Hit the Mat 10.20.08: Fine Line Between Love and Hate
Posted by Matt McEwen on 10.20.2008
It's not too often in a sport that one of its prime villains gets a chance to become one its more popular stars, but that's exactly what a certain UFC veteran could be facing in the next month and a half.
Two weeks, two awful uses of the same bad pun. How much do you love me?
Bad as it may be though, it is even more apt this week, as according to a report at Five Ounces of Pain one of the most hated fighters in the UFC is stepping up in a big way and could be on the verge of becoming one of the most popular fighters in all of MMA.
What? you say. There's no way Josh Koscheck could ever be popular? Well, just look at how the rest of 2008 could possibly line up for him.
In the late summer, he was announced as the headliner for Ultimate Fight Night 16 on SpikeTV on December 10th. He'll be taking on the very game Yoshiyuki Yoshida. If you are actually taking the time to read this, then chances are you are like me - and MMA geek who knows that Yoshida is no pushover and has the chance to make some big waves in the welterweight pool.
I was no hand live when he made Jon Koppenhaver pass out and say goodbye to the Octagon, and it was nothing short of impressive. No, "War Machine" is not a top level fighter, but he's not exactly a no talent chump either. And Yoshida locked in a choke and put him to sleep in under a minute. The scary thing is that he's more known for his fists than his submissions. Add that all up and Koscheck has his hands full on December 10th.
So, while most likely starting to gear up his training camp for that fight, news leaks out that Diego Sanchez has to pull out of his semi-main event match up against the surging Thiago Alves scheduled for October 25th at UFC 90 in Chicago. Two weeks out from the debut in a new market, and a relatively weak card just lost one it's only marquee names.
Enter Koscheck.
On very short notice, Koscheck has stepped up and will now be taking on Alves, with what should be a near guaranteed title shot on the line.
Read that again - on about two weeks notice, Koscheck is going to take a fight against a guy that has dominated two top 10 UFC welterweights this year in Karo Parisyan and Matt Hughes. Not just beat, but dominated, with a KO over Karo and a brutal TKO over an out-gunned Hughes. Neither fight was particularly close, and Alves is now the rising star of the 170lb division and seen by many as the only guy who could possibly give champion Georges St. Pierre a run for his money right now.
But it's not just a title shot on the line for Koscheck this time around. These two fights could be a true turning point in his career.
Un-likeable Beginnings
We all know where Koscheck came from.
Thanks to his brillo pad like blond afro and boisterous attitude on the original season of The Ultimate Fighter, Koscheck was one of the ready made stars that stepped out of the house and into the Octagon. Somehow, on a show that included a drunken Chris Leben, it was Koscheck that came off as the biggest dick head.
His fighting style did not help to endear him to fans either, as he was labeled (and rightfully so at the time) early on as a "lay and pray" wrestler who had no other skills of note. When he would be greeted with boos after a win, he would welcome them.
Those initial impressions have stuck, but to be honest, Koscheck has worked hard to improve both his stand up and his ground game - especially since his loss to Georges St. Pierre. Beyond the improved skills, he has actually been almost humble in his recent fights and, if not for his first impressions, might actually already be popular.
A Shot at Love...
Koscheck may not be Tila Tequila, but the ambitious schedule for the next 2 1/2 months does give him a shot at winning the love of the fans.
The big step is the fight with Alves. No matter what people have thought of Koscheck over the past 3 1/2 years since TUF first aired, at least he has never committed the ultimate sin of the Ultimate Fighting Championships - missing weight. When Alves had a chance to main event for the first time in his fight with Hughes, he pretty much guaranteed himself a career filled with the fans' hatred.
The hatred for Alves is fresher than the enmity a lot of fans feel for Koscheck, plus it is Koscheck who will be stepping up on short notice to lend a "name" to the event. All of sudden, it is Koscheck is almost guaranteed to be getting the cheers in Chicago. If the fight goes as it very well could and ends up being exciting, it will go a loooooooonnnnnnnnggggggggg way towards Koscheck shedding not only his "most hated" image, but also his tag as a boring fighter.
If he comes out of the Alves fight as the winner and uninjured - both relatively large if's - he steps back into the cage in the main event of a SpikeTV event and the sizeable audience that goes along with that. If the cheers carry over from Chicago his "hated" image will take another hit, and a fight with Yoshida is probably even more likely to be entertaining than the Alves one. A second exciting fight in a row - on national TV this time - will take away the boring tag once and for all and give Koscheck a huge boost in momentum going into what would have to be a guaranteed title shot against whoever wins the BJ Penn-GSP dream title fight in January.
Josh Koscheck - exciting and popular. It sounds bizarre, but it could be the end result of having the stones to step and take on big fights on short notice.
Quick UFC 89 Thoughts
I hate to be a Nelly Naysayer, but that was not exactly an exciting evening of fights. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't an awful show by any means, but it was less than enthralling. With so many fights going to decision - and fighters seeming to have the gameplan to outpoint people - it made for some dull moments. Outside of Marcus Davis' guillotine and Luiz Cane's fists, it was a dull night.
I don't know where Brandon Vera goes from here. He's looked totally non-explosive in his stand up since his layoff and now that he's lost 3 of his last 4 who knows what's in store for him. Maybe a "win or get lost" fight against Soku? Keith Jardine may have won the fight, but it was his least exciting fight in quite a while. He's always going to fit oddly into the division given his mix of big wins and big losses.
Oh...and Luis Cane? Legit threat to anyone at 205. Soku is a very good fighter (though does he have a bad knee injury?) and Cane pretty much walked through him. He'll be a factor in the title picture by the end of 2009 if not before.
And speaking of possible title contenders in the next year.....ladies and gentlemen, I give you Shane Carwin. I'm not sure why he hasn't been on main shows yet in his UFC career, but he's the real deal, he's probably the only heavyweight big enough to deal with Brock Lesnar in that department and he hits like an ox. Oh, and his strength is actually on the ground, not on his feet.
And not title contenders, the man I wrote about last week, Michael Bisping. Yes, he won, and yes, it was an ok fight. The man has no chance against the top three in the division at this point, and a gameplan of "counter punch and win a decision" is less than enthralling. I'm not taking anything away from his win, as it was a good one. But we now know that while his cardio and physical strength is good at 185, he's also a light puncher. Leben had no fear of his punches or kicks at all. How badly would Anderson Silva beat on him if they fought right now? I think next up on Bisping's dance card is either going to be someone with a solid jiu jitsu game like Jason MacDonald or a strong wrestler like Yushin Okami, either of whom will force Bisping to show some more of his skills.
