Josh Thomson is fighting Patricky Freire this Saturday night (Feb. 18), but can’t escape questions regarding Michael Chandler.
That’s because Chandler, the reigning Bellator lightweight champion, is itching for a fight. Chandler claimed Thomson is “afraid” to fight him and should consider working a regular job.
Thomson believes Chandler’s actions represent the 155-pound championship poorly. He told MMAJunkie.com that he’ll fight for the Bellator gold when he feels the time is right:
“I just feel that, with Chandler, he needs to have a little more self-respect for the title. You worked hard for it, you earned it, you are the champion – stop calling people out, dude. Don’t worry, the cream will rise to the top, and I’ll get you when it’s your turn. I’ll fight him when I want to fight him. I know he’s the champion, but whenever I decide I want to fight him, I’ll fight him. He had his opportunity to fight me this fight, on the biggest fight in Bellator history, and he turned it down. So whenever the opportunity comes up again, I’ll see if I can pencil you in.”
Bellator 172 will be held inside the SAP Center in San Jose, California. Serving as the main event will be the return of mixed martial arts (MMA) legend Fedor Emelianenko on U.S. soil. His opponent will be former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) heavyweight Matt Mitrione.
Also featured on the card will be the return of welterweight Josh Koscheck. He was last seen in action against Erick Silva back in March 2015. Koscheck suffered his fifth straight loss and it was the fourth straight time he was finished. He’ll look to earn his first win since Feb. 2012 when he meets Mauricio Alonso.
Heavyweight Cheick Kongo is riding a three-fight winning streak. He’ll be looking to extend it to four when he battles Oli Thompson.
