Bart Palaszewski (R) catches Zack Micklewright (L) at WEC 50 en route to a KO victory. (Picture courtesy of WEC.tv/Zuffa LLC)

Former Strikeforce champion and UFC vet Josh Thomson (18-3-1) recently raised some eyebrows when he suggested that the WEC’s merger with the UFC was a sign that the WEC failed and their lightweight fighters simply weren’t good enough to get into the UFC in the first place.

ProMMAnow.com asked WEC lightweight contender and soon-to-be UFC fighter Bart Palaszewski (35-13) about Thomson’s comments and he was happy to give his thoughts.

“Yeah, and what organization is [Thomson] fighting for?” Palaszewski quipped, noting that Thomson isn’t in the UFC right now.

“I guess he kind of dug his own grave there,” Palaszewski laughed. “Josh Thomson can suck it!” (Author’s note: That comment was made in jest and both of us laughed.)

Although the WEC’s lightweights might not have track records as long as the UFC’s roster, the WEC isn’t lacking talent, Palaszewski said.

Thomson also said that the WEC’s group simply doesn’t stack up to the UFC or Strikeforce classes. Thomson used Jamie Varner as an example. Varner — who held the WEC title for a time — went 1-1 in the UFC, with his loss coming at the hands of Hermes Franca, a man Thomson defeated in his UFC stint.

But clearly Palaszewski would argue that he, Ben Henderson, Anthony Pettis and company can hang with the best in the sport when given the opportunity, whether in the UFC or Strikeforce.

“The UFC roster is much deeper obviously and it has a lot of talent, but so does the WEC,” Palaszewski said. “Josh Thomson comparing WEC lightweights and Strikeforce lightweights … you can’t really do that. Each fight can turn out differently depending on the match up.”

He added, “You can’t say, ‘Well this guy won in Strikeforce so he’ll kick this guy’s ass,’ or ‘That guy got knocked out in Sengoku so he’d lose.’ It doesn’t work like that.”

Palaszewski also said that his decision to join the WEC wasn’t because he couldn’t hack it in the UFC.

“I like to stay busy, that was the main thing,” Palaszewski said. “I knew if I went to the UFC, I’d have been fighting every eight months.”

Stay tuned to ProMMAnow.com next week, when we’ll have a full feature piece on Palaszewski where he discusses his upcoming fight with Kamal Shalorus at WEC on Dec. 16 and much more.

9 thoughts on “Bart Palaszewski dismisses Thomson’s WEC comments — a ProMMAnow.com exclusive”
  1. I like bart but he has lost to ever elite fighter he has faced including a few mid level journeyman fighters. I’m happy for him & the rest of the wec fighters getting a chance to make some real money. But thomson is telling the truth bart is certified journeyman & wouldn’t even make of the challengers event in strikeforce let alone the ufc he will be cut in a year enjoy it while it last.

  2. Your assessment of Bart’s career aside, are you also saying you don’t think Pettis and Henderson would do well in the UFC and well in Strikeforce?

  3. It depends on what you mean by “well.” Until recently, Pettis had absolutely no wrestling. If he had been in the UFC, he would have gotten bounced early. On the other hand, Henderson will lose to anyone that he can’t take down. In Strikeforce and the UFC they might do okay, but I doubt they would be fighting for titles. Actually they might in Strikeforce, since I hear Coker is angling for Masvidal against Melendez.

  4. Nice interview, Gorilla Shark.

    Thomson’s a shit-stirrer and just continuing his campaign for the legitimacy of SF fighters; a group that does take a curious beating in the media and IMO doesn’t get the respect they deserve.

    However, I might add that Thomson’s win over Hermes was highly debatable, and most of the live crowd felt Hermes should’ve gotten the nod in that fight.

  5. My UG name has been discovered. Yikes!

    Thanks, though. And yeah, I thought Hermes had a good case for getting that win. But it doesn’t matter, since by that line of thinking, Yves Edwards is the king of all things Strikeforce.

  6. Hahahaha your Gorilla Shark! Small world.

    Dallas Winston: I thought it was damn close. If it would’ve been in Pride Hermes gets the win easily.

    man man- Josh might be telling the truth when comparing them to UFC lightweights, but he’s trying to act like SF is on par with the UFC. And IMO that’s just not the case.

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