Josh Thomson vs Ashe Bowman Strikeforce fight booked for Playboy Mansion
by James Iannotti on Aug 23, 2008 11:55 AM EDT
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Strikeforce Lightweight Champion Josh "The Punk" Thomson will take on team Lion's Den member Ashe "The Machine" Bowman (6-4) in a three-round, non-title match at "Strikeforce at the Mansion II" at the world-famous Playboy Mansion in Beverly Hills, Calif., on September 20.
Strikeforce Vice President Mike Afromowitz confirmed the news today to MMAmania.com, which was first reported by Ariel Helwani.
Bowman has won six of his past seven contests after beginning his career with three straight losses. He's competed five times under the Ken Shamrock Productions banner, winning each time.
Take that for what it's worth.
He certainly comes as a surprise opponent for the champ -- most fans were probably expecting someone with a little more notoriety. But that doesn't mean Bowman isn't capable of pulling off the shocker ... anything can in mixed martial arts, right?
This will be The Punk's first fight since winning a unanimous decision in June over then highly-regarded champion Gilbert Melendez. Thomson was a significant underdog in that fight. And after pulling off the upset he earned himself a place amongst the big dogs in terms of the top fighters in the world.
Therefore, it would be an upset of epic proportions if Thomson loses this fight. Bowman just isn't on his level when it comes to talent or experience. This is most likely a showcase fight for the champ -- perhaps to keep him busy and at the same time rest his still-healing shoulder.
In short, don't be surprised if he takes this one in impressive fashion.
Some were expecting this fight to take main event status after Thomson's opponent was announced, but given the caliber of opponent and it being a non-title fight, it's possible that one of the other matches will take center stage.
The light heavyweight championship fight between champion,Bobby Southworth and challenger Renato "Babalu" Sobral is the likely choice.
We'll keep you posted as more news is announced for "Strikeforce at the Mansion II." In the meantime check out the latest fight card and rumors right here.
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This is just stupid! THomson is a top 20 LIghtweight, which because of how stacked the lightweight division is, top 20 in that division equals top 10 in other divisions….basically I am saying that THomson is a bad dude!
Not to discredit the challenger, but he has no business fighting Josh right after Josh shocked the world winning the title against the MONSTER Melendez! Crappy match making like this is what I dont like about ProElite.
by john on Aug 23, 2008 6:16 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
well it’s a good thing that this matchmaking has nothing to do with ProElite and everything to do with StrikeForce
by Jeff on Aug 23, 2008 7:26 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
WOW no wonder mma companies go bankrupt..they have boneheaded matchmakers..this is a travesty..at the very least give thomson a fighter with a decent record even if he came from smaller shows rather than this scrub nobody with a bad record for a non-title fight haha..stupidity. Thomson is a dumb tool for accepting this fight..he doesnt seem to have much ambition or challenge in the fight world and beat up scrubs to keep his belt
by dk on Aug 24, 2008 12:45 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
HHMM, Well as I see it, every single pro fighter out there (from boxing to K1 to MMA) has had to fight up and comers like Ashe Bowman. It is the American dream to get a shot at the “title” per se (Yeah I know it is a non-title bout, but as a figure of speech you get the point). Needless to say, for all the Thomson fans out there you should be looking at the bright side. Thomson has a bum shoulder and needs a intermediate challenger until it heals. For all the Bowman fans, you should be saying, “Man the Lion’s den must really have some pull to make this happen and good luck Ashe!” All I can personally say is Ashe Bowman will have his hands full and I hope he works his magic. By the way, I have grappled Ashe on many occasions and he is solid. Let’s just say Thomson better not underestimate a roughneck like Ashe.
by Curt on Sep 16, 2008 5:26 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
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