Josh Thomson: 'I could be kissing away my dreams, but I still love fighting'

Josh Thomson comments on why he chose not to wait for his title fight against UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis

USA TODAY Sports

Imagine that you're a top ranked fighter in the UFC. Now imagine that UFC matchmaker Joe Silva is on the phone and asking if you would be interested in fighting for the UFC title. Of course you answer to the affirmative. You're then booked for a title fight. So far so good, right? Well, things take a turn when the champ ends up needing surgery and is forced to pull out of the fight.

Now you have a dilemma. Do you wait for the champion to heal and rehab, or do you say ‘no thanks, book me for another fight.'?

That was the position No. 4 ranked UFC lightweight Josh Thomson found himself in when it was revealed that UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis would need surgery. Surgery that forced Pettis from the originally scheduled UFC on Fox 9 main event against Thomson.

For Thomson, the solution was simple, he wanted to fight, something he revealed during a recent Q & A session:

The option on not taking a fight lasted about two seconds. When I said, ‘How long is he out?' He said, ‘Ten months,' and I said ‘No, okay we gotta fight.'

It's already been April since I fought Nate (Diaz) and you kind of want to make sure the fans keep you fresh in their minds, so you want to make sure that the fans get to see you.

At the end of the day, I really love fighting. I got into this to fight. I didn't get into this to sit on the sideline, and I know I've waited my whole career to fight for that belt, but I don't want to waste ten months. That would be almost a year and a half of wasting, of sitting on the sideline and not fighting.

I could be kissing away my dreams, but I still love fighting.

The UFC wasted no time in booking Thomson against No. 1 ranked contender, former UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson. Henderson and Thomson will meet on January 25 in the main event of UFC on Fox 10.

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