Another weekend of fisticuffs has come and gone as UFC on FOX 10 blew the roof off The United Center -- also known as the house Michael Jordan built -- this past weekend (Jan. 25, 2014) in Chicago, Illinois.
Many combatants were left licking their wounds after a wild night of fights, including Adriano Martins, who was knocked out cold by Donald Cerrone's perfectly placed head kick in round one (video here). And Sergio Pettis, who saw his undefeated record go out the window -- and his train derailed -- thanks to the slick submission game of Alex Caceres (watch it here).
But, which fighter is suffering from the worst post-fight hangover, now two days removed from the show?
Josh Thomson.
"The Punk" was one win away from finally getting his chance to compete for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) lightweight title. One the former Strikeforce 155-pound champ already had in the bag, had he decided to wait for current division kingpin Anthony Pettis to heal up from his bum knee.
Not one to sit idle -- something that should be commended, by the way -- "The Punk" accepted a No. 1 contender's fight against former division champ Ben Henderson, adopting the model that if you're good enough to fight for the title, then you should be able to beat anyone standing in your way of facing off against champ.
And he almost proved it, if only the judges sided with him instead of "Bendo," after a back-and-forth five-round affair (highlights here). A result that could have been drastically different had Thomson not broken a limb early on. The highly-controversial split decision loss not only crushed "The Punks" championship dreams, but also sent Josh to the back of the 155-pound line and will likely force him to start from scratch.
Or will it?
Yes, Henderson got the win, but just like Pettis, UFC president Dana White wasn't too impressed with Benson's performance as the outspoken and blunt head honcho revealed that it wasn't good enough to earn him a shot at the title just yet.
As a result, the quest to find a top contender to "Showtime's" throne is still very much alive; so all may not be lost for Thomson.
Having said that, the 35-year-old may get back into the title mix, sooner, rather than later if he can manage to string together a few good wins. And going up against -- and getting a win -- over a guy like T.J. Grant -- another former No. 1 contender -- will be a start in the right direction.
That is, of course, if the 13-year fight veteran, Thomson, doesn't decide to hang up his mixed martial arts (MMA) for good.