Josh Koscheck inks 20-month contract extension with UFC; Eager to fight six times in 2009
By: MMAmania
After a unanimous decision loss to Thiago Alves at UFC 90: “Cote vs. Silva” in October 2008 — and an epic spat between officials from his management team at Zinkin Entertainment/American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) and the promotion — the top welterweight contender’s future inside the Octagon was suddenly (and shockingly) a huge question mark.
No longer.
MMAmania.com can reveal that The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) alum recently agreed to a 20-month contract extension, which will keep him locked up until almost 2011.
“I feel that the extension is a good thing for me because I still have a job,” Koscheck quipped. “The UFC is the only show in town. If I wasn’t with them I would be a struggling fighter looking for work in a struggling country.”
Koscheck does not intend to sit back and smell the stale stench of his sweaty gym. On the contrary, the national collegiate wrestling champion intends to continue his blistering pace of taking fight after fight.
“There are a lot of reasons I want to fight so much,” he said. “I am in the gym all year around and I would rather be fighting then just training. The only way I make money is by fighting. So I told the UFC that I want to fight five or six times in 2009. I don’t care who I fight, anyone willing to step up I’ll be ready. I am a fighter and that’s what I love to do.”
Indeed, Koscheck most recently annihilated Yoshiyuki Yoshida — a very dangerous Japanese fighter — with a scary-looking two-punch knockout at UFC Fight Night 16: “Fight for the Troops” on December 10. He defeated “Zenko” just six weeks after losing to number one division contender, Alves, in the “Windy City.”
He took the fight against the bruising Brazilian on less than 14 days notice to replace an injured Diego Sanchez. It didn’t go his way and he made no excuses for the loss, making it hard to hold it against him.
Koscheck got right back on the horse and does not appear to want to get off anytime soon, wanting to fight as often as possible to get back in the 170-pound title chase. The 13-fight UFC veteran will continue that chase against relative unknown and newcomer to the promotion, Paulo Thiago, at UFC 95 from The O2 Arena in London, England, on February 21.
It’s once again a risky move, taking on an opponent who not many will give him enough credit for defeating if he wins. But that doesn’t matter — Koscheck just wants to keep busy. And he will not allow himself to be a stepping stone for Thiago … or anyone else for that matter.
“Every fight is a dangerous fight when your in the UFC,” he said. “I have to train hard and not give this kid a chance to make his name off of me. The upside to fighting Paulo is that I get to fight!”
Koscheck has won three of his last four fights — he knocked off Dustin Hazelett and Chris Lytle before the Alves loss. With another win, combined with his unrivaled “gameness,” Koscheck could find himself once again on the short list of 170-pound title contenders sooner rather than later.
“I want to fight five to six times this year — I’ll be very unhappy if the UFC can’t get me fights,” he said. “I am happy to be back and I’m ready to fight.”
One down Feb. 21. Only five more to go … in 2009.
66 Comments »
good news koscheck vs fitch please! I know there friends…but it still should happen (winner fights GSP vs Penn)
I think Alves is in line for that bro
And im sure the winner of Karo/StunGun is next, sorry to dissapoint!
true i forgot about alves…
Karo/StunGun? I hate both. Hope Koscheck gets hooked up with one of them and destroys.
Are even 6 WW fights left in the UFC for Koschek? He wont fight Fitch or Swick, and all his other potential opponents are beneath his ranking. who is left for him to fight?
Rumble
Karo
stun Gun
Marcus Davis
Kampman
hUghes
hey john are you just doing jiu jitsu or the whole package? i myself love kickboxing, not much of a fan of the ground stuff but ive taken some jits and wrestling classes just so i have an understanding of it…
I was wondering the same thing John. Kos needs to ask himself if his goal is to have a bunch of fights and make a nice chunk of change or if it’s to be the champion. Beating up a bunch of UFC noobs, spares and guys who are barely top 10 or not top 10 at all isn’t going to get him a shot a GSP or Penn. If he really wants to be the champ he’ll eventually have to fight Swick and/or Fitch.
Brendan: I am doing the whole package. Sooner or later Im going to lace up the gloves and test myself against another Man. I am still young in my training though, but at the very least, when its all said and done, I will have a few amateur fights on my resume!
I cant stand wrestling. My instructor used to be my old head when I was growing up. So he kind of took me under his wing and is force feeding wrestling onto me. I hate that crap! I would rather work Judo takedowns then wrestling, but I am not naive enough to think that I can start fighting mma without knowing the wrestling aspect of it all so I am putting in the work!
I absolutely ADORE Muy Tai, ande ju jitsu…..Making me wrestle is like forcing a kid to eat Broccoli….yOU hate it, but its good for you so….lets RASTLE!!!!
pW: Exactly!!! Does he want to win the title, or does he want a pay check?
They really need to sign Jake Sheilds because he would be a great opponent for Kos.
If I were Dana, I would bring Kos, Swick, and Fitch into my office and say….you guys either put aside your butt buddy status and fight each other, or one of them needs to drop to lightweight and another guy needs to move up to middleweight. Cant have 3 guys at the top of the WW division, who arent willing to fight each other.
Last time I checked, these guys were supposed to be professional!
Karo/StunGun for a title shot? Really? That kinda… sucks. Figured Fitch or Kos would be higher up than them.
thats not true dude…karo just got koed by alves and had to pull out of his last two fights, stun gun hasnt beat any contenders his last win was against matt brown but i wouldnt seeing the winner of that vs. kos if kos gets by this thiago kid
Yeah, not a chance. “Stun Gun” hardly squeaked by Matt Brown and Karo didn’t even win a fight in 2008.
I hate Kos, but then again he got’s more balls then any other punk @ss ufc fighter who cries about fighting 2 times a YEAR!
Definately! Those other fighters are REAL punks because they only fight 2-3 times a year…
As opposed to the real macho men who type about it…
ahahahah LOL !!!!!!!!!!!!!
I hate Kos, but then again he got’s more balls then any other punk @ss ufc fighter who cries about fighting 2 times a YEAR!
yeah who wouldnt respect a guy who fights that often or wants to.. once every 2 months is sick
I’m even closer to not hating the guy. All he needs is a haircut now and I will be nuetral. From there, a few personality tweaks could lead me to a luke warm appreciation for the guy.
He doesn’t even necessarily need to cut it, just switch it to a color that occurs in nature.
HELP: My lady likes this song we heard on the radio so i wanted to get her the cd this week but after searching i got no love on an artist name, song title, etc, PLEASE HELP GUYS! Details i know: Its country-ish, a girl, and she talking about how her man is “probably at a bar” and not at home with her. I dont know much else, but the course has that line in it “You’re probably at a bar” and then goes on to describe him on the jukbox, drinking etc. And how she misses him. HELP!!! Fining this cd could mean i get a couple BJ BJ BJ’s!!! of my own!!! Come on suckas! Ask your sisters, mamas, lady friends, find it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I think its called “At a bar” or “Biggest Mistake” or “Favorite Mistake” and NO, its not the Sheryl Crow song or the Rehab song, KEEP GOING!!!
google brah! 60% of the time it works every time.
tried
ADAM G
It be “Sittin At a Bar,” by Rehab!
ADAM G
* It COULD be “Sittin At a Bar,” by Rehab.
LOL i guess my dumb*ss should have read the last sentence first!
wellp ill go hang myself now! haha
Lee Ann Womack – Last Call
“I bet you’re in a bar.
It’s always the same old song.
That Johnny Walker Red,
By now it’s almost gone.
But baby, I won’t be there
To catch you when you fall. “
Adam, I watched the old BJ GSP fight on Spike last night. I noticed something disturbing. From the guard, BJ can put his heels on someone’s hips with his groin in a position that is beyond the splits. IOW, for most people there’s a certain amount of bringing your knees forward toward your chest required or shrimping, but he can have his knees in his armpits with his heels on the other guys hips with his toes pointing outward. It’s what allows him to push off and stand up whenever he wants. I want to make a prediction because of it. GSP will utilize the side mount.
Wow, Chase must be wetting his pants right now!
This is why I’m a fan of Kos. I don’t see him holding the belt anytime soon though. Unless GSP or BJ get a career side-lining injury *knock on wood*
I’ve never been a fan of Kos, but I’m respecting him more and more lately. I think the loss to GSP was the best thing that’s happened to him, because since then he seems like a totally different fighter. He seems far more humble and respectful of his opponents than he ever was before. And now trying to fight as often as possible, even if it’s for his own monetary gain, is great to see from a fan’s perspective. I wish more fighters, especially champions, would adopt this stance.
I agree with you I have never liked Kos but did appreciate his talent. I gained a lot more repect for him after the Ales fight and the interview that he gave not long even giving praise to Diego in it. He has definately matured. I am also one that doesn’t believe that the UFC monopoly is not a good thing for various reasons, and him basically saying that he has to sign with the UFC not because he really wants to but because he has to being as they are the main and most powerful fighting organization around just one of the reasons for me wanting another organization to be able to compete wih the UFC. I never thought that there would be a day when I actually didn’t mind Koscheck, he is definately not the arrogant prick he used to be.
and nobody can call him a “boring lay-n-pray fighter” anymore either. i’m with alot of people, still not a fan, but he has earned my respect.
I hope they let him fight 6 times this year! He’s exciting to watch!
I can tell you who any of his fights wont be against.
dude will prevail – he is smart and works very hard
Uh, what are you talking about?
this is great news im glad at first i didnt like this guy but he has grown on me
noiice kos is a fuckin badass, hes a kickass fighter, and a very respectable person WAR KOS
i’m no fan of the kos, but good for him. don’t take shit from people and work hard and you’ll get somewhere. this guy has only gotten better since his time on the show and while he isn’t the best at 170 he is up there. also another plus for the guy is he hasn’t been anywhere near as douche bagish as he used to be.
martin kaumpman will be hard to beat at 170.
If this event just had a real main event it would be a pretty good card, its just worst UFC main event in a long time!!
I still think to get this sold out it needs one other pretty exciting fight, maybe houston v boetch?? or herring v ?? It does need something though cos stevenson v sanchez sucks for a main event!!
yes i agree.. any lightweight fight as a main event is a sign of a weak event! I say no to any lightweight fight as a main event ever again..
i think it’s a decent main event for a UFN but either wayy ill still be watching!
i wanna see how the cut affects Diego, and watch KOS!
BUT to say ANY lightweight main is a sign of weakness is IDIOTIC!!
BJ vs Sherk!?
BJ vs Kenny!?
BJ vs Diego!?
You must hate the fact that a Feather weight fight is the main in the Pulver-Faber II
i thought there was a title fight on that card though that was the main event.. wait that would be a lightweight fight too HAHAH
i think that the lighter weightclasses are better personally
I’ll be watching too Diego is one of my absolute fav fighters and i like Kos too, i watch every UFC.. and maybe i shouldn’t have said no to any LW main event ever but if you want a strong main event to draw viewers to the card it’s going to be a fight in a heavier weight class almost everytime, except for maybe Diego vs BJ cause both of their names are so big and wellknown to a lot of ppl..
lol u think Stevenson Diego sucks but you want Houston v Boetch. Its not a bad main event for a free card if u ask me.
ur only speaking for the ppl living across the atlantic in America that’s gonna see it for free because of the time difference, in european countries you watch the PPV’s for free live on TV.. I know they’re working on getting better cards in Europe but the time difference does matter between America and Europe, so it would be better if they could get more big names like Bisping coming from a European country on the European cards..
Let me see Koscheck knock Fitch the F out this year to prove what i already know that he’s the nr.1 AKA WW!..
I wonder how Kos would have taken the GSP rocky balboa beating he gave Fitch? I think Kos’ striking game is improving a lot and I used to really not like Kos but he is turning into one of my fav fighters just through his dedication to the sport.
Kos has tremendous heart and took good shots from Alves and still stayed in the fight.. he’s also more competitive in the standup with GSP than Fitch is or was so he wouldn’t take that kind of a beating
I said to bulk the card up!! There are no other fighters left, unless you can think of any!! Its a terrible main event so the rest of the card needs bulked up, read what iv written before silly comments!!
6 fights in one year will be very tough to do. I know he did 2 fights that were close to each other but 6 in 12 months means that he can’t get injured at all. Not even something minor.
2009 is…
Year of Koscheck
Year of Mousasi
Year of Overeem
Year of King Mo
Year of Thiago Alves
Those are my top 5 picks for people who are gonna make noise in MMA in 2009.
He man way to take my name in your post without asking! haha just kidding.
To add to that,
Shane Carwin
Thiago Silva
Dustin Hazelet
Joe Lauzon
and also look out for Terry Etim. I think hes got a TON of potential.
But yeah, those guys (and G. Mousasi) are my breakout stars for 2009!
Anybody know why you can’t grab an opponents shorts but you can garb your own shorts to defend a sub?
Go watch GSP vs Koscheck to see Josh defending a kimura by grabbing his own shorts. It’s what saved him from being subbed IMO. I just don’t understand this double standard rule.
In between the 2nd and 3rd round, GSP’s corner questions Big John on this matter. Big John responds by saying “He can hold his own shorts, that’s not an infraction”. Does seem like a double standard though.
Strangely, it’s also legal to kick yourself in the nuts.
notice GSP went back to the vale tudo shorts so that cheaters like Kos couldn’t grab his shorts for a take down. I don’t think Josh will ever hold the belt with GSP and Thiago Alves around. He’s still entertaining though when he can bully his opponent. Play on playa.
I liked Kos he’s a gamer! took alves on 9 days notice! that fuckin insane!
I’d like to see Kos fight the winner of Serra vs Hughes after he hands Thiago his 1st loss
I am no fan of Koscheck’s at all but I think its good to have him in the UFC, he is always game to fight and has been putting on some good fights lately (win or lose) his fights use to be a snoozefest but he has turned that around…I would like to see him fight Karo
kos is down for anyone, anywhere, and any time. it almost seems that he’s been on every card lately and the ones he’s not on he steps up to fill in for others!
love him or hate the guy i actually became more of a koscheck fan last year seeing two of his bouts live, love to watch him fight he bringa alot of intensity but yes i think winner or stun gun/ karo will fight him next or winner or hardy/markham but i do see him getting a title shot this year down the line
free?? once again completely uneducated comment. Nothing is free, we pay £12.99 per month so over a year thats far from being free, that gives us 4/5 sports channels, so stop with the guessing!!
Of course im looking at the over the Atlantic as they are the cards that always get fuckin shit cards, if the UFC dont want to go accross fine, but dont promise “the best card yet” then hit us with a main event of diego v stevenson!!
America cant complain as they always get huge cards, which im not complaining about. Im complaining about the shit card we have, so stop trying to sound intelligent cos you just sound silly!!!!!
The only time I’ve ever rooted for this guy was when he fought sanchez a horribly boring fight. I actually think he has lots of potential but is a moron, he’s one of the most athletic fighters in MMA, but has to realise he can’t let his wrestling slide, I think he could have beaten alves if his wrestling was as good as it was when he started. Smart fighters fight opponents at there weakness’s, koscheck is an egotistical moron, and has stupid game plans. Anyone who thinks he has a good shot at gsp needs to think again, koscheck has hinted that fitch is better than him, and I saw some video which was saying fitch was really fustrating koscheck in training. I think fitch vs alves would have been a much better fight and think fitch would have had a pretty good chance of beating alves unlike what most think, and I think he might be able to beat penn too.