In recent weeks there have been a number of different reports about the status of Josh Thomson within the UFC. Now, everything has come to light, as the former Strikeforce champion and UFC title challenger has signed a new deal with Bellator MMA. To the mainstream mixed martial arts fanbase, Thomson is a name that may not garner much attention. Some may not know him beyond the fact that he knocked out Nate Diaz as an underdog at UFC on Fox 7. Even though that was Thomson’s only victory during his second tenure in the UFC, he deserves recognition as one of the best lightweights the sport has seen.
Thomson’s career goes back to 2001 and includes many major names from the “early” days of mixed martial arts. He is perhaps best known for his series of bouts against Gilbert Melendez when the duo traded the Strikeforce title back and forth. However, his legacy goes back even before that fight. His fight against Yves Edwards at UFC 49 is considered the first great lightweight fight in the Octagon. After the company dissolved the weight class, he would go on to earn wins over men such as Melendez, Duane Ludwig, Gesias Cavalcante, and K.J. Noons. At 36 years of age, it is clear that “The Punk” is in the latter part of his career, yet with his past and potentially impactful future, moving over to Bellator MMA is the right move for him at this time.
Even though Thomson may not be a title challenger at this phase of his career, he was considered a Top 15 talent in the UFC lightweight division. Of his last three defeats, only the loss to Tony Ferguson at UFC Fight Night 71 was clear. The other two, split decision defeats to Bobby Green and Benson Henderson in 2014, were highly controversial then and are still contentious to this day.
Thomson is due to make his promotional debut on September 19 when he faces Mike Bronzoulis during the much anticipated Bellator 142: Dynamite card. There was a minor controversy that erupted over his release and signing with Bellator, as it was initially reported that the UFC declined an offer to keep Thomson on the roster. However, Thomson refuted those claims:
“I’m over here reading this UFC reporter saying that they’ve declined to re-sign me when the truth of the matter is that they’ve been trying to re-sign me for my last two fights,” Thomson said, as reported by Tristen Critchfield of Sherdog. “I declined and instead chose to fight out my contract and test the free agency market with Bellator. At that point, Bellator made me an offer that the UFC was unable to match given their relationships with Fox and Reebok.”
That last line brings up an interesting point of contention among many in the fight community. The UFC’s dealings with major corporations such as Reebok and Fox have created lucrative opportunities for the promotion. However, the benefits of those deals have not necessarily trickled down to the fighters.
“Any intelligent fighter is going to go where the money is, and for me the money was at Bellator,” Thomson explained.
Josh Thomson joins Josh Koscheck and Phil Davis as “big name” fighters that have left the UFC to join the ranks of Bellator MMA in 2015. While those three fighters may not cause much of a stir, it will be interesting to see if more men and women follow suit as they become free agents. Regardless of whether that happens, Thomson has put himself in the perfect position to ride out the end of his career, and that path starts in a few weeks at Bellator 142: Dynamite.
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Bellator 142: Dynamite takes place on September 19, 2015 at SAP Center in San Jose, California.
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