Josh Thomson's pre-fight superstition? No showers
SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Bobby Green's sense of smell has no idea what's in store Saturday night.
Every fighter has some kind of superstition before stepping into the Octagon. Josh Thomson's just happens to be a little less, well, hygienic.
"The Punk" said Thursday after open workouts at SAP Center that he doesn't shower in the days before a fight. It started way back in 2004 when he beat Hermes Franca at UFC 46. That was when Thomson, now 35, was just 6-0-1. He has 27 fights under his belt now.
"It’s just a habit," Thomson said. "I might as well be stinky when I get in there, what's it matter?"
Some fighters, like Matt Lindland, have been known to enter the cage wreaking to throw their opponent off their game. Nobody wants to grapple with a smelly dude. But that was never Thomson's end goal. He just started doing it a decade ago and it has become his thing. The most he'll do is rinse off.
"It's become superstition now," Thomson said.
Thomson's last shower was Wednesday. That won't be much fun for Green, who Thomson meets at UFC Fight Night: Brown vs. Lawler on Saturday night (FOX 8 p.m.).
As if fighting the No. 3-ranked lightweight contender in the UFC isn't difficult enough minus the body odor.
