Tag: Josh Thomson

Strikeforce: Barnett vs. Cormier — Live Results & Commentary


(The time for talking is over. The time for looking into a camera and screaming has just begun. Photo via Esther Lin/SHO Sports.)

If you had told me 16 months ago that the Strikeforce 2011-2012 Heavyweight Grand Prix would conclude with an unheralded reserve-fighter ending up in the finals, and tournament favorite Alistair Overeem nowhere to be seen due to promotional poaching and a subsequent drug-test scandal, I would have said “Yeah, that sounds about right, actually.”

The good news is, Josh Barnett vs. Daniel Cormier is a hell of a matchup — a classic generational battle between a battle-tested old veteran and a hungry up-and-comer. (As it turns out, Barnett is only like a year-and-a-half older than Cormier, but work with me here.) Also on the main card: Gilbert Melendez and Josh Thomson fight for Strikeforce’s lightweight title for the third time, while light-heavyweights Mike Kyle and Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante throw down in a rematch of their own.

Handling the play-by-play for the tonight’s Showtime broadcast of Strikforce: Barnett vs. Cormier is our own Elias Cepeda, who will be posting live results after the jump starting at 10 p.m. ET. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest, and let us know how you feel in the comments section. You ready for war? Because guys, we are always ready for war.


(The time for talking is over. The time for looking into a camera and screaming has just begun. Photo via Esther Lin/SHO Sports.)

If you had told me 16 months ago that the Strikeforce 2011-2012 Heavyweight Grand Prix would conclude with an unheralded reserve-fighter ending up in the finals, and tournament favorite Alistair Overeem nowhere to be seen due to promotional poaching and a subsequent drug-test scandal, I would have said “Yeah, that sounds about right, actually.”

The good news is, Josh Barnett vs. Daniel Cormier is a hell of a matchup — a classic generational battle between a battle-tested old veteran and a hungry up-and-comer. (As it turns out, Barnett is only like a year-and-a-half older than Cormier, but work with me here.) Also on the main card: Gilbert Melendez and Josh Thomson fight for Strikeforce’s lightweight title for the third time, while light-heavyweights Mike Kyle and Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante throw down in a rematch of their own.

Handling the play-by-play for the tonight’s Showtime broadcast of Strikforce: Barnett vs. Cormier is our own Elias Cepeda, who will be posting live results after the jump starting at 10 p.m. ET. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest, and let us know how you feel in the comments section. You ready for war? Because guys, we are always ready for war.

We are live!

Nah-Shon Burrell vs. Chris Spang
Round 1 – Spang is taking this one on short notice. Let’s see how ready he is for the opportunity. Spang with an overhand right, Burrell counters with a hook. Spang pushing forward, leading with the jab and looking for more hook counters.

Spang lands a huge head kick but Burrell seems unfazed somehow. He throws punches, most land only glancingly. Spang pushes Burrell against the cage. On separation Spang lands a couple more punches.

Burrell lands an uppercut, straight combo. Spang drops Burrell with a left hook. Burrell gets back to his feet but he’s clearly hurt. Spang unleashes knee after knee to the head from the Thai plum. Spang punches on separation then grabs the plum again and drops Burrell once more. He dives in for some ground strikes and referee Josh Rosenthal steps in to stop the fight.

Chris Spang with the first round TKO win.

Tyron Woodley and Nate Marquardt get interviewed, as they are soon fighting. Nate looks huge. Crazy that he’s supposed to make 170.

Rafael Feijao Cavalcante vs. Mike Kyle

Rematch from three years ago. Back in ’09, Big Cavalcante got TKO’d by Kyle.

Round 1 – It doesn’t take long for Cavalcante to get his revenge on Kyle. Feijao throws an overhand right that misses, but after Kyle ducks low to avoid it, the Brazilian capitalizes and lands a knee to the head that drops Kyle and when “Mak” gets back to his feet, Cavalcante locks on a guillotine choke, jumps guard and, after a fight, Kyle taps out 33 seconds into the round.

Feijao by first round tap out.

Strikeforce 185lb champ Luke Rockhold and Tim Kennedy get interviewed because they are going to throw down July 14th. Luke implies that Kennedy has been ducking him. Kennedy compliments Rockhold, then threatens to twitter punk him tonight if given the opportunity. As we know, Kennedy is a dangerous man on twitter.

Gilbert Melendez vs. Josh Thomson III

Round 1 – Both men start out fast, moving in and out, exchanging flurries of punches. A minute and a half in, Gilbert scores the takedown. Thomson immediately starts to work his way up to his feet, cage walking against the fence.

Thomson gets back up and free. Gilbert stalking Thomson. They clinch and Gilbert lands a hard knee to the body. They free back up. Thomson switching up his stance repeatedly. Gilbert paws with the jab, both feeling each other out.

Thomson throws a body kick that is blocked. He throws another that is caught by Gilbert. He uses it to take down Thomson. Thomson swivels to inverted guard and promptly gets a hammer fist to the face. Horn sounds.

Round 2 – They are back at it again, swinging hard, mostly missing. Thomson throws a head kick that is blocked. Gilbert walks Thomson into the cage, scoring with multiple body shots. Thomson circles out.

Gilbert leading with the pawing jab and trying to follow with a hard right but Thomson gets out of the way. Thomson charges forward with punches but misses.

Gilbert lands an uppercut. Thomson gets hit with a punch but apparently also with an eye poke. It buckles him, he gets time to recover. Thomson lands with a cross but Gilbert lands another uppercut. He seems to hurt Thomson. Josh doesn’t back down but Gilbert gets another takedown.

He has Thomson against the cage and Josh is attempting to walk his way back to his feet. He gets up and Gilbert throws a flurry of punches at him as soon as he does. Under ten seconds left and Josh shoots for a takedown. He doesn’t get it, as Gilbert uses elbows to the side of the head to defend. Horn sounds.

Round 3 – Gilbert throws two wide hooks that land, shoots for a takedown. Thomson defends and charges forward, landing a punch combo flush to the face of Gilbert. Thomson shoots and gets stuffed.

Uppercut from Thomson lands clean on Melendez. Gilbert responds with his own uppercut. Thomson throws Melendez to the ground but Gilbert rolls backwards and stays away from Thomson. He’s back up to his feet.

Gilbert with an uppercut to the body of Josh. From the clinch Gilbert lands several hard uppercuts to the jaw of Josh. Thomson responds by charging forward. Gilbert’s right eye is starting to swell. Thomson says he’s gotten poked in the eye again but gets back to action right away.

Round 4  – Thomson opens the round with another high kick that is blocked by Gilbert. Gilbert triples up on the jab and finishes with the overhand right. Thomson lands a huge right hand, throws another high kick that is mostly blocked. Gilbert lands his own big punch on Thomson.

Melendez has had enough of this and lands another double leg take down. He’s pressing Thomson against the fence, Josh gets back up to his feet. Gilbert lands a one-two punch combo. Thomson throwing the push kick and circles out.

Gilbert shoots for another double leg off of a jab lead. Thomson defends well. Melendez lands an elbow on separation. They are back standing in free range.

Melendez’ right eye is bleeding more. Thomson tries to use his own jab. Josh throws but whiffs on a four punch combo. Thomson with a trip takedown on Melendez and some nice straight punches to the grounded Gilbert.

Thomson in Gilbert’s full guard. Melendez sits up turtles up and Thomson takes his back. Under a minute left and Josh has Gilbert’s back, working for the rear naked choke. Thomson switches to a short choke grip. Melendez is in deep water but gets his chin back under the grip. Melendez stands, tries to shuck Thomson off of him.

Josh has the back still as the horn sounds.

Round 5 – Thomson is psyched at the start of the round – bounces up and down, nodding and smiling at Gilbert. Melendez with a short hook to Josh’s head. Thomson fires back, Melendez shoots and scores another double leg take down. Josh gets back up to his feet fast.

Gilbert has an egg swelling over his left eye now. Thomson lands a right punch. Thomson lands a right hook and uppercut in close range. Gilbert lands a stiff jab. Thomson lands a straight right, followed by a four-strike punch and kick combo. Thomson shoots for a take down and gets stuffed.

Thomson says he’s gotten poked again and gets time. Doesn’t take much, though, and they are back in action. Gilbert lands a left hook to the head of Thomson. Josh charges forward with a punch and knee combo but mostly misses. One minute left in this war.

Gilbert shoots for a double and gets stuffed. Thomson lands two more punches on the feet. Thomson lands another trip take down with thirty seconds left.

Gilbert is in full guard, throwing rabbit punches. Thomson staying safe, crowding Gilbert. Thomson throws three elbows to end the round.

Decision time is next!

Judges score it 48-47 Thomson, 48-47 Melendez, 48-47 Melendez. Split decision win for Gilbert Melendez. Split crowd, half cheers, half boos. Thomson is irate.

Even so, Thomson is all class telling the crowd, “Please don’t boo Gilbert. He’s one of the best fighters, if not the best fighter in the world.”

Thomson calls for a fourth fight, the crowd wants it too. Gilbert says, “yeah, sure, whatever,” before giving his teammate Nate Diaz props, calling him the next lightweight champion of the UFC.

Daniel Cormier vs. Josh Barnett

Round 1 – Barnett pumps the double jab out sharply right away. Cormier lands his own jab now. Barnett throwing fast but Cormier throws three for every one punch Barnett can

Cormier goes to the body and head with combos. Barnett getting tagged but is unfazed. Cormier not eager to look for take downs at all, seems completely comfortable on the feet. Cormier begins to find his range with the right cross. Barnett lands his own punches now.

Cormier still doubling Barnett’s shots. Barnett catches a kick from Cormier and throws a right cross that lands and hurts Cormier. Barnett follows with a knee that hurts Cormier further. Cormier grimaces but gets his composure back and presses Barnett against the cage.

Barnett does not give up and closes with his own flurry of strikes. Cormier is bleeding but landed twice the strikes.

Round 2 – Barnett returns with his jab. Cormier starting to finish up his punch combos with leg kicks. Barnett backs Cormier up with punches, Cormier throws a knee. Cormier lands a hard short upper cut. Barnett returns with a straight cross. Cormier lands a huge combo to the head and body.

Cormier shoots for and gets a single leg take down, halfway through the round. Cormier in Barnett’s full guard. Cormier is smothering and posturing, throwing the occasional punches. Cormier starts to open up with forearm and elbow strikes. Barnett shoots a triangle choke but gets shrugged off by Barnett. Barnett fires an arm bar attempt into a leg lock  attempt. Cormier defends it all and returns fire with more elbows.

Barnett’s face is a bloody mask with thirty seconds left. Cormier ends the round hammering away with punches.

Round 3 – Barnette backs Cormier up once again. Cormier lands a counter right from in close. Barnett shoots for a single and then double leg take down. Cormier defends and circles away from the cage. Barnett with an inside leg kick.

Cormier shoots for a single leg then switches to a high crotch take down and lifts Barnett up  into the air and slams him into the ground. He lands in side mount on Barnett. Barnett looks to be in trouble from side control but gets up to his feet.

Cormier lands an overhand right then a left hand. Cormier lands another right hand, Barnett lands his own. Cormier shoots for a single leg but gets dedended.

Cormier lands a head kick that hurts Barnett. Cormier follows up with knees to the head. Barnett is hurt but returns fire with his back to the cage. Cormier circles and Barnett’s back while standing. Round ends in that position.

Round 4 – Barnett is bloodied but still opens up the round attacking. He backs up Cormier with feints and jabs. Cormier weaves to his right to avoid a jab and runs right into a knee from Barnett. Cormier lands a left hook.

Nice left-right combo from Barnett. Left lead high kick from Cormier lands. Right high kick from Cormier lands! Barnett closes the distance and pushes Cormier against the cage. Cormier circles out and gets back to the center of the cage.

Barnett lands a right lead punch. Jab-hook combo from Cormier. Cormier shoots in and then pops up and lands a right hand, then changes levels again and lands a take down. Barnett immediately rolls for a leg lock and looks to have Cormier in trouble but the wrestler turns and burns and gets out of danger.

Cormier is in Barnett’s full guard, lands a short elbow. Barnett works for a kimura shoulder locked but is shrugged off by Cormier. Referee stands them up.

Another left jab feint into knee to the head from Barnett to Cormier. Round ends with Barnett pressing Cormier against the cage.

Round 5 – Barnett walks down Cormier and throws a body kick. He follows up with a push kick. Quick break for referee Josh Rosenthal to dry up some water on the mat that Cormier points out.

Barnett presses Cormier against the fence once they get back at it. Knee to the head, straight right combo from Barnett. Left high kick from Cormier blocked by Barnett.

Cormier lands a one-two punch combo on the stalking Barnett. Cormier ducks under a spinning back fist from Barnett, takes him down. Barnett gets back to his feet but is lifted and nearly slammed again by Cormier. Barnett stays on his feet again, almost immediately.

One minute left. Cormier has a left under hook on Barnett, pressing him against the cage. Barnett gets double under hooks but still has his back pressed against the cage with thirty seconds left. Cormier gets his left under hook back in. Ten seconds left and they are in free standing. Cormier is content to just run away the final seconds.

The horn sounds and Cormier raises his hands. What a great, competitive and brutal fight between the two heavies but Cormier likely won all five rounds.

Decision time is next.

We finally have a Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix champion. Daniel Cormier wins a unanimous decision. Scores were 49-46, 50-45 and 50-45 in favor of Cormier.

An emotional Cormier says that “It means everything to beat somebody like Josh Barnett. I’ve lost a lot of people in my life. This is for all of them…this means the world to me.”

Barnett says that he “broke the ever living crap out of my hand against Daniel in the first round…I was going to make him earn this…today Daniel was better.”

That’s it, folks. Great night of fights, thanks for cage surfing with us.

MMA: Can Strikeforce Survive as an Independent League Without the Heavyweights?

Strikeforce’s Heavyweight Grand Prix Saturday is also a grand finale for the heavyweight division. Though there may be one more fight left in the league for the participants in the main event, Strikeforce is set to move on without a heavyweight divisio…

Strikeforce’s Heavyweight Grand Prix Saturday is also a grand finale for the heavyweight division. Though there may be one more fight left in the league for the participants in the main event, Strikeforce is set to move on without a heavyweight division after that.

So, can Strikeforce really keep driving even while the wheels are falling off? Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker seems to think so.

Coker, who is one of just a handful of former executives still retained by Strikeforce after the takeover, is convinced that we’ll see Strikeforce on Showtime “for many years to come.” 

Coker also explained in the same recent Heavyweight Grand Prix conference call that the company has “a great relationship with Showtime.”  

Coker’s remarks focusing on the renewal of Strikeforce’s cable television deal with Showtime also belie the main reason why the UFC hasn’t completely consumed the brand just yet. 

The “business as usual” promises made by Zuffa President Dana White back in March 2011 seemed hollow from the start, and subsequent changes proved White’s words were pure hype.

Multiple moves made since the purchase transformed Strikeforce into an entity obviously being groomed for ultimate demolition. Still, the league hung on despite losing a slew of popular fighters to the UFC. 

Rather than take the structure down like one of those controlled explosions instantly reducing everything to dust, Zuffa seems to be taking their sweet time removing one brick at a time from Strikeforce’s foundation.

The bigger and bolder promotion that snatched up the second-tier fight club for a song is under a more intense microscope these days, and their past evisceration of PRIDE went a long way to taint the UFC’s image. Those scars are still fresh.

MMA fans might seem more ready, willing, and able to see Strikeforce lumped in with the UFC these days, but Zuffa’s brass is still slow playing this one.

Few people were privy to intimate details of the purchase agreement hatched to make the Zuffa/Strikeforce deal happen, but it’s probably a pretty safe bet that there was something in that contract to prevent a complete collapse of Strikeforce.

Additionally, there are some fringe benefits Zuffa enjoys by keeping the other fight club a going concern. For one, women’s MMA is starting to gain a foothold with fans, and keeping Strikeforce running allows Zuffa to be on the cutting edge of developing the women’s field.

Dana White‘s been outspoken about not wanting to add women to the UFC, and he’s taken some heat for that stance. Thanks to the dynamic fighting of women’s MMA sensation Ronda Rousey, White and Lorenzo Fertitta are coming around to the idea that girls really can fight. If they folded Strikeforce into the UFC completely, White would have to eat crow and let the ladies fight in the octagon. 

The Showtime exposure is also key, as indicated by Coker’s confidence in that partnership. Zuffa is trying to ensure that the sport of MMA continues to be seen as “the fastest growing sport in the world.” They even claim their own operation is “the fastest growing sports organization in the world.“

So, keeping the Strikeforce train rolling down the tracks will keep a brand of mixed martial arts under the Zuffa label on a major cable network sharing the spotlight with boxing. The Showtime team also had their own independent media machine, which is a big plus for Zuffa, even though they still supplement that PR production and marketing on their own. 

As much as Strikeforce’s doomsday seems imminent, it could actually be a long way off at this pace. What’s more likely is that the league will wind up in a situation like the WEC, hosting lighter-weight fight cards and maintaining a long, healthy, independent history until it simply is no longer feasible or desirable for any reason to keep the entity separated from the UFC.

While some might see the UFC’s acquisition of the best fighters in Strikeforce as the beginning of the end, it’s really not. It’s actually the beginning of the metamorphosis. The competitor is now part of the team, and it’s taking on the look of the guy who gets picked last every gym class. That’s where the UFC wants their underling: underneath them when it comes to quality.

If the intent was to actually build Strikeforce into a powerhouse, the league would be adding more superstars instead of siphoning them off to fight in the UFC.

Keeping the league in a confined space where it can’t grow into an upstart threat to the UFC’s domination might seem silly to fans who want to see everything blended together, but right now Zuffa wants and may actually need Strikeforce to stay independent.

As fighter contracts begin to expire, there will be more Strikeforce guys making the exodus to the UFC, but not enough to kill the whole business model. Whatever the ultimate plan is, if Strikeforce winds up getting folded into the UFC completely, it’s going to take a lot longer than most MMA analysts are speculating. 

While we watch and wait, Scott Coker is doing his level best to maintain the legitimacy of his operation. He takes the tone of someone who knows something we don’t. He goes to great lengths to defend and promote what’s left like a trained executive should.

Whatever agreement he signed to keep his job may hold the clue to why Strikeforce is still allowed to live on while so many other Zuffa acquisitions suffered a much different fate. 

Now, if Coker suddenly decides to quit or gets his walking papers for some reason, that’s when Strikeforce fans can really panic. Then the speculators pointing to imminent disaster for Strikeforce will have something to really back up their claims. Meanwhile, enjoy the show while it lasts. 

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Strikeforce: Barnett vs. Cormier Bleacher Report MMA Staff Predictions

The Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix finally comes to its conclusion Saturday night when Strikeforce hosts its 40th annual event. In the tournament finals, submission specialist Josh Barnett takes on heavy-handed wrestler Daniel Cormier in a bou…

The Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix finally comes to its conclusion Saturday night when Strikeforce hosts its 40th annual event. 

In the tournament finals, submission specialist Josh Barnett takes on heavy-handed wrestler Daniel Cormier in a bout that all but promises an entertaining finish. 

Beginning the main card action are two up-and-coming welterweight prospects looking to make a name for themselves in the form of Nah-Shon Burrell and Chris Spang.

Also on the main card, light heavyweights Rafael Cavalcante, a former Strikeforce champion, and Mike Kyle square off. Kyle defeated Cavalcante in impressive fashion back in June 2009, but both fighters have made strides in their game since then. 

In the co-main event, Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez has a rubber match with his old foe Josh Thomson. Thomson was the last man to beat “El Nino,” but Melendez has defeated him since and has been on a tear recently. 

Bleacher Report MMA Featured Columnists Matt Juul, Jeffrey McKinney, Kyle Symes and myself, John Heinis, are bringing the predictions your way this time around. 

Take a look inside to see who walks away with a “W” Saturday night.

Begin Slideshow

Gilbert Melendez: Questions We Have About the Strikeforce Star

Strikeforce Lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez is a widely talked-about commodity in the MMA community. From his dominance over a talent-depleted roster to his involvement in the infamous Nashville Brawl of 2010 to his relationship with gossip light…

Strikeforce Lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez is a widely talked-about commodity in the MMA community. From his dominance over a talent-depleted roster to his involvement in the infamous Nashville Brawl of 2010 to his relationship with gossip lightning rods Nick and Nate Diaz, Melendez is a name that has been on the tongue on MMA pundits for years.

Saturday night, Melendez returns to put his Strikeforce championship on the line for a sixth time against one of the only two men to previously defeat him, Josh “The Punk” Thomson. Although Melendez avenged the loss with a decision victory back in 2009, it appears that they have come full circle to clash for a rubber match.

Going into the contest, motivation and stagnation are issues that may plague the reigning champion. Here are four questions that we have for Gilbert Melendez.

Begin Slideshow

Josh Thomson Ready to Go the Distance Against Gilbert Melendez This Saturday

There was a scare last week when rumors that Josh Thomson injured his knee and would be forced to pull out of his title fight with Gilbert Melendez were circulated, but those rumors were unsubstantiated.Thomson will be showing up for the rubber match a…

There was a scare last week when rumors that Josh Thomson injured his knee and would be forced to pull out of his title fight with Gilbert Melendez were circulated, but those rumors were unsubstantiated.

Thomson will be showing up for the rubber match against Melendez at Strikeforce: Barnett vs. Cormier. Thomson took some time to talk to Bleacher Report about the fight, among other things.

Thomson is making a quick turnaround from his last fight, a decision victory over K.J. Noons in early March. Prior to the fight with Noons, Thomson hadn’t fought in over a year. Despite the quick turnaround, Thomson relished at the chance at a rubber match with Melendez.

“I wanted the opportunity to fight him [Melendez] for the trilogy, and it presented itself and here we go,” Thomson told Bleacher Report. “I think it’s going to be a great fight.”

The last fight with Melendez, Thomson lost in a five-round war, but he is looking to fight more like he did in their first meeting, when the five-round decision went in his favor. Win or lose, though, he’s ready to go five rounds for the third time with the Stirkeforce champ.

“Every time you fight Gil you’ve got to prepare for the full five rounds,” Thomson said. “I’ve had years of training with him, I’ve fought him obviously twice and he’s really hard to finish on the ground.”

“I’m not looking to have a war like we did for the second fight, I’m really kind of looking to pick him apart like I did in the first fight, frustrate him, get in, get out and land my shots,” Thomson said about how he wants the fight to play out.

The title fight came Thomson’s way after his decision win over Noons, a victory that saw him very critical about his performance and conditioning. Thomson made some tweaks to his training to try to take it easier on his body, but ultimately he felt that it affected him negatively in his fight with Noons.

With the Noons fight behind him and Melendez on the horizon, Thomson was able to adjust his training once more to where he feels he has it just about right.

“I was more upset [about the Noons fight] because I had changed my training and I wasn’t in good enough shape to really push and get the submission,” Thomson said. “I’m  leaning a little bit more to my old style of training.”

“In the middle of the day I was doing a Crossfit style, plyometric style workout three days a week, and so that was killing my body to the point where I just felt like I was so depleted, I had no strength and I wasn’t able to do the things that I needed to do to be competitive.

“Even in sparring, 135 pounders and 145 pounders were double legging me,” he said. “I got rid of that whole plyometric style workout altogether and I started cutting back the run in the morning, I think I was somewhat burning the candle at both ends.”

Now that his training is under control and injuries aren’t keeping him on the sidelines, we should see some vintage Thomson this Saturday night against Melendez. Many fans weren’t excited by the fact that Thomson was called upon to challenge Melendez for the belt, and even the Strikeforce lightweight champion expressed a bit of his disappointment with having to fight Thomson.

I’m interested in this fight simply because it is the rubber match and the previous two fights between these guys were decent tilts.

Thomson understands where Melendez is coming from, though.

“He’s [Melendez is] looking for somebody to boost his stock, and it’s definitely nobody in Strikeforce only because given the circumstances we’re not ranked like the guys in the UFC,” Thomson said.

“I kind of understand his dilemma, he’s 30 years old, he’s in the prime of his life and this is his opportunity,” he continued. “It kind of puts me in a weird situation because I want to feel like I’m fighting the best Gil and if he’s not motivated to fight me then it makes me feel a little less motivated to be honest.”

Besides a select few on the Strikeforce roster, Thomson is right—the big names are the guys fighting in the UFC. He would like to see some of the UFC guys come over to Strikeforce.

“It would be nice to have a Donald Cerrone over here to fight or, you know, Anthony Pettis,” Thomson said. “Then we could kind of get a feel like, OK, I’ll fight your guys, get us in there with opportunities for us to go over to the UFC and vice versa, I think it would just be great to be able to fight in both places.

“I feel like right now, we go over there to fight, we’re fighting on their home turf, it’s like when the Pride guys all came to the UFC they all got smashed, and then when the UFC guys went over there they weren’t successful, either. I think it’s just that home turf, that feeling like it’s your promotion, that your fighting in your own promotion gives you that confidence.”

Fellow American Kick Boxing Academy (AKA) teammate Daniel Cormier is one of those guys who will probably get a chance to head over the UFC. He is fighting Josh Barnett for the heavyweight Grand Prix this Saturday, but the Strikeforce heavyweight division is being dissolved after that fight, and many Strikeforce heavyweights have already made the transition to the big show. Obviously for Cormier, going to the UFC with a win over Barnett would be huge.

“Obviously his wrestling is second to none, probably the best in MMA right now,” Thomson said. “I definitely think his chances are looking really good in that division [UFC].

“He’s already knocked out ‘Big Foot’ Silva, he’s got a lot of good wins, I believe he is undefeated 9-0, and if he beats Barnett the sky is the limit for him with just nine fights to come and beat someone with 50 fights, and that’s just impressive.”

The AKA family was struggling a bit a few months back with the departure of Josh Koscheck and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu coach Dave Camarillo, but things are back on track according to Thomson.

“AKA, everything is good, everything was a little rough for a minute there because of all the media and negative media we were getting, but overall everything is good” Thomson said.

“We have a new Jiu-Jitsu coach Leandro Viera being affiliated with the Checkmat, him and his brothers are the founders of Checkmat, and it’s one of the best Jiu-Jitsu programs out now in the world. It’s great to have them here, it’s great to have Leandro at AKA, he’s been making big improvements with the guys.”

Maybe Thomson will have some new tricks up his sleeve. We’ll see on Saturday. It will be interesting to see what kind of T-shirts he wears into and out of the cage. Visit Thomson’s Facebook page and you can see that he wears his political opinions on his sleeve.

Last time out, Thomson created a bit of a stir in Ohio with his “Hope isn’t Hiring” T-shirt. Don’t expect anything this time, though.

“No, I did it in Ohio cause Ohio is a swing state and I was really hoping to push it and push for Ohio to let everyone know that people from California can be conservative as well. But in California, I might get jumped after if I try to leave the stadium with that on,” he said.

T-shirt or not, injury or not, Thomson will be showing up to fight on Saturday, and if the guys over at AKA are posting videos of him in training and punking him like in this one that was posted yesterday by Showtime, I think it’s safe to say that Thomson is alright.

Leon Horne is a writer for Bleacher Report and is part of the B/R MMA team.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Strikeforce: Josh Thomson Disputes Injury Rumors, Will Still Fight Melendez

The sport of mixed martial arts hasn’t yet earned its fair share of coverage from major media sources, and with that, there are often rumors that take a while to get substantiated one way or another. That was the case on Thursday night when freela…

The sport of mixed martial arts hasn’t yet earned its fair share of coverage from major media sources, and with that, there are often rumors that take a while to get substantiated one way or another. 

That was the case on Thursday night when freelance reporter @FrontRowBrian tweeted that former Strikeforce lightweight champion Josh Thomson had suffered a torn PCL and that his fight with current champion Gilbert Melendez was in jeopardy.

The rumor stood and was generally taken as fact by the MMA community, that is, until Thomson himself got around to reading it. 

“The Punk” didn’t take kindly to the rumor and began going after the reporter from his own Twitter account, @TheRealPunk.

Thomson did not dispute the rumor that he was injured, however, he did make sure to note that he will still be fighting on May 19. 

Ultimately the decision will come down to whether the California State Athletic Commission clears Thomson to fight, but as of right now, fans should assume the scheduled fight for the Strikeforce lightweight title will go on as planned.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com