Strikeforce's Josh Thomson is ready for the long road back to the top

Two years ago Josh “The Punk” Thomson was on top of the world after defeating Gilbert Melendez for the Strikeforce lightweight championship. It was a hard fought, five round fight that really put Thomson on the proverbial MMA map.

The win, however, was a double edge sword for Thomson, stating “I began to push myself and started to over train.” He fought just three months later against Ashe Bowman needing only 74 seconds to win by TKO. The win set up a rematch with Melendez on Strikeforce’s Showtime debut, April 11, 2009, but just 10 days before the fight Thompson broke his ankle while training.

It took Thomson 15 months to fully heal and get medically cleared to fight again. On December 19, 2009 Thompson finally defended his title against the former champ Melendez. The fight was another action packed five rounder, but something was off for Thomson and the roles reversed when Melendez took the unanimous decision.

“Somewhere in those 15 months off I lost my game, ” Thomson said. “ I didn’t lose because of ring rust, I was sloppy and careless and Gil answered a lot of problems from the first fight.”

It was a humbling experience for him, but one that put things in perspective for what needs to be done. Thomson understands he needs a couple fights under his belt saying, “With all the injuries, I have to get back to where I was when I won the title plus get better and grow.”

Fight number one is on June 26^th against the veteran Pat Healy (23-15) on the main card of Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Werdum. Described as “a tough SOB” by Thomson, Healy has defeated the likes of Dan Hardy, Paul Daley and Carlos Condit in his career. “I have to make sure that I come out prepared for him, and be ready for everything he’s got or I’ll be going home with an L on my record,” Thomson said.

Preparation shouldn’t be an issue though as Thomson trains at American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, California. With fighters like Jon Fitch, Josh Koscheck and Cain Velasquez there, “It’s a daily grind; if you come in unprepared you are going to get beat” Thomson described. At fight time Thomson will have completed a 7 week camp and will be ready for step one of the road back.

For more articles from Joshua Wood and the complete Josh Thomson interview check out MMA Valor