Josh Thomson picked up his second win as a Bellator MMA lightweight on Friday and made a very clear statement along the way.
He does not want to fight for the promotion's title. Not yet, anyway.
Thomson (22-8), who signed with Bellator this year after a four-fight stint in the UFC, picked up an easy TKO victory against Pablo Villaseca (10-2), a little-known fighter. The 155-pound fight headlined Bellator 147 at San Jose University Event Center in Northern California.
A former Strikeforce champion, Thomson proved to be far too much for Villaseca on the ground and eventually finished him with strikes at the 3:59 mark of the second round. Keeping true to comments he made before the fight, Thomson, 37, called for a fight against former Bellator champion Michael Chandler instead of the current titleholder, Will Brooks (17-1), who has publicly asked for the fight.
"Yo, man, I'm sorry," Thomson said. "Everybody wants to see me fight Chandler. I'm sorry, whether you're the champion or not, there's more of a call from fans to see me fight Michael Chandler. Chandler wants the fight, I want the fight. Hey, I'll take Will Brooks, too, but the hype is around me and Chandler."
A San Jose native, Thomson is arguably the biggest name in Bellator's lightweight division and basically has his pick of opponents. He made his debut with the promotion in September, picking up a third-round submission win over Mike Bronzoulis.
Villaseca, of Chile, came out aggressive in the opening round, but he ate a hard body kick for his efforts. Thomson scored his first takedown of the night moments later, which led to him landing a few hard right hands from top position. Villaseca attacked a leg from the bottom and used it to sweep the position, but Thomson continued to attack from the bottom, attempting an armbar and omoplata.
"He was young, hungry -- I could tell he wanted to come out hard in the first round," Thomson said. "I think he wanted to try and push the pace. I caught him with a body kick right off the bat that let him know not to rush in on me. From then on, it was me setting the pace."
Thomson gained top control again early in the second round, where he landed elbows and right hands until referee Jason Herzog moved in. The victory marked the 16th finish of Thomson's career. Before Friday, the American Kickboxing Academy product told ESPN.com he had interest in fighting for the Japanese promotion RIZIN on New Year's Eve or future Bellator cards in January or February.
-- Former featherweight contender Daniel Weichel (36-9) cruised to a decision nod over Georgi Karakhanyan, winning by unanimous decision. All three judges scored the bout 30-27. Weichel, who suffered a second-round knockout loss to Patricio Freire in a title fight in June, turned in a measured performance, defending takedowns and racking up points over Karakhanyan with crisp striking. Weichel, a 31-year-old German, is expected to challenge newly crowned champion Daniel Straus.
-- In a rematch of a 2013 lightweight fight, Derek Anderson (13-2) picked up a second win against Patricky Freire (14-7), this time via split decision. Anderson kept a relatively high pace on Freire that appeared to take its toll late. He survived Freire taking his back in the second round and outworked him in the third. Anderson, a California native, bounced back from a split-decision loss to Brent Primus in August.
-- Undefeated lightweight Adam Piccolotti (7-0) dominated Mario Soto (6-2) on the ground, submitting him with a rear-naked choke at 3:25 of the second round. Piccolotti opened a facial cut on Soto with strikes, which gushed blood as he applied the submission. It marked Piccolotti's fifth career finish.
-- Light heavyweight Brian Rogers (12-8) picked up a much-needed win against Virgil Zwicker (14-5-1) via arm-triangle choke at 4:38 of the second round. Rogers, a longtime middleweight who had lost four of his past five fights, ate some big shots but scored key takedowns en route to the win. Zwicker suffered his first loss this year.