Tag: Josh Thomson

Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson was ‘Bullied’ into taking fight with Shavkat Rakhmonov at UFC 294

WonderboyEx-Strikeforce champion Josh Thomson believes Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson was bullied into taking a fight with undefeated standout Shavkat Rakhmonov. Last month, Dana White revealed that Thompson would return for a clash with ‘Nomad’ as part of the promotion’s final pay-per-view of the year, UFC 296. The announcement came two months after ‘Wonderboy’ was scheduled to […]

Wonderboy

Ex-Strikeforce champion Josh Thomson believes Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson was bullied into taking a fight with undefeated standout Shavkat Rakhmonov.

Last month, Dana White revealed that Thompson would return for a clash with ‘Nomad’ as part of the promotion’s final pay-per-view of the year, UFC 296. The announcement came two months after ‘Wonderboy’ was scheduled to step inside the Octagon at UFC 291 in July. However, his opponent, Michel Pereira, stepped on the scale three pounds over the weight limit, prompting Thomspon to turn down the fight.

Fight fans online immediately shared their displeasure with the booking, suggesting that the promotion is essentially sacrificing the aging ‘Wonderboy’ in order to give Rakhmonov another big win as UFC hopes to curate the next big welterweight superstar. But former Bellator and UFC fighter Josh Thomson had a different take, suggesting that Thompson was basically bullied into taking a fight against the Kazakh.

“He got bulled into this fight John,” Thomson claimed on an episode of his WEIGHING IN podcast with ‘Big’ John McCarthy.

He continued, “I mean, there’s like nothing he can do. They’re like, ‘You’re 40 years old or 41, and no matter how much we care, like no matter how much you’ve done for us, no matter how much we like you’… I’m surprised they didn’t give him the Kamaru Usman fight. Kamaru wanted it, he wanted it. It just didn’t… I’m surprised. But then again, we’re going to see exactly… This fight is going to be like this fight, I think Shavkat is going to be able to muscle, I would say muscle him around but find ways to get into the clinch and get this fight to the ground” (h/t MMA News).

‘Wonderboy’ and Kamaru Usman had shown mutual interest in fighting one another, but during an interview with MiddeEasy, Thompson indicated that the promotion had other plans for the ‘Nigerian Nightmare’ leaving himself with little options left to fight up the rankings.

Currently, Shavkat Rakhmonov occupies the No. 6 spot in the welterweight top 10 while Thompson is holding strong at No. 7. If ‘Wonderboy’ manages to hand ‘Nomad’ his first career defeat on December 16, it could go a long way toward earning him one final shot at UFC gold before hanging up his gloves for good.

Nate Diaz alleged to have turned down hush money from UFC in relation to failed drug test return in 2019

Nate Diaz alleged to have turned down hush money from UFC failed drug test 2019Former lightweight contender, Josh Thomson has claimed fellow former UFC contender, Nate Diaz turned down hush money from the promotion – in order to keep a failed drug test quiet ahead of his 2019 symbolic BMF championship fight with Jorge Masvidal. Diaz, a former lightweight title challenger under the banner of the UFC, has been […]

Nate Diaz alleged to have turned down hush money from UFC failed drug test 2019

Former lightweight contender, Josh Thomson has claimed fellow former UFC contender, Nate Diaz turned down hush money from the promotion – in order to keep a failed drug test quiet ahead of his 2019 symbolic BMF championship fight with Jorge Masvidal.

Diaz, a former lightweight title challenger under the banner of the UFC, has been sidelined from active competition since last month, suffering a unanimous decision loss to Jake Paul over the course of 12 rounds in the pair’s professional boxing clash.

Prior to that, the fan-favorite Stockton native headlined UFC 279 back in September of last year against former interim lightweight champion, Tony Ferguson, submitting the Oxnard native with a fourth round guillotine choke submission win.

Infamously competing for the inaugural BMF championship against the above-mentioned, Masvidal back in November 2019, Nate Diaz’s headliner at Madison Square Garden was briefly cast into doubt, after reports confirmed how he had been flagged by anti-doping agency, USADA (United States Anti-Doping Agency), in relation to a trace amount return for the banned substance, lingandrol. 

Josh Thomson alleges UFC offered Nate Diaz hush money back in 2019

It later transpired that the flagging occurred to a plant-based multivitamin Diaz was utilizing during his camp for his fight with Masvidal, however, according to Thomson, he was informed by a member of the Californian’s camp that the UFC attempted to offer him a payola to keep things on the down low.

“I look at it this way, this is the thing,” Thomson said on WEIGHING IN. “Look what they [the UFC] were trying to do with Nate Diaz. He tested positive, and they were like, ‘You know what, we’ll get it sorted out now.’ That means that they knew that Nate tested [positive], and they were still gonna let him fight… So I would not say that they have not tried to do that, or would not do it.”

“When I’m looking at [Brock Lesnar], I mean I’m just thinking to myself that this was early in USADA,” Thomson explained. “I don’t know. I don’t wanna say that they knew, but I wanna that the history – which I can only give you that case – is that they tried to have Nate still fight, and ‘We’ll deal with it after.’… I know people in Nate’s camp that said they even tried to offer money/ They tired to like, ‘We’ll take care of it all afterwards, no big deal. It’s probably just a misunderstanding.’” (Transcribed by MMA News)

Who do you want to see Nate Diaz fight in his return?

Nate Diaz alleged to have turned down hush money from UFC in relation to failed drug test return in 2019

Nate Diaz alleged to have turned down hush money from UFC failed drug test 2019Former lightweight contender, Josh Thomson has claimed fellow former UFC contender, Nate Diaz turned down hush money from the promotion – in order to keep a failed drug test quiet ahead of his 2019 symbolic BMF championship fight with Jorge Masvidal. Diaz, a former lightweight title challenger under the banner of the UFC, has been […]

Nate Diaz alleged to have turned down hush money from UFC failed drug test 2019

Former lightweight contender, Josh Thomson has claimed fellow former UFC contender, Nate Diaz turned down hush money from the promotion – in order to keep a failed drug test quiet ahead of his 2019 symbolic BMF championship fight with Jorge Masvidal.

Diaz, a former lightweight title challenger under the banner of the UFC, has been sidelined from active competition since last month, suffering a unanimous decision loss to Jake Paul over the course of 12 rounds in the pair’s professional boxing clash.

Prior to that, the fan-favorite Stockton native headlined UFC 279 back in September of last year against former interim lightweight champion, Tony Ferguson, submitting the Oxnard native with a fourth round guillotine choke submission win.

Infamously competing for the inaugural BMF championship against the above-mentioned, Masvidal back in November 2019, Nate Diaz’s headliner at Madison Square Garden was briefly cast into doubt, after reports confirmed how he had been flagged by anti-doping agency, USADA (United States Anti-Doping Agency), in relation to a trace amount return for the banned substance, lingandrol. 

Josh Thomson alleges UFC offered Nate Diaz hush money back in 2019

It later transpired that the flagging occurred to a plant-based multivitamin Diaz was utilizing during his camp for his fight with Masvidal, however, according to Thomson, he was informed by a member of the Californian’s camp that the UFC attempted to offer him a payola to keep things on the down low.

“I look at it this way, this is the thing,” Thomson said on WEIGHING IN. “Look what they [the UFC] were trying to do with Nate Diaz. He tested positive, and they were like, ‘You know what, we’ll get it sorted out now.’ That means that they knew that Nate tested [positive], and they were still gonna let him fight… So I would not say that they have not tried to do that, or would not do it.”

“When I’m looking at [Brock Lesnar], I mean I’m just thinking to myself that this was early in USADA,” Thomson explained. “I don’t know. I don’t wanna say that they knew, but I wanna that the history – which I can only give you that case – is that they tried to have Nate still fight, and ‘We’ll deal with it after.’… I know people in Nate’s camp that said they even tried to offer money/ They tired to like, ‘We’ll take care of it all afterwards, no big deal. It’s probably just a misunderstanding.’” (Transcribed by MMA News)

Who do you want to see Nate Diaz fight in his return?

Ex-Strikeforce champ expects Jon Jones to continue competing ‘Into his forties’ despite retirement talk

Jon JonesMany fight fans believe heavyweight champion Jon Jones could call it a career following his highly anticipated title tilt with Stipe Miocic at UFC 295 in November. After dominating the light heavyweight division for nearly a decade, Jon Jones walked away from 205 determined to conquer the UFC’s biggest weight class. Three years later, ‘Bones’ […]

Jon Jones

Many fight fans believe heavyweight champion Jon Jones could call it a career following his highly anticipated title tilt with Stipe Miocic at UFC 295 in November.

After dominating the light heavyweight division for nearly a decade, Jon Jones walked away from 205 determined to conquer the UFC’s biggest weight class. Three years later, ‘Bones’ did exactly that, scoring a quick two-minute submission against Ciryl Gane to claim the vacant heavyweight title at UFC 285 in March.

Next, Jon Jones is slated to square off with the general consensus heavyweight GOAT, Stipe Miocic, at the promotion’s 30th-anniversary showcase in Madison Square Garden. The bout is being dubbed by many as the biggest fight in the history of the division, but once Jones and Miocic settle their business inside the Octagon, what comes next?

With a lack of big-money fights left at heavyweight, many expect ‘Bones’ to walk away from the sport, win or lose, but former Strikeforce champion Josh Thomson doesn’t see that happening. In fact, he expects the 36-year-old Hall of Famer to continue competing well into his forties.

“Jon doesn’t need to fight very often because he makes so much money,” Thomson said during a recent episode of the WEIGHING IN podcast. “He can pick and choose when he wants to fight… He was talking about he may even retire after he beats Stipe. I can’t imagine him retiring.

“You go to the heavyweight division because it can prolong your career because you’re better than all of them. You don’t have to worry about them being faster than you and more athletic than you because you’re faster and more athletic, and you’re the same size,” Thomson continued. “I don’t know. I look at it as he could be there for a while, into his forties” (h/t MMA News).

Jon Jones Will Have Plenty of Contenders to Contend with Following UFC 295

Should Jon Jones earn a win over Stipe Miocic, there will be plenty of heavyweight contenders chomping at the bit to get their shot at the Octagon icon. Russian knockout artist Sergei Pavlovich will likely pose the biggest threat to ‘Bones’ in the division while UK sensation Tom Aspinall is quickly rising up the ranks and could very well be one big win away from title contention.

And, of course, there’s always Ciryl Gane who has established himself as something of a heavyweight gatekeeper in recent years.

Do you see Jon Jones sticking around following his scrap with Stipe Miocic?

Ex-Strawweight champ ‘Thug’ Rose Namajunas slams critics claiming she’s too small for flyweight

Namajunas‘Thug’ Rose Namajunas‘ move to flyweight has been heavily criticized by a plethora of fighters and fans. You can now add former Strikeforce lightweight champion Josh Thomson to that ever-growing list. Despite capturing the strawweight title on two separate occasions and owning two wins over the division’s current queen, Zhang Weili, Rose Namajunas opted to […]

Namajunas

‘Thug’ Rose Namajunas‘ move to flyweight has been heavily criticized by a plethora of fighters and fans. You can now add former Strikeforce lightweight champion Josh Thomson to that ever-growing list.

Despite capturing the strawweight title on two separate occasions and owning two wins over the division’s current queen, Zhang Weili, Rose Namajunas opted to move from 115 to 125 for her long-awaited return at UFC Paris on Saturday. She immediately jumped into the flyweight fire, taking on No. 2 ranked contender Manon Fiorot in the co-main event of the evening.

Namajunas came up short, suffering a unanimous decision defeat with many suggesting that the sheer size difference between the two women played the biggest factor.

“I thought Fiorot was just the bigger fighter and all of her shots had a lot more impact on Rose,” Thomson said on his Weighing In podcast. “I feel like Rose Namajunas is sabotaging her career. Like, what are you doing? She is so talented, and you are considered to be one of the best in the 115-pound division. Why are you going up?

“Maybe it was for one fight — I hope you go back down,” he continued. “You could be the champ again. I mean, if you wanna get motivated, stay motivated, whatever it is. I just feel like she’s sabotaging herself. She doesn’t know how to handle this success or she just doesn’t want to have success around her” (h/t MMA Mania).

Namajunas Snaps Back at Manon Fiorot’s Post-Fight Comments

Rose Namajunas’ UFC Paris opponent, Manon Fiorot, echoed similar sentiments during her post-fight interview.

“I’m pretty sure she wanted to wrestle me, but for her, it’s impossible to take me down,” Fiorot said. “I think it’s not her category. The flyweights are too strong for her.”

With criticism flying at her from every direction, Rose Namajunas snapped back in a video clip shared by her manager.

“I’m not too small for Flyweight — there’s no way,” a fired-up Namajuas claimed. “I dropped her a**. How am I too small? Maybe I had some moments where I was, like, stumbling over, or I wasn’t totally in position. But I’m like, ‘Dude, you felt no stronger than Weili. You felt no stronger than Weili, and I beat her a** twice.’ So shut the f*ck up. I’m not too small for flyweight.

“You can say anything else,” she added. “You can say you beat me on points, okay? But you can’t say I’m too small for flyweight. And you can’t say that I didn’t win a round because I for sure won at least one round if not two. But, that’s up for debate, right?”

Josh Thomson makes an emotional plea to Tony Ferguson: ‘You need to have a reality check’

Tony FergusonFormer Strikeforce lightweight champion Josh Thomson is pleading with Tony Ferguson to take a long hard look in the mirror before continuing his mixed martial arts career. Tony Ferguson is currently riding a six-fight losing streak, with four of those losses coming by either submission or knockout. It all started in 2020 when ‘El Cucuy’ […]

Tony Ferguson

Former Strikeforce lightweight champion Josh Thomson is pleading with Tony Ferguson to take a long hard look in the mirror before continuing his mixed martial arts career.

Tony Ferguson is currently riding a six-fight losing streak, with four of those losses coming by either submission or knockout. It all started in 2020 when ‘El Cucuy’ suffered a brutal one-sided defeat at the hands of current BMF titleholder Justin Gaethje at UFC 249. Since then, Ferguson has fallen to Charles Oliveira, Beneil Dariush, Michael Chandler, Nate Diaz, and most recently, Bobby Green.

Despite the string of defeats, Tony Ferguson has insisted that his career is far from over, a sentiment that many fans and fellow fighters tend to disagree with. That includes ex-Bellator standout Josh Thomson, who looked back on his own setbacks in MMA and offered some words of advice for the struggling lightweight.

“When I lost two in a row, I had never lost two in a row,” Thomson said on the WEIGHING IN podcast. “I was like ‘What the hell is going on?’… it baffled the sh*t outta me. This guy has lost six in a row. This sport, like any sport, is about confidence. That confidence is what gets you to the next fight, makes you push a little harder when you’re behind on the judges’ cards.

“You need to have a reality check. You have to understand how to reel it in, because you’re the only one in charge of your relationships with everyone…I’ve had those conversations with myself a lot, because you don’t realize it. I become a little emotional, it’s a little f*cked up, but I care about all these fighters” (h/t MMA News).

More than four years removed from his last win, Tony Ferguson is still a big fan favorite which is likely why the UFC hasn’t cut ties with the former interim world champion. But at some point, either ‘El Cucuy‘ or his employer will need to make a very tough decision about his future in the fight game.