad Mendes, despite the fact that just managed to bring his win-loss ratio in the UFC to the .500 mark.
No, “The AK Kid” wasn’t one to overthink, or even realizethe fact that he had dropped 3 out of his last 4 fights heading into his do-or-die bout with Leonard Garcia at UFC 159, which is why it makes total sense that he, now a featherweight, is calling out top lightweight contender Josh Thomson, like he didn’t just save his UFC career by beating a guy on a four-fight losing streak. How can you not love this kid?
I hate to say it, but we need more Cody McKenzies in the UFC. Actually, I didn’t hate saying that at all. While Andy, GSP, and Jonny Boy continue with their increasingly frustrating Sam and Diane (and Rebecca, I guess) routine, McKenzie is busy calling out dudes one to two weight classes up from him because big whoop, wanna fight about it? It’s a refreshing attitude in today’s picky-choosy MMA landscape, but also one that usually ends with McKenzie getting his ass kicked.
As you would expect, Thomson got all high-n’-mighty on McKenzie in response, thus proving the Alaskan’s superiority:
What’s the matter, Punk? Are you just afraid of easy paychecks, or getting your ass handed to you by a sasquatch in board shorts?! What are you hiding from?! SHOW US THE BIRTH CERTIFICATE, OBAMA! #MCKENZIEFORPRESIDENT #ARMYOFONE
(“OMG THOSE SHOES ARE FAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABULOUS!!!!” / Photo via Sherdog)
If you thought Nate Diaz was going to accept his UFC on FOX 7 loss to Josh Thomson gracefully, then brother, you just don’t know what it means to be a Diaz. Nate was a guest on BJPenn.com Radio yesterday, where he squeezed enough sour grapes to make a fine red whine. (I’m not even going to ask if you saw what I did there. I know damn well that you saw it.) Here are some of the highlights, as transcribed by MMAMania and MMAFighting:
“[Thomson] didn’t come in there and put no ass whopping on me. You know what I’m saying? He didn’t come in there and make anything happen. I have never fought somebody before who had ever wanted out of a fight so bad. I expected a fight. I expected him to grab me and try to hold on to me or throw some kicks and move and throw some punches and move but that motherfucker was straight running and I had to chase him down. I was chasing him the whole fight. I was the aggressor. I was restless, you know? How can you not be when a guy is running scared shitless for his life? I’m over aggressive trying to get a hold of him and that’s why I got hit, because I’m over aggressive. I’m trying to meet the criteria to win these rounds…
“[He] was scared shitless when I was fighting him. It’s unbelievable how scared he was in there. He was running for his life…He was making bitch ass lady sounds and that’s not bullshit. I’m not here talking shit on him, this is reality. He was making woman sounds. He was running out of the clinch. I hit him in the face and he was going ‘Oh, oh, ehh’ making woman sounds I’ve never even heard out of a man before during a fight. I’m hearing his corner telling him to smile and I’m like, ‘Yeah, smile mother fucker’ and not a single smile came out of his mouth. He had a look of panic the whole fight. You have to be in there to fight these guys to know that. This is how it went. I’ve seen him in other fights, he was smiling at the other guy, bouncing around. He didn’t have no time for that against me. He was frantic and trying not to get his ass whooped…
(“OMG THOSE SHOES ARE FAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABULOUS!!!!” / Photo via Sherdog)
If you thought Nate Diaz was going to accept his UFC on FOX 7 loss to Josh Thomson gracefully, then brother, you just don’t know what it means to be a Diaz. Nate was a guest on BJPenn.com Radio yesterday, where he squeezed enough sour grapes to make a fine red whine. (I’m not even going to ask if you saw what I did there. I know damn well that you saw it.) Here are some of the highlights, as transcribed by MMAMania and MMAFighting:
“[Thomson] didn’t come in there and put no ass whopping on me. You know what I’m saying? He didn’t come in there and make anything happen. I have never fought somebody before who had ever wanted out of a fight so bad. I expected a fight. I expected him to grab me and try to hold on to me or throw some kicks and move and throw some punches and move but that motherfucker was straight running and I had to chase him down. I was chasing him the whole fight. I was the aggressor. I was restless, you know? How can you not be when a guy is running scared shitless for his life? I’m over aggressive trying to get a hold of him and that’s why I got hit, because I’m over aggressive. I’m trying to meet the criteria to win these rounds…
“[He] was scared shitless when I was fighting him. It’s unbelievable how scared he was in there. He was running for his life…He was making bitch ass lady sounds and that’s not bullshit. I’m not here talking shit on him, this is reality. He was making woman sounds. He was running out of the clinch. I hit him in the face and he was going ‘Oh, oh, ehh’ making woman sounds I’ve never even heard out of a man before during a fight. I’m hearing his corner telling him to smile and I’m like, ‘Yeah, smile mother fucker’ and not a single smile came out of his mouth. He had a look of panic the whole fight. You have to be in there to fight these guys to know that. This is how it went. I’ve seen him in other fights, he was smiling at the other guy, bouncing around. He didn’t have no time for that against me. He was frantic and trying not to get his ass whooped…
I don’t really want to credit him too much for that fight, you know? I don’t think that he should get too much. I think it was more a negative on my part than a positive on his part. I think he might have just capitalized a little bit. I think, I know it’s because I fought and everything, but I think the stop was premature, but, I didn’t want to cause a scene at the time. I didn’t know how it went or how it looked. I was in there fighting and the guy jumped in stopped the fight and I was like, ‘what the fuck is going on here? Why are you stopping the fight?’ I didn’t think I was damaged anymore better or worse off than I had been in my prior fights. I thought I was good to go, but I didn’t want to make a scene. Maybe I got caught with some combos and it looked worse. I think it looked worse than what was really going on in there.”
As for the towel that his corner threw in to stop this alleged non-ass-whooping? Diaz said they did that because they are his “real people” who care about his health and don’t want to see him take any more punches to the head than necessary. But it was a totally premature stoppage, okay? And maybe Nate and Josh Thomson can rematch for the 163-pound UFC on FOX Sports 1 heavy-lightweight title one day to settle this once and for all. Blugh.
Following a brutal technical knockout at the hands of Josh Thomson at UFC on FOX 7 on Saturday, Nate Diaz is calling upon the UFC brass to add three more weight classes to the company. Monday afternoon, Diaz tweeted that his plans of returnin…
Following a brutal technical knockout at the hands of Josh Thomson at UFC on FOX 7 on Saturday, Nate Diaz is calling upon the UFC brass to add three more weight classes to the company.
Monday afternoon, Diaz tweeted that his plans of returning to welterweight (via MMA Fighting) would change if the UFC added a weight class in between lightweight (155 pounds) and 170 pounds.
@ufc more weight classes ASAP??163,178,193More super fights more champion vs champion ,closer to weight better fights more potential …
The proposed 178-pound weight class would be in the middle of welterweight and middleweight (185 pounds), while a 193-pound division would be closer to middleweight than light heavyweight (205 pounds).
After an impressive 3-0 run at lightweight between September 2011 and and May 2012, the Cesar Gracie Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt got a title shot against 155-pound champ Benson Henderson in December.
Diaz was thoroughly dominated by “Bendo,” suffering an even more definitive loss to Thomson in his next bout this past Saturday.
The former The Ultimate Fighter winner currently has an 11-7 record under the UFC banner, including a 2-2 run at welterweight between March 2010 and April 2011.
Diaz earned stoppage wins over Rory Markham and Marcus Davis, but he was overpowered and out-grappled by Dong Hyun Kim and Rory MacDonald during that four-fight span at a higher weight class.
UFC president Dana White, nor anyone else affiliated with the UFC, has responded to the tweet as of Monday evening.
At the UFC on FOX 7 post-fight press conference, White stated that Diaz is much better suited to be fighting at 155 pounds than at 170 pounds (via MMA Junkie).
Would adding three new weight classes to the UFC make the promotion that much more exciting, or is this just another whacky soundbite from the Cesar Gracie Jiu-Jitsu camp?
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.
Donald Cerrone has never lost two fights in a row. In a 26-fight professional career, that’s a solid accomplishment, especially when you look at the frequency and the quality of opponent Cerrone has faced during his time with the WEC and UFC. 
