If you’ve read almost anything about Josh Thomson leading up to Saturday’s bout against Benson Henderson at UFC on Fox 10, you already know he doesn’t have time for games.
Maybe he feels like he’s too old for that stuff. Th…
If you’ve read almost anything about Josh Thomson leading up to Saturday’s bout against Benson Henderson at UFC on Fox 10, you already know he doesn’t have time for games.
Maybe he feels like he’s too old for that stuff. Though he still carries the moniker of a much younger man—”The Punk”—he’s 35 years old now and more than a decade into a 31-fight MMA career.
At this stage, he’s more elder statesman than defiant kid, so you’ll have to forgive him if he refuses to blow smoke about how great he feels or how amazing his training camp has been.
Even if that stuff has become the industry standard, Thomson says he’d rather stick with the truth.
“Fighters are liars,” he says. “We are liars. It’s hilarious, man. The funny part is that after the fight it’ll be, ‘Oh no, actually, I pulled my groin’ or ‘My foot was messed up. I broke my hand in camp.’ Whatever. You might as well just talk about it.”
Thomson says these things this week as he completes his mandatory pre-fight media obligations—a full slate of 10-minute interviews, where everybody asks him pretty much the same questions. The system is designed to perpetuate cliches; it’s a method that makes it nearly impossible for anyone to say or do anything particularly meaningful.
Maybe without even knowing it, Thomson’s honesty about how this camp has been difficult for him turns that process on its head. The speed-date-style interview is designed for fighters who give short, rehearsed answers to largely by-the-book questions, but Thomson doesn’t communicate that way.
To fill 10 minutes with him, you only need to bring about four questions. The most pleasant surprise of getting reacquainted with Thomson after the nine years he spent marooned in Strikeforce is not only that he won’t lie but also that he’s so chatty.
In almost painstaking detail, he recounts the plot twists that spoiled his scheduled lightweight title shot against Anthony Pettis last December. He recites it in a rapid-fire staccato, sounding like he’s explained it all about a million times in the last few days, because he probably has.
Thomson had gotten about five weeks into training for the opportunity of a lifetime when word came down that the fight was off. Pettis had injured his knee and would need surgery and several months of recovery.
Thomson was understandably pretty bummed.
“It was just kind of the feeling of cloud nine—I’m going to fight for the title, I’m going to fight for the title—and then the fight fell through and it was like, ah crap,” he says. “I think that’s just natural. Any time your title fight falls through I think anyone would feel that way.”
Thomson shut down his training camp and, in an effort to blow off some steam, traveled to Las Vegas to watch Georges St-Pierre fight Johny Hendricks at UFC 167. Friday night before the event, he got a phone call from matchmaker Joe Silva, who offered him a bout with Henderson instead.
The following week, still fired up from seeing Hendricks nearly wrench the title away from St-Pierre, Thomson went home to San Jose and dived back into training. In retrospect, he says he should have done the math first and realized he was still 11 weeks out from fighting Henderson on national TV.
“I probably should’ve taken another week or two off after that,” Thomson says, “but I’m just the kind of person that always thinks there’s not enough time. I just went home on Monday and started training again. The reality of it is that the last three to four weeks of my camp, I’ve just been kind of going through the motions. It was really just a miscalculation on my part.”
When he fights Henderson on Saturday night, Thomson will get his second chance to throw convention on its ear. He comes into the contest as a bit more than a 2-to-1 underdog to the guy who ruled over the lightweight division for 18 months, prior to his own loss to Pettis at UFC 164.
A victory over Henderson would amount to a big statement from Thomson—leaps and bounds bigger even than his TKO win over Nate Diaz last April. It would keep him in the driver’s seat for the next shot at Pettis, pending the long-delayed return of erstwhile No. 1 contender T.J. Grant.
At least on that front, Thomson is saying all the right things. Despite his tough training camp, he says Henderson better be ready to handle his best effort. He points out that previously the worst camp of his life came before his June, 2008 bout with Gilbert Melendez, when Thomson won the Strikeforce lightweight title.
Still, he says he considers Henderson the best fighter in the 155-pound ranks, quipping: “If you can’t get motivated to fight the former champion, the guy who’s been champion for the last couple of years, man, something’s wrong with you.”
“Pettis has got his number,” Thomson adds of Henderson. “He’s had his number for their two fights, but my personal opinion is that (Henderson) is stylistically probably the hardest fight for anybody in the UFC in our lightweight division.”
As for what happens after that, he is trying to take a realistic and—surprise!—honest approach. Even though he was scheduled to fight for the title late last year, a victory this week doesn’t necessarily secure another championship opportunity.
Much will likely be determined by how quickly Grant is able to return from the concussion that has kept him out since last July.
“It’s not really my call, you know that,” Thomson says. “Everybody knows the fighters don’t make the calls in the UFC. If T.J. is ready to fight and Pettis isn’t ready to fight, then probably T.J. and I are going to fight. Let’s just be honest about it. If Pettis is ready, then I hope I get the nod.”
Chad Dundas is a lead writer for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.
The UFC is back on Fox this weekend, as Benson Henderson and Josh Thomson headline a card live from Chicago. It is the UFC’s first trip back to Chicago since last year’s show that also aired on the premier network.
Henderson and Thomson lead the charge…
The UFC is back on Fox this weekend, as Benson Henderson and Josh Thomson headline a card live from Chicago. It is the UFC’s first trip back to Chicago since last year’s show that also aired on the premier network.
Henderson and Thomson lead the charge on a card full of potential title contenders. The winner of Henderson vs. Thomson has to be considered at the head of the line in the jam-packed 155-pound division, while guys like Stipe Miocic and Donald Cerrone could use wins here to get their names boosted into title contention.
So, here are five reasons you should be watching UFC on Fox this weekend.
Over the past eight or nine months, UFC lightweight and former Strikeforce lightweight champion Josh “The Punk” Thomson has experienced a lot of exciting moments and one major low point.
Returning to the Octagon in April and putting on a gr…
Over the past eight or nine months, UFC lightweight and former Strikeforce lightweight champion Josh “The Punk” Thomson has experienced a lot of exciting moments and one major low point.
Returning to the Octagon in April and putting on a great display in front of a new era of UFC fans, who may have never had the opportunity to see him perform, is something Thomson will always be grateful for.
As his fight against former UFC lightweight Benson Henderson approaches, Thomson’s mind and body have been put to the test. He was set to become the first title defense for Anthony Pettis in the UFC on Fox 10 card main event, but unfortunately Pettis was injured forcing, the UFC to look elsewhere for an opponent for Thomson.
After the ups and downs of having a title bout against one of the most exciting fighters in MMA today taken away, Thomson takes on an equally, yet very different opponent in Henderson. All of this has left Thomson tired and searching for something to get his head where it needs to be come January 25.
“It’s been a long camp for me, I was probably about four or five weeks into the Pettis camp and the fight fell through, so I took a week off,” Thomson told Bleacher Report. “At that point I had no fight, but when I was in Vegas for the GSP-Johny Hendricks fight, Joe (Silva) called my manager Bob Cook and we were able to get the Henderson fight inked up. I jumped into a 10-week camp from there, so it’s been close to about 15 weeks of training.”
“My body is a little tired and basically I’m ready to fight. When you have such a long camp, it kind of takes the excitement out of the fight. I need to get rejuvenated for this fight mentally, it’s been a long camp and I’ve been a bit mentally fatigued. The lack of excitement for Henderson is kind of disappearing on me.”
What will it take to get that excitement back? Going into a bout against a former UFC lightweight champion, a fighter has to be on top of his game in all aspects. Henderson was the UFC lightweight champion for a reason; he can hold his own against anyone.
“As you rest your mental state gets a lot better,” offered Thomson. “You’re tired all of the time, when it’s this long of a camp, you’re like man, when is it (the fight) going to get here? The week off before the fight is when fighters mentally prepare. You get a lot of food in you, start feeling rejuvenated and start feeling feisty again.”
“This week I’m kind of dialing back my training a little and focusing on the things I need to do specifically. That would include sparring and grappling for five rounds. Then we’ll go over some technique and do a hard 25 minutes of cardio. We’re getting back to the bare minimum of the essentials I need to mentally prepare.”
Thomson explained in great detail how excited he was to face Pettis for the UFC title. After years of traveling around the world and fighting top opponents in many different organizations, Thomson’s career had come full circle. Then the phone rang, and the air came right out of his sails.
“I was on cloud nine when I was given the title shot,” Thomson said. “Losing it was more mental, I was super excited and amped up for the actual fight. I was like it’s finally here and not to take anything from Henderson as I’m sure he can understand about the first time you get an opportunity to fight for the title, and then it gets taken away, you’re like damn.”
“Everything else seems kind of vanilla after that, it seems bland and plain. I’ve got to step up for this fight and mentally prepare because it’s a huge fight. It will kind of solidify my number one contender spot after this win. I need to get really mentally prepared for this fight and make sure my focus is on going out there and getting the win.”
We’ve seen too many fighters awarded a title opportunity only to have it taken back because of an injury or because the UFC deems someone to be a better opponent in the Octagon and outside of it as well.
A win over Henderson should keep him atop the lightweight rankings, but nothing in MMA is ever guaranteed. The big question is when will Pettis be ready and whether or not Thomson would take another fight as opposed to waiting.
“Even though I am looking forward to fighting for the title, if Pettis isn’t going to be ready, I will have to fight someone else in the process,” stated the San Jose native. “We don’t make money unless we fight and being that it’s close towards the end of my career, it’s about making money and putting on good fights. If I am the number one contender, I just want to fight the top guys.”
“If that means fighting Gilbert Melendez again, I’ll fight him. If that means fighting TJ Grant or Rafael Dos Anjos while I wait for Pettis then that’s who I will have to fight. If the opportunity to fight Pettis is there, then of course I want to fight him for the UFC title.”
Despite losing the title shot and the switch in opponents, Thomson still has a lot to look forward to. He’s facing a former champion in his first fight back since losing the title, and he knows Henderson will be hungry for a win.
He is also in the main event of a huge UFC card on national television in front of the great fans in Chicago. Thomson has been in main events before, but this is a whole new level compared to the past.
“I’m definitely looking forward to fighting in that arena,” said an excited Thomson. “You have to think about all the stars that have played there. It’s just crazy, Jonathan Toews plays there right now, and he’s one of the best hockey players to walk the face of the earth. All the history that Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen accomplished in that arena, it’s nuts when you think of all the history that’s been accomplished in that arena.”
“Of course I can’t wait to fight there in Chicago. Honestly, the most exciting thing is the main event status. I was watching the 49ers-Panthers game and to see my face up on the TV is kind of cool. Those are things you can look back on your career and think that you did something right. I’ve done something with my career. I’ve made it to the big time. It’s like a little icing on the cake, and it lets you know that all the things you did in life have really paid off.”
“I got my life on track, and I’m focused on the thing I want and that’s the UFC title. That’s the main thing that goes through my mind. There are billboards around the US and making the commercials for Fox. I would imagine 15-20 million people were watching that 49er game. To think that many people know who I am is pretty impressive.”
There is no doubt that Thomson’s popularity has soared since he came back to the UFC and knocked out Nate Diaz in the second round back in April on the UFC on Fox 7 card. A win over a high profile opponent on national TV will do that. Let’s not forget that Thomson is also one of the most active fighters on social media and takes time to interact with his fans any chance that he can get.
Some fighters enjoy the action in the cage, some enjoy training and bonding with their teammates and then some enjoy interacting with their fans. Thomson seems like the type of fighter who enjoys the whole package, but he also included another aspect of being a martial artist.
“There have been different phases throughout my career,” Thomson admitted. “In the beginning it was the fight and the excitement of walking in the arena knowing it was fight time. In the middle it was the traveling and having the opportunity to fight in all of the big organizations including Pride, Dream, Strikeforce and the UFC.”
“At that time I loved traveling and getting to see all of the beautiful places, that is something that I really enjoyed. Now, towards the end of my career it really is the fans. I look back and reflect on my career, on everything I’ve done, where I’ve been and where I’ve ended up. I had so much fun doing the Q&A for the UFC show in Sacramento.”
“It was amazing I got to meet all the kids and the fans. Before the Q&A, I walked up into the crowd and took pictures with everybody. Now that I’m getting older, I’m starting to appreciate all of the little things.”
Going from Strikeforce and having his fights televised on Showtime to the UFC and having his fights aired on FOX, Thomson hasn’t noticed a particular jump in the amount of fans that he has. There are other aspects from the fans that have caught his eye.
They seem to be more appreciative of who he is as a person and a fighter and respect what he brings to the Octagon. As his career continues and even after it ends, Thomson wants to be known for who he is as a competitor and who he is as a person.
“I have noticed that I’m getting a lot more support,” Thomson said. “Now that the UFC fans are becoming more familiar with me and they are able to recognize me as a top lightweight coming off of my last fight. The fans have let it be known that they like who I am and they like my style of fighting. My style of fighting changes from fight to fight.”
“A lot of the fans have sent me emails including one from a guy who is a huge Nate Diaz fan. He appreciated that fact that I handled myself with class and didn’t talk trash after I beat Nate. Those are things that I want, when people ask what I want to leave behind as my legacy, those are things that I want people to say about me. Even when I won I was classy and even after I lost to Gil Melendez both times I never had anything bad to say about the guy. That’s how I want to be remembered.”
While we’re on the subject of Melendez again, there is still some unfinished business between the two in some people’s eyes. Thomson won the first fight, but lost the subsequent two. The third fight was extremely close, and a lot of people felt Thomson won.
It has been almost two years since they last fought and neither fighter has changed much as far as their styles are concerned, but Thomson feels like he has grown up and has started using his head more.
“We’ve fought three times and a lot had changed from the first fight to the third fight,” the 35-year-old Thomson said. “Since the last time we fought I can’t say a whole lot has changed. I think I am fighting smarter and using my head more and you saw that in the Diaz fight. I didn’t fight a stupid fight, I fought a smart fight. I fought a smarter fight against Gil in the third fight as well, but I just came up short.”
“A lot of people had me winning that fight and I thought I did enough to win that fight, but the judges are the ones who count the most and they didn’t have me winning. That’s all that matters and it’s time to move on. If we end up fighting again it would be nice if it were a five round fight for the title. Right now we both have our hands full and I’m not going to look too far ahead to be honest.”
When he defeated Diaz, he became the only fighter to ever finish Diaz by KO/TKO. The rush of taking out one of the best fighters in the lightweight division must have felt unbelievable. That win also served as his first victory in the Octagon since he defeated Hermes Franca at UFC 46 in January of 2004. That is a span of over nine years and for Thomson the wait was worth it.
“It felt great, it felt good to be back in there and it felt like I never left,” The man they call the Punk said. “There’s been a void in my career since I left the UFC and I felt like my fight with Yves (Edwards at UFC 49) should’ve been for the title. I would’ve fought a different fight if it had been for the belt. I feel like I fought really arrogant and cocky in that fight.”
“I was trying to showboat too much and it cost me. I came back and took the fight with Nate and I made sure I didn’t fight that way. I played it over and over in my mind about fighting smart and being safe. I wanted to capitalize on the moments I was given and take advantage of them.”
UFC on Fox 10 goes down Saturday from The House That Jordan Built, the United Center, in Chicago, Ill.
The main event pits recently dethroned UFC lightweight champ Benson Henderson against Josh Thomson, who once held the equivalent belt in the Strikefo…
UFC on Fox 10 goes down Saturday from The House That Jordan Built, the United Center, in Chicago, Ill.
The main event pits recently dethroned UFC lightweight champ Benson Henderson against Josh Thomson, who once held the equivalent belt in the Strikeforce promotion.
But there’s plenty of intrigue all up and down the slate, from the evening’s kick-off contest on UFC Fight Pass all the way through to the four-fight, nationally televised main card.
What follows are information capsules, predictions and viewing coordinates for each and every bout.
Before lightweight standouts Benson Henderson and Josh Thomson take center stage this Saturday at UFC on Fox 10, heavyweights Stipe Miocic and Gabriel Gonzaga will go to war.
In a co-main event that will dictate the next budding contender in a top-heav…
Before lightweight standouts Benson Henderson and Josh Thomson take center stage this Saturday at UFC on Fox 10, heavyweights StipeMiocic and Gabriel Gonzaga will go to war.
In a co-main event that will dictate the next budding contender in a top-heavy division, Miocic vs. Gonzaga will be sure to produce.
For Miocic, a young and hungry prospect yearning for his spot among the heavyweight’s best, a victory over a storied veteran like “Napao” would cement his contender status for 2014.
As for Gonzaga, a Brazilian comprised of ungodly knockout power and scintillating submissions kills, knocking off a promising young gun like Miocic would allow the 34-year-old to work his way toward a title shot sometime in 2015.
Here’s their final head-to-toe breakdown on the doorstep of a very interesting showdown on Jan. 25.
Benson Henderson is ready to begin his journey back to the 155-pound championship. He’ll get started at UFC on Fox 10, where Strikeforce veteran Josh Thomson will look to build his own case for a title shot with a win over the former champion.
Five mon…
Benson Henderson is ready to begin his journey back to the 155-pound championship. He’ll get started at UFC on Fox 10, where Strikeforce veteran Josh Thomson will look to build his own case for a title shot with a win over the former champion.
Five months ago, Henderson was only one win away from breaking the UFC record for consecutive lightweight title defenses. In an attempt to get that victory, “Smooth” was submitted by a familiar foe in Anthony Pettis, who also dethroned Henderson under the WEC banner.
A few months earlier, Thomson picked up an impressive victory over former title challenger Nate Diaz, who went the distance with Henderson at UFC on Fox 5. Becoming the first fighter to stop Diaz with strikes was enough to earn “The Punk” a matchup that could elevate him to No. 1 lightweight contender.
Will Henderson take an important step back toward reclaiming his belt, or can Thomson make a big move and earn a chance to claim the 155-pound strap?
As this pivotal lightweight bout approaches, here is closer look at how Henderson and Thomson match up against each other in all areas.
If you’ve read almost anything about Josh Thomson leading up to Saturday’s bout against Benson Henderson at UFC on Fox 10, you already know he doesn’t have time for games.