"Punk" Thompson, Illness for Sick Fights

By Jason Kelly

Strikeforce came through with an incredible card this past Saturday. Having the Diaz vs. Noons grudge match is what made me anxious, knowing Diaz doesn’t participate in lacklustre fights, and only a handful of fighters are consistently reliable for that behaviour. Clay Guida is the epitome of that style and even after going 5-5 in the UFC he was still in high demand because of his exhilarating fights, receiving praise from all, and I think Josh “The Punk” Thompson needs to be placed at the apex of that class.

Thompson receives ample respect inside the MMA community and he is a fan favourite, that can’t be denied but, I don’t hear his name mentioned for being one of the most electrifying fighters in the world, when it most definitely should be.

It’s well understood “it takes 2 to tango”, but a spark is essential for fire and “The Punk” seems to be the spark and embers to maintain the inferno. He endured another one of his blockbuster performances on October 9th when he squared off with JZ Cavalcante, characteristically presenting his striking and ground game, also his ground game off his back and up to the final minute he was throwing up kicks trying to knock JZ out. Thompson is surveying for the finish at all times, he transitions with the submission on his psyche, he anticipates the knockout blow at the end of every amalgamation of strikes he throws, plus he is not frightened to take risks that jolt the crowd.

Thompson partook in epic clashes with Gilbert Melendez, which there is a third on the verge of being created, as well as his fight with Pat Healy and going back to 2006 when he and Nam Phan thrilled the audience for 15 minutes, and even further back when he fought in Bushido, “The Punk” has been a pleasurable fighter to watch. Josh has been lined up with good quality fighters all this time, but none of them encompass an exciting fight with other opponents that resemble their scraps with Thompson, he brings the finest out of fighters for the reason that he’s constantly striving to be triumphant and he’ll never quit or look for a way out.

I have to confess, I wanted Cavalcante to prevail so we could make out a fresh counterpart for Melendez however, I realized I could view Thompson take Melendez to perimeter of his talents, win or lose on every Strikeforce. His 18-3 record says a lot, his respect amongst his peers is apparent, and recently calling out judges for dreadful scoring, conclusively will elevate his repertoire with fans, but more significantly; “The Punk” pushes each challenger to their maximum value forcing them to show and prove, or leave and lose.

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