Josh Thomson Breaks Leg Again , Hopes for December Return

(“I’ll have the usual.” Photo courtesy of MMA TKO.)

We can officially add Strikeforce lightweight champ Josh Thomson to the list of Epically Cursed fighters that already includes James Irvin and Amir Sadollah. The Punk told MMA Weekly that he re-broke his leg in training, postponing his return — and rematch against interim champion Gilbert Melendez — even further:

“I was really just playing around, just working on my technique, and this kid, this little blue belt, grabbed a leglock—I was wearing a gi—and I couldn’t slide my leg out. He just bellied out on the leglock in the standing position and you just heard the bone go crunch. The hairline fracture turned into an actual break.”

Thomson first broke his leg before a scheduled fight against Melendez at “Shamrock vs. Diaz” in April. Then, the lingering injury (plus a jacked-up toe) forced Thomson to drop off the “Carano vs. Cyborg” card two weeks before that event. Josh now expects to return to competition at a yet-to-be-announced Strikeforce card slated for December 19th, and he won’t be taking a tune-up fight first:

“I want to get this whole interim title thing dissolved. I want all the complications of, who’s the champ and who’s not the champ…I mean, everyone knows that I am, but I’ve been inactive for a year and he deserves what he’s been given, but it’s time to put it all to a close. I’d rather fight [Gilbert Melendez] my first fight back and I can move on with my career and he can move on with his.”

Luckily, Melendez might have another solid opponent to pass the time if Thomson’s recuperation stretches out even longer. According to Sherdog, former top-ten lightweight Vitor “Shaolin” Ribeiro has signed a multi-fight contract with Strikeforce. Ribeiro most recently dropped a unanimous decision to Shinya Aoki at DREAM.10, and holds notable victories over Tatsuya Kawajiri, Joachim Hansen, and Mitsuhiro Ishida.