Tag: Josh Thomson

Five Terrifying Facts About Tonight’s Strikeforce Show

(VidProps: YouTube/Heyman Hustle)
Even though it probably committed its welterweight champion to the wrong grudge match, Strikeforce has managed to cobble together a decent little card for its Showtime broadcast tonight. Nick Diaz’s main event b…

(VidProps: YouTube/Heyman Hustle)

Even though it probably committed its welterweight champion to the wrong grudge match, Strikeforce has managed to cobble together a decent little card for its Showtime broadcast tonight. Nick Diaz’s main event bout with KJ Noons could be the kind of brawlalicous slugfest that MMA fans always say we don’t see enough. Couple that with Sarah Kaufman finally getting the chance to fight on a “major” show and Josh Thomson battling Gesias “JZ” Cavalcante for the respect he believes they so richly deserve, and it should be a pretty good time. So why do I feel so concerned? Maybe because there are a few storylines running just below the surface that we as MMA fans should find a bit disquieting. Here’s a look at them … 
 

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Josh Thomson Blasts Rankings in Defense of Opponent JZ Cavalcante

Filed under: StrikeforceWith Nick Diaz and KJ Noons less than five feet apart, separated by only Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker during Thursday’s press conference, it would have seemed a safe bet that the verbal fireworks would come courtesy of the bitter…

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With Nick Diaz and KJ Noons less than five feet apart, separated by only Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker during Thursday’s press conference, it would have seemed a safe bet that the verbal fireworks would come courtesy of the bitter rivals.

Instead, the two avoided anything close to enmity. In the absence of the expected scene, it was former Strikeforce lightweight champion Josh Thomson who stole the show, blasting the media for its lightweight rankings. Interestingly, Thomson wasn’t defending his own placement on the list, but rather that of his Saturday night opponent, Gesias “JZ” Cavalcante, who is 15-3 with one no contest in his career.

Though Cavalcante’s lost two of his last three, Thomson believes he is among the top lightweights in the world, saying “he should be ranked in the top five.” But Thomson was just getting started, eventually taking aim at the WEC 155-pound champ, Ben Henderson.

Disrespectful Non Sequitur of the Day: Josh Thomson Singles Out … Ben Henderson?

("No, *you’re* No. 1!" PicProps: Sherdog)
Here’s one thing we bet you didn’t see coming at Thursday’s Strikeforce press conference: Former lightweight champion Josh Thomson took some time out of his busy schedule getting rea…


("No, *you’re* No. 1!" PicProps: Sherdog)

Here’s one thing we bet you didn’t see coming at Thursday’s Strikeforce press conference: Former lightweight champion Josh Thomson took some time out of his busy schedule getting ready to fight Gesias "JZ" Cavalcante on Saturday to kick a little sand in the totally undeserving face of WEC champ Ben Henderson.

"I think it’s a joke that you guys have guys like Ben Henderson ranked above guys like JZ," Thomson said. "You guys got to be freaking kidding me. This kid (JZ) is a beast. The guy’s a great fighter … Are you kidding me? Really? You guys have a guy named Ben Henderson ranked above this guy? You guys are out of your mind. This guy’s a savage.”

OK first, it’s great that Thomson and Cavalcante respect each other and all that.  Second, let’s be clear about our semantics here, Thomson appears to be calling out the mavens of various MMA rankings, not Henderson himself. Still, if you’ve got beef with the rankings, why mention Bendo at all? For a vet like Thomson to take a shot at an up-and-comer like Henderson feels weird and frankly, a little unseemly.

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Diaz vs. Noons 2 Video: Press Conference Highlights

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Nick Diaz and K.J. Noons took questions from the media in the final press conference before Saturday’s Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Noons 2 event. MMA Fighting’s E. Casey Leydon was there to capture all the action.

Find out what Marloes Coenen, Sarah Kaufman, Josh Thomson and JZ Cavalcante had to say Thursday after the jump.

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Nick Diaz and K.J. Noons took questions from the media in the final press conference before Saturday’s Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Noons 2 event. MMA Fighting’s E. Casey Leydon was there to capture all the action.

Find out what Marloes Coenen, Sarah Kaufman, Josh Thomson and JZ Cavalcante had to say Thursday after the jump.

Diaz vs. Noons 2 Open Workout Video

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MMA Fighting’s E. Casey Leydon was at the Diaz vs. Noons 2 open media workouts at the Crowne Plaza Ballroom with K.J. Noons, Josh Thomson and Sarah Kaufman in San Jose, Calif. on Wednesday.

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MMA Fighting’s E. Casey Leydon was at the Diaz vs. Noons 2 open media workouts at the Crowne Plaza Ballroom with K.J. Noons, Josh Thomson and Sarah Kaufman in San Jose, Calif. on Wednesday.

Sarah Kaufman Says Fighters Need to Stand Up for What They Deserve

Filed under: StrikeforceStrikeforce 135-pound women’s champion Sarah Kaufman will get her wish when she takes on Marloes Coenen on the main card of Strikeforce’s next big Showtime event on October 9 in San Jose, and she has no regrets about what she ha…

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Strikeforce 135-pound women’s champion Sarah Kaufman will get her wish when she takes on Marloes Coenen on the main card of Strikeforce’s next big Showtime event on October 9 in San Jose, and she has no regrets about what she had to do to make it happen.

“I think it’s important for fighters to stand up for what they deserve,” Kaufman said on Friday afternoon’s Strikeforce media call, responding to questions about her post-fight remarks following a victory over Roxanne Modafferi on a Strikeforce Challengers card in July.

“You don’t want to make your organization look bad, but if your issue needs to be said, I’m happy I said what I said and I think my fight kind of backed that up,” Kaufman added. “Whether it was me talking or the fans reacting or the fight itself getting highlighted on ESPN, I think they all worked together in helping push the division and have a title [fight] on the main card.”

That title fight pits the undefeated Kaufman against a Dutch challenger who posted a loss in her last outing – a 145-pound title scrap against Strikeforce champ Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos – only don’t try telling Coenen that she doesn’t deserve back-to-back title shots in different divisions.