Interview with Josh Thomson

By Gary Herman

Josh “The Punk” Thomson is on the verge of being one of true stars in mixed martial arts. At 29, Thomson has already fought and defeated many well-known fighters like Hermes Franca and WEC lightweight champion “Razor” Rob McCullough.

Now, Thomson steps back into the cage on September 29 for the Strikeforce organization as he takes on Adam Lynn in a lightweight battle.

Here is what Thomson had to say on his upcoming fight as well as a very interesting opponent Thomson plans to fight sooner rather than later.

Question: How is your preparation going for your fight with Adam Lynn?

Josh Thomson: Everything is good. Just getting some rest at home. Training is going very well.

Q: What do you think about Lynn as an opponent?

JT: I think he will be a tough kid. I’ve seen him fight a couple of times. He’s a bigger guy as he is coming down in weight for this fight to try and make a name at a lighter weight. He is well rounded on his feet and decent on the ground. I just think I am better all the way around so we will see what happens.

Q: Are you training up in San Jose for the fight?

JT: Yes. I train at the American Kick Boxing Academy. We have a lot of great fighters there. I’m working out with one of the top welterweight contenders in Jon Fitch as well as other top guys like Josh Koscheck, and Trevor Prangley.

Q: What do you think about Fitch’s upcoming fight with Diego Sanchez?

JT: I don’t see any way Fitch can lose, but this is a fight and anything can happen.

Q: Trevor Prangley – will he be taking on Matt Lindland on an upcoming Bodog card?

JT: It’s not official yet, but Lindland called Prangley out after Prangley beat Yuki Kondo (on the July Bodog show). I don’t know exactly what’s going on with Bodog’s situation right now, but it seems to be that Trevor will be taking on Matt Lindland.

Q: And of course, your upcoming fight with Adam Lynn will be taking place at the Playboy Mansion. I’m sure it’s a great place to hang out at, but is it a good place to have a fight as well?

JT: I won’t know until I get there, but to be honest with you, I can’t really get focused on that. I’m sure a lot of fighters will be focused on that, but that could end up costing them the fight. It’s still a fight so I need to go out there ready to fight. Then, afterwards, I can worry about the scenery and the celebration.

Q: How did Lynn become your opponent? Was there any particular reason this fight was put together?

JT: Adam called Strikeforce to see if there was any fight he could get. We’ve had a lot of problems finding opponents for me. For the last PPV, we called around to over 26 people and they all turned me down. This time – I didn’t even know who my opponent would be until just recently.

Q: Is that hard for you in your training when you don’t know who you are going up against?

JT: It’s not that bad. I still train for everything. There are certain little things that we like to add in, but that can usually be done the last two weeks before a fight. You definitely don’t want to do that with a high caliber guy, and I’m not saying Adam Lynn isn’t high caliber.

What I mean is that it would be difficult to do against some of the really top guys because you’d have trouble exploiting their weaknesses because you never see their weaknesses because they never lose. I am looking forward to getting in there with Lynn so that I can try out some of the skills I’ve been working on.

Q: Another top 155 pound fighter will also be fighting on the card in Gilbert Melendez. Do you see him as a potential opponent down the line?

JT: That fight is just a matter of when. The fight will happen as long as we both win. There is no way around it. I think you may potentially see the fight in November in San Jose or it may get pushed back to February perhaps.

Q: You have a victory over another top 155 pound guy in Hermes Franca in a fight that took place in the UFC. How would you compare being with the UFC against being with Strikeforce?

JT: They are two completely different organizations. My relationship with the promoter here and my relationship with the fans here is completely different. The UFC caters to the bigger guys where Strikeforce tends to build the promotion around the people that sell tickets and the people that are the biggest draw. I think Strikeforce has the potential to become very big as well, and I hope to help them get there. The UFC has made the sport what it is today. The UFC has led the way for everyone.

Q: Do you think Strikeforce has interest in getting a TV deal anytime soon in order to help compete?

JT: I don’t really know exactly. I’ve heard some things are in the works and that they may be close, but you never know until something is signed.

Q: Strikeforce has worked in something of a partnership with EliteXC due to the Frank Shamrock settlement. What were your thoughts on working with EliteXC – especially the PPV in June that you were just on?

JT: I think it’s great. I would like to have seen some of the Strikeforce guys fight the EliteXC guys. Maybe we can have that in the future. I think EliteXC is great. The promotion and production was good with Showtime. Showtime is still learning how to do it with the MMA style of fighting verse boxing, but I think it is all getting together pretty well. From what I understand, there are a couple of more shows in the works.

GH: Excellent – I’d like to thank you for a few minutes of your time. In closing, do you have a prediction for your upcoming fight with Adam Lynn?

JT: The way Adam has been fighting. He has been working on his standup, but I don’t see him having the advantage on the standup with me. I think he’ll try to stand, but that will make it very tough for him. If I do get him in trouble, I think he will look to shoot for the takedown, but I have been working on a lot on my wrestling so I should be able to shut him down there. My prediction will most likely be a knockout halfway through the second round maybe even early in the third.