« Scott Coker says he’ll continue to work with DREAM despite their money troubles | Home | Nick Diaz re-issues challenge to GSP, says he can’t be beat »
Josh Thomson says Strikeforce Lightweights are comparable to top UFC Lightweights
By Zach Arnold | October 11, 2010
JOSH THOMSON: “You guys saw me at my camp, you guys saw me there a couple of times sparring and gosh, I got to tell you, I was really… I was almost in tears three weeks before this fight just because I had such a [expletive] camp, you know… had a lot of injuries and I came out and I was like, there’s just no way I’m pulling out of this fight, I want this fight. I want to make sure that I fight somebody who they think is one of the best MMA, you know one of the best Lightweights in the world. I want to fight these guys, you know, and I’m at that stage in my career where I know that I’m that good so I want to fight all the best guys I can.”
DANNY ACOSTA: “Is there a reluctance for you to pull out not only because of money and sponsorships and the event and everything else but also because you pulled out in the past and it’s slowed down your career?”
JOSH THOMSON: “No, I don’t think so, but no, there was no reluctance. Really what it was for this fight is that I really wanted to fight him, you know, and not just him because it’s JZ, I want to fight guys that they think are the best guys in the world and they think he is. His only losses, like I said, are to the best guys in the world. Those are the guys I want to fight, you know? He could have given up a couple of times in that fight, you know I had him in a tight guillotine in the third (round) and just couldn’t get it done but it’s just one of those fights. Those are the guys, if you can’t get up for a guy like him or Gilbert (Melendez), you shouldn’t be in the sport and this was a fight where I put a lot of pressure on myself to win and I think you guy saw it when you guys came in and watched me spar.”
DANNY ACOSTA: “You’ve been saying it for a while now that you could easily go in there and compete with the UFC Lightweights and now you kind of taken aim at WEC Lightweights. What prompted that?”
JOSH THOMSON: “I’m not taking aim at any of them. I think all of them are great fighters. That’s the one thing I should make the point is that I think Ben Henderson’s a great fighter, you know. I love his style, I think he’s a great fighter, he goes out there and lays it on the line. He’s beaten some of the best guys. The thing is though is I feel like Strikeforce has a whole another level caliber of Lightweights, they’re right up there with the UFC Lightweights. I’ve trained with Frankie Edgar, I’ve trained with BJ Penn, they’re great fighters you know but I’ve fought Gil and I’ve trained with those guys and I know deep in my heart I know that we’re right there with them.”
DANNY ACOSTA: “And you knocked on Gilbert Melendez’s door after the fight. Is that the fight you want next or, you know, Lyle ‘Fancy Pants’ Beerbohm, you’ve exchanged words. Is that a fight you’d welcome as well?”
JOSH THOMSON: “You know I do know that Lyle’s been given an opportunity to fight one of my teammates, Justin Wilcox, several times. Justin’s going to be fighting here pretty soon. I do know that Justin is interested in fighting him. I’m looking at Gil, I’m not looking to go backwards, you know and to me, that’s a step back. A big step back, you know, and I’m not trying… here’s the thing is that I want to make sure it’s clear that it’s not that I don’t think that Lyle’s a great fighter, I think he’s a great fighter, I really do. He knows how to win, he’s shown that time and time again, I think he’s like 14-0 or 15-0 or something. But why would I go backwards to fight him instead of fighting Gil? The big thing is that I step up and take fights and that’s why I’m in the position that I’m in, you know, and… that’s the only way I can put it.”
DANNY ACOSTA: “The UFC really exploded with the trilogies, you know, you have Randy Couture and Chuck Liddell. Do you think that Gilbert Melendez/Josh Thomson III could be that fight for Strikeforce to really put it on the map?”
JOSH THOMSON: “I think 100%, I mean, um… you know, I think to be honest this will be the first Trilogy that really the fans really, really want to see. It definitely will be the first one in Strikeforce history, but as far as in MMA in general, granted Randy and Chuck is great but I think the first fight was such a shock with Randy beating Chuck, then the next two fights they weren’t shocked at all, Chuck went out there and took care of business and did what he always does and knocks people out, so… they weren’t that type of Gatti/Ward like Gil and myself and so the fans are going to be the ones that benefit from Gil and myself. It sure the heck ain’t going to be us, we’re both going to be beat up after the fight.”
DANNY ACOSTA: “So you want to see Thomson/Melendez III on CBS?”
JOSH THOMSON: “No, I want to see Thomson/Melendez on PPV.”
Topics: Media, MMA, StrikeForce, UFC, Zach Arnold | 5 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Josh Thomson is a troll.
He said that Bobby Lashley could beat Brock Lesnar.
He said that JZ deserved to be Top 10, despite going 1-2 in 2008 and 2009 and his biggest career victory being over Vitor Ribeiro.
The UFC/WEC has like 75+ Lightweights on their roster. It’s a loaded division. Edgar, Penn, Florian, Maynard, Sotoripolous, Sherk, Miller, Henderson, Dunham, & Gomi.
And that’s just their Top 10. There next 10 in line are still solid as well.
Strikeforce doesn’t have the depth. They don’t have the quality. Gilbert Melendez is a very good fighter. Top 5 in my opinion… Hard to know exactly where he ranks amongst the UFC guys because he hasn’t really fought any of them.
The resr of the division has some decent guys, but it far below what the UFC currently has. A lot of their fighters come from Japan, and I would say 8 out of 10 guys who come over from Japan to compete in the UFC end up looking like average fighters.
I am in almost universal agreement with you here, but please don’t tell me Ben Henderson (or any WEC LW) is a top 10, hell top 15 LW…just don’t.
He is in the same (if not “worse”) situation as the guys outside the UFC you’re ragging on. Who has Henderson beat? How are any of them, or wins over any of them, any better than anyone in DREAM/Strikeforce/Bellator? Varner, Roller, Njokuani, Cerrone, Bendo…these guys all look “good” in their own bubble of fighting and beating each other with no relevant barometer to the rest of the 155 talent.
I think they’re probably worse than a lot of the guys you’re saying don’t belong there but get the bump because they get the Zuffa-credibility rub (and all fight within their circle). WEC’s LW division was ruled by Rob McCullough up until 2 years ago and their current title fight features a guy that lost to Bart Palaszewski less than 1 year ago for the love of god.
I don’t know how you can disparage the Strikeforce LW when the current UFC & undisputed champion is Edgar.
Thompson and JZ aren’t ranked in the top ten due to fighting inconsistently but I would put them as 50-50 fights with anyone in the UFC. Same goes for Melendez, Kawajiri and Aoki (if he can game plan a little better).
I do like how Gomi is suddenly a legitimate LW after being ridiculed for the past 3 years.
LOL how did I know 45 would be the first guy on this thread disagreeing with Thompson? What a sad predictable troll you are.
People in glass houses…