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Tag: josh thomson

  • UFC Veteran Who Knocked Out Nate Diaz Fires Back After Rematch Snub – ‘You Ain’t Gangsters’

    UFC Veteran Who Knocked Out Nate Diaz Fires Back After Rematch Snub – ‘You Ain’t Gangsters’

    As Nate Diaz prepares for his return on May 16, it’s clear he had several directions he could have gone.

    In the end, the Stockton native chose a showdown with Mike Perry under the Most Valuable Promotions banner, leaving other potential opponents behind. Among those who didn’t make the cut was former rival Josh Thomson, who later spoke out about the missed opportunity.

    Josh Thomson Claims Nate Diaz Turned Down Rematch Opportunity

    During a recent episode of his WEIGHING IN podcast, Josh Thomson didn’t hold back while responding to recent comments from Nate Diaz, who mocked him during an appearance on Theo Von’s podcast for pushing for a rematch, suggesting that both Diaz and his teammate Chris Avila declined opportunities to face him.

    “I guess the concern from you, Nate, was that you wanted me to fight somebody else because I had been inactive for a while,” Thomson said. “I was like, ‘Alright, cool. I’ll take it. Who do you have in mind?’

    “Now you’re turning down a fight with me and saying you want an easier fight than me?” Thomson said. “All that west coast gangster sh*t and you guys are over here saying no, you don’t want to fight a 47-year-old who hasn’t fought in seven years. I was laughing. You ain’t gangsters, dude.”

    “The Punk” also revealed that a potential path to the rematch involved him first fighting Avila, which could have led to a second clash with Diaz. However, those plans never came together, and Avila was ultimately booked to fight Brandon Jenkins.

    The tension between the two UFC veterans dates back to their meeting in April 2013. On that night, Thomson became the first man to stop Diaz, landing a head kick that led to a second-round TKO finish.

  • Paul Hughes Hits Back At ‘Trend’ Of Hating On PFL

    Paul Hughes Hits Back At ‘Trend’ Of Hating On PFL

    Paul Hughes is going all out in standing his ground and defending the promotion he represents, the PFL.

    Since acquiring Bellator MMA in November 2023, PFL has faced frequent criticism. Many fighters, including high-profile names like Patchy Mix, have expressed frustration, claiming they have been sidelined and given limited chances since the merger. Patricio Pitbull was also among those seeking an exit, with his release recently granted.

    The budding MMA promotion has also faced allegations of trimming its roster while pressuring fighters into accepting significant pay cuts, despite its structured pay system.

    The latest to launch a scathing critique is former UFC fighter and Bellator veteran Josh Thomson, who called out PFL and its top brass, Donn Davis and Pete Murray. He accused them of neglecting the organization’s brand development and failing to establish a clear vision for its future.

    During a recent interview with MMA Junkie, “The Punk” didn’t hold back, slamming PFL as mismanaged and urging them to “get their sh*t together.” However, the New York-based MMA promotion’s current biggest star sees things differently.

    On Friday, Hughes took to X to respond to Thomson’s criticism of PFL, calling out the growing trend of negativity toward the promotion. He passionately defended the organization, highlighting its positive aspects and expressing deep gratitude for the profound impact it has had on his career.

    “The PFL MMA have provided me the platform to completely change my life and my career in 9 months. The staff have been absolutely amazing to deal with the entire time. I find it disappointing that it has become a trend to hate on them. They are the UNDERDOGS, fighting to make a CHANGE in an industry where the athletes are under served and underpaid. MOST of us fighters end up leaving the game with no money (and a lot of brain damage). This will only change if organisations like PFL continue to succeed. Thankyou PFL MMA” Paul Hughes wrote on X.

    “Big News” signed with PFL last May. In just three fights under its banner, the 27-year-old Irishman has already become a fan favorite and one of the promotion’s biggest draws.

    Paul Hughes was last seen in competition at PFL Champions Series: Road to Dubai in January, where he fell just short in his quest for the title, suffering a majority decision loss to reigning lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov.

    “Big News” is now set to return to action in the headlining bout of PFL Europe’s first event of the year, where he will face Bruno Miranda on May 10 at The SSE Arena in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

  • Former UFC Fighter On Justin Gaethje’s Unique Style: ‘His Kicks Look Like Trash’

    Former UFC Fighter On Justin Gaethje’s Unique Style: ‘His Kicks Look Like Trash’

    Josh Thomson has offered an honest assessment of Justin Gaethje and his unique fighting style following the former interim UFC lightweight champion’s latest victory.

    Gaethje was originally scheduled to face Dan Hooker at UFC 313 on March 8 but the Kiwi fan favorite withdrew due to a hand injury. Rafael Fiziev stepped in for a rematch, and Gaethje went on to defeat him by unanimous decision, earning yet another Fight of the Night award.

    Speaking on the Weighing In podcast, Thomson highlighted how Gaethje’s striking differs from traditional techniques, emphasizing that he does not conform to conventional boxing or kickboxing styles. He also critiqued Gaethje’s leg kicks, despite their well-documented effectiveness.

    “Justin Gaethje is not a striker like any other striker we’ve seen,” Thomson said. “Not so much in terms of how he fights—it’s really about how he moves his body. He’s not a traditional boxer or kickboxer or any of those styles.

    “Even his kicks — look how hard they are. Fighters have told everyone how hard he kicks, but his leg kicks look like trash,” Thomson continued. “You see him, and you’re like, it’s a weird kick. Like, it just looks weird, but everybody, everybody says they’re so painful.”

  • Former Bellator Analyst Calls Out Usman Nurmagomedov’s ‘Weird’ Comment After Paul Hughes Win

    Former Bellator Analyst Calls Out Usman Nurmagomedov’s ‘Weird’ Comment After Paul Hughes Win

    While Usman Nurmagomedov and Paul Hughes showed nothing but respect for one another in the aftermath of their battle at Saturday’s PFL event, a former fighter wasn’t impressed with one aspect of the Bellator lightweight champion’s post-fight approach.

    The Professional Fighters League kicked off its schedule for 2025 with the Champions Series: Road to Dubai card inside Coca-Cola Arena, where Nurmagomedov and Hughes collided in a clash dubbed “Dagestan vs. Ireland 2.”

    Like other results on the night, the win went to the former region, with the reigning Bellator titleholder emerging with the gold still in his possession by narrow margins.

    Nurmagomedov had been largely dismissive of Hughes throughout the buildup, but he got a rude awakening when “Big News” gave him about all he could handle across five rounds in the Middle East.

    The Dagestani acknowledged that he had underestimated his challenger, who echoed the sentiments of some in the community by suggesting he did enough to deserve the victory. With that in mind, he demanded an immediate rematch.

    The champ, however, isn’t keen. And he went as far as to claim that the Irishman will need to beat three or four other opponents to earn a second opportunity.

    During an episode of his Weighing In podcast alongside former referee John McCarthy, ex-UFC fighter Josh Thomson reacted to that suggestion.

    “I didn’t like hearing Usman Nurmagomedov in the back saying, ‘No, he’s got to fight three or four more other fighters.’ That was weird,” Nurmagomedov said. “There’s not even three or four more other fighters in your guys’ weight class.”

    Though Usman has made his stance clear, that hasn’t stopped Hughes from making his case. He recently responded to an invitation to visit Dagestan from Khabib Nurmagomedov by insisting a rematch with his cousin must come first.

    The PFL, meanwhile, hasn’t divulged its plans for either man moving forward.

  • Colby Covington’s Losing Run Blamed On American Top Team Exit: ‘Since He Left…’

    Colby Covington’s Losing Run Blamed On American Top Team Exit: ‘Since He Left…’

    For the first time in his pro career, Colby Covington is currently coming off of back-to-back losses. The former UFC interim welterweight champion returned this past weekend in Tampa where he was beaten by the surging Joaquin Buckley.

    “Chaos” has already spoken about the defeat where he outlined the significance of taking the fight on short notice and the cut that he suffered above his right eye which eventually led to the doctor waving the fight off in the third round. Covington stated that he was only just getting going at the time of the stoppage but up until that point, “New Mansa” was clearly and comfortably winning the fight.

    Many fans and fellow fighters were also very critical about Covington’s previous outing at UFC 296 last December where he was totally shut out by Leon Edwards in a welterweight title fight. Having been 15-1 heading into his first meeting with Kamaru Usman in 2019 to now being 17-5, some may simply put his decline in form down to his age.

    At 36-years old, it’s not surprising that Covington would begin to slow down especially as a fighter whose biggest weapon is his cardio and output. Josh Thomson, however, believes that the controversial welterweight might not be preparing as well as he could be.

    Covington’s nine years at American Top Team in Florida ended in 2020 following several altercations with some of his teammates who had made it very clear that they no longer wanted him on the team due to some of his comments about them. The likes of Jorge Masvidal and Dustin Poirier have remained at ATT whilst Covington has since moved to MMA Masters in Miami.

    Thomson, who is a former fighter turned commentator, said on the Weighing In Podcast that he believes this is taking away from the three-time title challenger.

    “I’m going to simply say that once you’ve trained at a prestigious gym like American Top Team [ATT], and then you find your way out of it, running your own camp in a smaller facility without many top-level people to train with, especially after leaving a gym with a plethora of world-class fighters…. it’s noticeable. You saw it tonight. I don’t know if it’s the age, because I know he’s older, but let’s be honest, within two fights, he doesn’t look like the same person since he left American Top Team.”

    Thomson believes that not having the kind of people that he needs to really push him has taken away what made Covington so effective in the first place. If he was going to beat Buckley on Saturday night, he needed to put the pace on him but if anything, it was the other way round.

    “Those are the rounds where you’re trying to catch your second, sometimes third, wind. But not having the talent that he needs to help push his pace in training is what I feel like I’m seeing right now. I’m seeing a fighter who is having a hard time setting a pace inside the cage against world-class fighters because he doesn’t have world-class fighters to train with anymore.”

  • MMA Analyst Says Colby Covington Might Regret His Return Decision: ‘That’s A Different Buckley’

    MMA Analyst Says Colby Covington Might Regret His Return Decision: ‘That’s A Different Buckley’

    At UFC Tampa in the promotion’s final event of 2024, Colby Covington makes a somewhat unexpected return to face Joaquin Buckley in the main event on December 14. The former interim welterweight champion has been linked with a lot of different match-ups since his last fight against Leon Edwards in December of last year but none of them have come together.

    Covington will now be replacing Ian Machado Garry to take on the surging Buckley after Garry moved into the co-main event of UFC 310 to face Shavkat Rakhmonov. Though “New Mansa” is in the best form of his life right now, many see Buckley as a more winnable fight for Covington than some of the other names he has been linked with.

    For as good as his winning streak at welterweight has been, he’s got some losses on his record and in some of those, he was outwrestled which is where the former three-time title challenger could get his hand raised.

    Josh Thomson and “Big” John McCarthy raised this point during a recent episode of the Weighing In podcast where they said that “Chaos” may be underestimating Buckley for this very reason. McCarthy spoke about why Covington has decided to come back for this fight in particular.

    “I look and I think Colby actually bit on this fight thinking ‘Alright, I’ve seen people out wrestle Buckley in the past and I can out wrestle him and take him down’. Now, that’s a different Buckley though too, Buckley’s a different fighter.”

    McCarthy also made reference to Buckley’s 2018 loss in Bellator to Logan Storley, using this as a comparison to his next match-up.

    “You can look at that and say well, Logan just outwrestled him and dropped him anytime he wanted and takedown stuff. Logan’s a better wrestler than Colby Covington ever was okay, sorry, and Buckley is way better now than he was back then.”

  • MMA Analyst Says Khamzat Chimaev Doesn’t Deserve A Middleweight Title Shot After Whittaker Win

    MMA Analyst Says Khamzat Chimaev Doesn’t Deserve A Middleweight Title Shot After Whittaker Win

    For a lot of people, Khamzat Chimaev reminded them why he was once the talk of the MMA world with his performance this past weekend at UFC 308. The undefeated contender was able to submit Robert Whittaker in the first round in Abu Dhabi.

    Not only has the former middleweight champion only lost to the absolute best at 185-pounds, no one has been able to tear right through him like that. After Chimaev secured an early takedown, he maintained control of the fight until applying a submission that instantly forced his opponent to tap after the damage that was done to his jaw.

    The question then became whether this was enough for him to leapfrog over Sean Strickland and be the next man to challenge Dricus Du Plessis for the title. Strickland has been very clear that he’s the next in line after his split decision loss to Du Plessis in January and bounce back win over Paulo Costa.

    Though most appear to be leaning towards Chimaev after that incredibly impressive performance, Josh Thomson doesn’t think that “Borz” deserves the next shot.

    The former UFC fighter said during a recent episode of the Weighing In podcast that in his opinion, Chimaev hasn’t beaten enough legitimate middleweights to justify this. His last win over Kamaru Usman did take place at middleweight despite Usman moving up to the weight class on short notice.

    Chimaev’s only other middleweight wins are over John Phillips on his UFC debut and Gerald Meerschaert who he stopped in under 20 seconds.

    “He’s literally beat a bunch of 70 pounders but was supposed to be fighting at 85 and now, he’s not getting a title shot at 170, he’s getting a title shot at 185, it doesn’t make sense to me. Like I’m not saying that he’s not skilled and I’m also saying that in that fight with Gilbert Burns, he was exhausted and he was also exhausted in the Kamaru Usman fight, who is a 170 pounder. So look, I’m not taking away what he did today because what he did today spoke for itself, absolutely fantastic performance but we’ve seen this before where he’s dominated round one like this.”

  • MMA Analyst Explains Why He Doesn’t Consider Jon Jones A ‘Great Champion’

    MMA Analyst Explains Why He Doesn’t Consider Jon Jones A ‘Great Champion’

    Jon Jones is undeniably a cornerstone in the debate over who holds the title of the greatest MMA fighter of all time. His skills, beyond doubt, reinforce this assertion, showcasing a career marked by unparalleled success and accomplishments.

    “Bones” etched his name in the history books by becoming the youngest champion in UFC history at just 23 years old, triumphing over Mauricio Rua at UFC 128 in March 2011.

    Jones remained unbeaten during his reign as the UFC light heavyweight champion, successfully defending his title a staggering 13 times against the very best that the 205-pound division had to offer.

    Despite his remarkable achievements, the 37-year-old New Yorker’s career has been marred by several notorious controversies that may overshadow his legacy. This, in fact, is the reason why Josh Thomson does not view “Bones” as a great champion in UFC history.

    Thomson Says Jones’ Positive PED Results Mar His Reputation

    During a recent episode of the WEIGHING IN podcast, “The Punk” and “Big” John McCarthy delved into the discussion surrounding the longest title defense streak in UFC history and pondered who truly deserves to be called a great champion.

    The former UFC referee highlighted Jones’ name in the conversation, but Thomson challenged this notion, asserting that “Bones” testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs undermines his status as the most dominant champion in the sport’s history.

    “What defines a great UFC champion is to never have tested positive for a f**king steroid or for a d*ck pill or for anything,” Thomson said. “So automatically, that’s going to exclude two guys that I hold in very high regard, despite one of them not liking my teammates, which is Jon Jones and Anderson Silva. I’m sorry, but that’s something—let’s not p*ssyfoot around this whole thing.”

    Jones faced a one-year suspension in 2016 after failing a drug test for androgen-related substances prior to his highly anticipated UFC 200 matchup with Daniel Cormier. Later, “Bones” tested positive for turinabol, resulting in his victory over Cormier at UFC 214 being changed to a no-contest.

    Thomson went on to emphasize that he regards former champions such as Demetrious Johnson, who boasts 11 title defenses, and Georges St-Pierre, with nine defenses to his name, as the greatest titleholders in UFC history.

    Jones is preparing for his highly anticipated return to the Octagon after more than a year away, following his triumphant victory over Ciryl Gane at UFC 285 in March 2023, where he captured the undisputed heavyweight title.

    He is scheduled to defend his championship against former titleholder Stipe Miocic in the main event of UFC 309 on November 16, 2024, at the Madison Square Garden in New York City.

  • MMA Analyst Feels UFC Trying To Cut Costs With Jared Cannonier vs. Caio Borralho Fight: ‘He’s Still On That S**tty Contract’

    MMA Analyst Feels UFC Trying To Cut Costs With Jared Cannonier vs. Caio Borralho Fight: ‘He’s Still On That S**tty Contract’

    Josh Thomson recently suggested that the UFC might be cutting costs with the upcoming matchup between Jared Cannonier and Caio Borralho.

    The two middleweight contenders are poised to square off in the main event of a UFC Fight Night this Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.

    Cannonier is fresh off a contentious fourth-round TKO loss to Nassourdine Imavov at UFC Fight Night Louisville this past June. This setback halted the momentum “The Killa Gorilla” had built with his dominant consecutive victories over Marvin Vettori and Sean Strickland.

    Meanwhile, Borralho is riding high after delivering an impressive second-round knockout of Paul Craig at UFC 301 in May. “The Natural” is currently on a six-fight win streak, fueled by his back-to-back standout performances at Dana White’s Contender Series in 2021.

    This fight offers distinct opportunities for both fighters: Cannonier is eager to reestablish himself in the title conversation, while Borralho is aiming to break into the top 10 middleweight rankings with a victory this weekend.

    Thomson Believes UFC Sees Greater Potential In Borralho For The Future

    During a recent episode of the WEIGHING IN podcast with former MMA referee “Big” John McCarthy, Thomson delved into why the UFC might have paired a seasoned veteran like Cannonier with a rising prospect such as Borralho.

    “The Punk” speculated that the UFC might either be banking on the Brazilian to rise as a future force in the middleweight division or that this matchup could simply be a strategic move to trim expenses.

    “I think it’s two reasons why they do,” Thomson said. “One is Caio Borralho is someone we’re not paying a lot of money right now, and we’re probably paying Jared Cannonier maybe double, so that’s one reason. Second is Jared Cannonier is 40 years old, and we’re paying him all that money, but we know he won’t be around much longer.”

    “So let’s see if we can get the young stud an opportunity to get a win over a highly ranked fighter, and we can get him to fight top-level fighters for less money because he’s still on that sh*tty contract. So they’re going to keep—that’s the way this business works.”

  • Dana White Told To Accept Blame For Uneventful UFC 304: ‘You Messed It Up For The People That Work For The Promotion & Some Of The Fighters…’

    Dana White Told To Accept Blame For Uneventful UFC 304: ‘You Messed It Up For The People That Work For The Promotion & Some Of The Fighters…’

    UK fight fans may have been treated to a title fight double header this past weekend in Manchester but UFC 304 didn’t hit expectations.

    There was a lot of disgruntlement from both fans and fighters when it was announced that the event would be taking place at US time, meaning that the night wouldn’t kick off until 11 pm local time at the Co-Op Live arena.

    It was clear to see how it affected the ticket-buyers on the night, with videos of the crowd being literally asleep in their seats during the event.

    This strange schedule will have also impacted the fighters, with Leon Edwards stating inside the Octagon after losing his welterweight title that he felt low on energy all week after training in the middle of the night.

    After Dana White slated the in-Octagon action, which had a run of seven consecutive judges’ decisions, the idea of how much the timings affected the night, was called into question.

    ‘Big’ John McCarthy & Josh Thomson Say UFC Need To Take Some Blame For Time-Related Issues At UFC 304

    On a recent episode of the Weighing In podcast, “Big” John McCarthy and Josh Thomson discussed the impact of UFC 304 taking place at US time despite it being held in England.

    McCarthy said that the UFC – namely Dana White- needs to take some of the blame for why the card didn’t end up delivering due to this decision.

    “When you’re pointing one finger forward, there’s three coming back at you Josh and you got to look at those and you gotta say well, we did put these fighters in a position where they were fighting at 3 o’clock in the morning, 4 o’clock in the morning, 5 o’clock in the morning. No one works out at those times, no one fights at those times. It is an unusual situation and even if you try to prepare for it, it’s odd. It’s just an odd time for you, your body doesn’t feel the same, you don’t feel like you’re on top of things.”

    Thomson went on to add how it wasn’t just the fighters from the UK that would have struggled with the difference in event scheduling.

    He noted how fighters and staff coming from other countries would have also experienced difficulties because they would have needed to sleep throughout the day- even if the actual time wouldn’t be any different for them.

    “You kind of offset both parties by doing this. What happens is when you go to another country and they’re there five days before, some of them get there seven days before, some of the staff, and sometimes that’s not good. But, what I’m saying though is that now you’ve asked them to stay awake during the night so they can be awake during the night.

    “So, the ones that come from the states that work for the UFC, their body clock is trying to change to get adjusted to the UK time when in fact they can’t because their show is at 5 in the morning. Then, the fighters that are there, they’re getting all screwed up because they’re having to fight when they’re normally sleeping. So you really kind of messed up both sides of this equation. You messed it up for the people that work for the promotion and some of the fighters that came over having to fight.”

    Read also: Georges St-Pierre’s Coach Heaps Praise On Belal Muhammad’s Mentality For UFC 304 Win Over Leon Edwards: ‘Covington Couldn’t Take Him Down!’