No.1 (I think)

Stand up guy you can be sometime Koscheck….I hope you get in their soon enough to impose some solid takedowns and bash some heads in….maybe you and Karo can bang? That’s a fight I’ve been hoping for for a long time. Good luck and stay healthy.

A well spoken dude. I like the fact that he combines intelligence (I thought that I read somewhere that he was once working on a Masters Degree) and tough athleticism. If he continues to improve at the rate that he has so far, he’ll soon be a powerhouse.

what about josh koscheck against his teamate jon fitch? yes they’re teamate but hey,if one of them blocking their way on a title shot, they must engage in the octogan even if they’re friends/teamate

you didn’t ask about him holding his shorts to stop the sub by GSP… man i was pissed about that

Good job man. St Pierre is simply the best and i put you 2nd. I would say give him the loser of the Hughes-Serra fight but that would mean a fight sometime around March-April 08. That is too long to wait! He’s gonna dominate whoever he fights next. And what’s with UFCMania trying to get an excuse from the guy? Look at the interview, that’s obvious what they were trying to get out of him!

Now here’s a true fearless fighter.

attention*

Great interview! I like Koscheck, i know he can make another comeback!

Steveland, it was legal for him to hold his own shorts to defend against the kimura, just as long as it wasn’t GSP’s shorts.

A well spoken dude. I like the fact that he combines intelligence (I thought that I read somewhere that he was once working on a Masters Degree) and tough athleticism. If he continues to improve at the rate that he has so far, he’ll soon be a powerhouse.

Dude needed one credit. He is super smart, but still a dick. The GSP fight seemed to humble him a bit. Still glad he and Fitch beat Diego.

So what if Jon Fitch holds the title? Would he fight him then? Fitch WILL hold the title by the way….

Not a huge fan of KOS but definatley a good interview. He was better spoken than i have seen before and i really respect a guy who can take his losses like a man. Good job KOS. Also fitch will not be champion anytime real soon. The wight class is deep and if u think hes walking past karo, hughes, GSP ect. then you are wild. Also if they get a deal done with sheilds… all of 170 better watch out, he has the ability to beat anyone.

kos should have been battling karo if he was so ready to go. grr

So what if Jon Fitch holds the title? Would he fight him then? Fitch WILL hold the title by the way….

Yeah, GSP is a nice guy, he might let Fitch touch his title. ;P

Best division in the world. Kos and Karo would be very exciting with Karo’s Judo and Kos wrestling and improved standup. This division has too many interesting matchups to name. I like how Kos is more respectful the more he fights. He used to piss me off earlier in his career with his shit talking. Nothing matures a fighter more than losing and coming back. Is he the best pure wrestler in UFC right now? Who has credentials that compare?

GSP is very well rounded, But MMA is such a fluke sport that anyone can beat anyone, any night. But he’s the only fighter i know of who is actually plural. GEORGES. He’s like twice the George of normal George’s. Thats gotta count for something.

Matt Serra will whip Hughes first and then take down GSP afterwards. He has both their numbers. Case closed. Fughedaboutit!

GSP is very well rounded, But MMA is such a fluke sport that anyone can beat anyone, any night. But he’s the only fighter i know of who is actually plural. GEORGES. He’s like twice the George of normal George’s. Thats gotta count for something.

LOL… now that’s fnn’ funny..

I think Koscheck is the only guy that poses a LONG TERM threat to GSP (i.e. not just a freak upset), I can see those two clashing another couple of times in their careers… It would be amazing to see them in a five round title bout.

Fitch showed some amazing strength and submission defense against Diego but I feel that he lacks a bit of drive and aggression… The AKA boys will get a shake up if they keep winning fights, sooner or later they are gonna have to face off…

GSP is very well rounded, But MMA is such a fluke sport that anyone can beat anyone, any night. But he’s the only fighter i know of who is actually plural. GEORGES. He’s like twice the George of normal George’s. Thats gotta count for something.

This is funny…I’m going to use that one day. hahaha.

Steveland, it was legal for him to hold his own shorts to defend against the kimura, just as long as it wasn’t GSP’s shorts.

I didn’t realize that. It should be against the rules though. I was actually wondering why the question was not asked myself. Thanks for the info.

I knew I was sticking up for this guy for a reason. I think GSP was maybe a little too much for Kos as of yet, but I think he could upset most of the Sanchez-esk hypes in the welterweight division. Matt Hughes in particlular.

…and by the way, you gotta give this guy credit, he saw that he was being regarded as a boring fighter, and actually did something about it, unlike some.

If he’s serious about beating the top guys within the next 12 months and battling for the belt, him and Fitch better have that meeting in the gym he’s referring to because Fitch is going to be a big part of the 170 pound division this year. I don’t think after ST. Pierre’s shot, anyone else is getting a shot without going through Fitch first.

jon fitch will be champion by end of 2008

The real fight to wait for is when GSP regains his title and defends it in a 5 round war against John Fitch…. Now thats a fight of the year candidate!! I expect this fight to happen this upcomming year between June and August.

I would like to see Kos fight Jake Sheilds.
I think it would be an interesting bout’. I am a fan of Sheilds and think it would be a good test for him.
Kos is a good fighter and a stand-up guy, but i have never really liked him….i dont know?..maybe it’s the hair??

Violent Mike! Can you or anyone else explain to me what the hell was the point in spending all that money to purchase PRIDE, when many Pride fighters are not joining the UFC. How is Fedor allowed to sign with another company? I thought that the reason for the Pride purchase was to set up dream matches. Now we got guys like Gomi, Fedor, Soukoudjou all signing with other companies. Weren’t the Pride fighters assets of the Pride Company. When you purchase a company you get all it’s assets. Can any one please explain to me how fighters like Fedor and Gomi can just go sign with other companies.

I would like to see Cro cop fight the looser of Sylvia and Verra!!!! thats because he is in no position to fight the winner comming off of two consecutive losses!

jon fitch will be champion by end of 2008

maybe if he goes to the WEC or somewhere else – he will never hold the UFC title – never – i would and will bet against fitch everytime he goes against a top 3 WW

Matt Serra will whip Hughes first and then take down GSP afterwards. He has both their numbers. Case closed. Fughedaboutit!

Ummm no and no….

Not a huge fan of KOS but definatley a good interview. He was better spoken than i have seen before and i really respect a guy who can take his losses like a man. Good job KOS. Also fitch will not be champion anytime real soon. The wight class is deep and if u think hes walking past karo, hughes, GSP ect. then you are wild. Also if they get a deal done with sheilds… all of 170 better watch out, he has the ability to beat anyone.

Freestyle, I agree with most everything you say in this good post. From the beginning of TUF 1, I liked Chris Leben, so therefore, I hated KOS. But the more I see of him lately ( over the last year or so), the less I dislike him. I no longer have that same hate for him where I’m rooting for him to get brutally beaten everytime he steps foot in the octagon. The only reason the Fitch won’t be champ anytime ‘real soon’ is because Hughes/Serra is December, then Winner/GSP would be like April, so if Fitch were to be #1 contender, he wouldnt get to fight that winner until like August. So that is no time soon. I also agree with Jake Shields. I am a big fan of his. I just hope that he doesn’t fold under the big pressure of the UFC and fighting TOP competition.

I dont know why they did not bring in KOS to replace Hector on the 78 card?

I agree Insain, and I am surprised that Kos didn’t mention the holding the shorts, its not like he can say he didnt watch the tape.

maybe if he goes to the WEC or somewhere else – he will never hold the UFC title – never – i would and will bet against fitch everytime he goes against a top 3 WW

I would be very happy to take you up on this bet. Just let me know when, and for how much. Top 3 being GSP, Hughes and Serra I presume, correct? GSP is the only opponent where I see Fitch being an underdog, and a rather small underdog at that.

Oskarbravo, Kos is not a threat to GSP, hejust wants to try to cement himself as GSP’s rival, that way he won’t be to far from the action.

GSP’s got better rivalries and Kos your a flash in the pan. think about it. Kos is more of a threat than: Penn, Hughes and Karo.

You only got up in contention for beating an undefeated Diego (who is also over rated) riding your notarratity on the tuf show. Lets face it you won that fight by not fighting.

Fitch desrved a shot before Kos did, I thought. But he does a great job at selling his fights. I will give him that.

Violent Mike! Can you or anyone else explain to me what the hell was the point in spending all that money to purchase PRIDE, when many Pride fighters are not joining the UFC. How is Fedor allowed to sign with another company? I thought that the reason for the Pride purchase was to set up dream matches. Now we got guys like Gomi, Fedor, Soukoudjou all signing with other companies. Weren’t the Pride fighters assets of the Pride Company. When you purchase a company you get all it’s assets. Can any one please explain to me how fighters like Fedor and Gomi can just go sign with other companies.

I would say that those fighters either had no fights left on their Pride contracts, or their contracts included a provision stating that the contract could not be assigned to another promoter. In the second case, the UFC definitely would have known which contracts were excluded from the Pride sale.

Damn, GSP really beat some humbleness into this guy.

just cause he has one decent interview don’t start treating him like he’s mother effing teresa. for all his newfound humility i credit GSP. that smackdown really made koscheck give his head a shake. after that maybe he’s decided to grow up and deal with the reality that he is still a ways from the top.

I don’t know if this is all true or not, but I have heard that Japanese buisiness aren’t regulated by the same kind of laws, and that Pride didn’t disclose which fighter’s had exclusive contract and which didn’t. Some of the due dilligance that should have happened didn’t because of the legal differences.

I would say that those fighters either had no fights left on their Pride contracts, or their contracts included a provision stating that the contract could not be assigned to another promoter. In the second case, the UFC definitely would have known which contracts were excluded from the Pride sale.

Thanks Cmon and violentmike for trying to clear this pride purchase mess up for me. Months ago I remember Dana saying that if Fedor goes and fights in anyother organization, he would sue the shit out of Fedor. That led me to believe that Fedor did have fights left on his Pride contract. I never liked Dana white. I appreciate what he has done for this sport. But he is just another sleezy fight promotor he is like the bald, white, Don king. I always LOVED Fedor. But now, I hate Dana even more, but I hope that Dana White sues Fedor into poverty, if possible.

The only next possible options for Fitch’s next opponent would have to be either the looser of the Sera vs. Hughes fight, or Karo if he can beat Chonan. Personally, I believe that Fitch can beat Serra, Hughes, and Karo because he already beat Diego, he wont fight Kos… who is left for him to fight besides the WW champion, which he wont be able to fight until St. Pierre fights the winner of Hughes and Serra match up?

even though i’ve always respected koscheck as a fighter i have always made it obvious that i am not a josh koscheck fan, i didn’t like the way he acted after the diego fight and i didn’t like the way he acted on tuf 1, but i’ve liked both interviews he’s done on ufcmania and i’ve gained a little bit of respect for him as a person, he even gave diego some respect for his fight against fitch which i thought was cool since they obviously don’t like each other, props to koscheck for that and to ufcmania for another good interview…

It doesn’t matter who got the longevity to provide GSP competition, he is so far above anyone in the division, that the only way he looses is to random lucky punch…that anyone in the devision could have. Other then that everyones elses skills will only delay the inevitable stoping by GSP.

even though i’ve always respected koscheck as a fighter i have always made it obvious that i am not a josh koscheck fan, i didn’t like the way he acted after the diego fight and i didn’t like the way he acted on tuf 1, but i’ve liked both interviews he’s done on ufcmania and i’ve gained a little bit of respect for him as a person, he even gave diego some respect for his fight against fitch which i thought was cool since they obviously don’t like each other, props to koscheck for that and to ufcmania for another good interview…

The only reason he gave Diego props against Fitch is because he finally realizes that Diego wasn’t healthy when they fought and when they fight again, Diego will roll him. That’s if Diego stays at WW. I also agree that Fitch is a beast and I would rank him as the #2 WW in the UFC right now behind GSP. Fitch will fight one more time and roll whoever he fights and then it will be GSP vs. Fitch for the WW title in late summer/ early fall 2008.

I don’t know how you can hate Kos after reading these interviews.

I understand his fighting style is boring and so are his fights, but the kid is trying to become a well rounded fighter and he is trying to make the changes to prove that he is an exciting fighter and I give him credit.

I like Koscheck, I always have, even though his fights can be god awful, he still has a great personality.

WAR KOSCHECK.

Good interview for the most part but how does kos thinks the fight was close is beyond me, gsp made him look bad how’s that a close fight? He was on his back(something no ones being able to do before) for most of the fight, not close at all. Round 2 and 3 were total domination only round one was close with gsp holding kos down twice as long as kos held gsp down. The diego/fitch fight was close not gsp/kos, gsp dominated him but to his credit didn’t destroy him like he did to hughes,sherk and trigg other wrestlers. Also to his credit he looked much better on his feet than hughes did and was able to get gsp down once something hughes couldn’t do in there last fight. I really think kos is lucky gsp took him down so much because I feel if it was left on the feet gsp would have eventually t(ko)ed kos and finished him. Both gsp and kos have similar submission skills with gsp being slightly better, next time gsp will finish kos if they ever fight again.

“I don’t know how you can hate Kos after reading these interviews.”

Kos is not exactly my favorite fighter. Nobody would be talking about Kos if he hadn’t beat Diego. Not that Diego’s win over Koscheck was impressive, but Diego is known for beating guys like Nick Diaz, Karo Parisyan, and Joe Riggs- Koscheck is known for beating Sanchez and for being the training partner of Jon Fitch who also now has beat Sanchez. I don’t like Koscheck because I am insulted by what his fans claim, that he is so developed, well rounded, when he is a lay n pray style wrestler, who, to me, would not get the “developing mma artist” wrap if not for a few ignorant commentators like Joe Rogan.

Watch Koscheck’s victory over Jeff Joslin and tell me that’s a well rounded, quickly developing, mma artist. That fight makes that statement look laughable.

KOS did act like a bitch during TUF 1 in regards to Leben, but like i said, you can really see whats inside someone when they lose and come back with more respect for the competition. Kos is a getting better and i love how with the proliferation of the UFC we get to see these fighters grow up before our eyes.

Thanks Cmon and violentmike for trying to clear this pride purchase mess up for me. Months ago I remember Dana saying that if Fedor goes and fights in anyother organization, he would sue the shit out of Fedor. That led me to believe that Fedor did have fights left on his Pride contract. I never liked Dana white. I appreciate what he has done for this sport. But he is just another sleezy fight promotor he is like the bald, white, Don king. I always LOVED Fedor. But now, I hate Dana even more, but I hope that Dana White sues Fedor into poverty, if possible.

The only next possible options for Fitch’s next opponent would have to be either the looser of the Sera vs. Hughes fight, or Karo if he can beat Chonan. Personally, I believe that Fitch can beat Serra, Hughes, and Karo because he already beat Diego, he wont fight Kos… who is left for him to fight besides the WW champion, which he wont be able to fight until St. Pierre fights the winner of Hughes and Serra match up?

I read(about a year and a half ago) that Fedor signed a 4 year contract with Pride fc.(it was on pridefc.com)
Fedor commented that he would stay pride because they had the best fighters. Then about a year later Zuffa bought Pride.
I dont know why if he had signed a 4year contract, that when UFC bought Pride he would be a free-agent?? dont make sense to me??

Did anyone else read that 4 year contract thing on Pridefc.com??
Do you know UFCMania??

“I don’t know how you can hate Kos after reading these interviews.”

Kos is not exactly my favorite fighter. Nobody would be talking about Kos if he hadn’t beat Diego. Not that Diego’s win over Koscheck was impressive, but Diego is known for beating guys like Nick Diaz, Karo Parisyan, and Joe Riggs- Koscheck is known for beating Sanchez and for being the training partner of Jon Fitch who also now has beat Sanchez. I don’t like Koscheck because I am insulted by what his fans claim, that he is so developed, well rounded, when he is a lay n pray style wrestler, who, to me, would not get the “developing mma artist” wrap if not for a few ignorant commentators like Joe Rogan.

Watch Koscheck’s victory over Jeff Joslin and tell me that’s a well rounded, quickly developing, mma artist. That fight makes that statement look laughable.

Kos is not exactly my favorite fighter either, I’m really glad GSP beat him convincingly but, 9 Wins, 1 KO’s, 4 submission, 4 decisions, 2 Losses… and he hung in there tough with GSP… looks pretty well rounded to me and he’s getting better all the time.

Holy Shit Mania! good thing i didn’t held my breath…i would be embalmed and six feet under right now after a semi private viewing. Kos Knows whats up, and getting past his over confident front he’s finally coming clean us all who he really is. The entire fact that recognizes who the top athlete(s) are in that division says alot…to me anyways…

Bottom line: Fitch, given his size over Diego, should have dominated and destroyed Sanchez…Fitch is huge but GSP or Hughes can totally neutralize him as well both have the capacity to control the fight…Fitch is most def top tier…but AKA will never produce a champ….never

Koscheck has many hats. Good interview.

" I don’t like Koscheck because I am insulted by what his fans claim, that he is so developed, well rounded, when he is a lay n pray style wrestler, who, to me, would not get the “developing mma artist” wrap if not for a few ignorant commentators like Joe Rogan.

Watch Koscheck’s victory over Jeff Joslin and tell me that’s a well rounded, quickly developing, mma artist. That fight makes that statement look laughable.

The guy can only show us what he can do and how he’s progressed one fight at a time. I think he’s done that. There has been improvement with each fight, you can’t honestly sit there and tell me he’s the same fighter he was on tuf1. I guy has only been at this for 3 years. All of the other top WW’s have been at it for 6 years. You don’t think that makes a difference? Diego and Hughes been at it how long and they still don’t have a solid striking game. Kos said it himself in the post interview after the Diego fight that he has a long way to and he has to work extra hard to catch up to everyone in the weight class and everyone who has been training longer. I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone call him well rounded- ever. Not even Joe Rogan- only that he has a phenomenal base and that he’s learning a fast clip. You can see the guy is not only willing but IS doing the work he needs to do- keep working on his striking, he has a purple belt in bjj and needs to move up to at least brown (which he’s close to doing)and add muay thai as he stated he add 6 months ago. And now he knows he can’t ignore wrestling even though he’s already so good at it. What else do you want from him?

Impressive…. KOS picked up more than just an MMA lesson from GSP. He handled this interview with class. You are now a man among men sir!

And I agree with Jordan, Fitch is top tier and I don’t undertand why anyone would doubt his ability to win the title

I still dont care for Koscheck, I still don’t think he is anywhere one of the top 10 WW in the world. His wrestling achievements mean nothing in MMA there where credidted to him agains wrestlers and his non fight with diego was an embarassement to our sport. How it granted him a fight for a title shot is beyond me.

I love St-Pierre but that was an easy win for him. He worked harder in the sherk, pen and Karo fights.

who in the top 5 has Kos beat to get so much exposure, he doesn’t put on exciting fights. The guy is just what Dana would like for a poster boy. Trying to be cool doesnt make you a MMA great, so get him out of the title picture until he earns his spot there. beating Diego means nothing!

Here are some fights that matter in the WW division and Kos isnt on any of them. of course I still consider BJ a WW.

BJ Penn VS. Matt Hughes 3( if Hughes loses to Serra)

Karo VS. Fitch (if Karo can win at UFC 78)

Mike Swick VS. Marcus Davis

I mean Kos could fight Diego again but who cares to that again?

The reason I can’t put himm in there is cause 2 of his teamtes are in the same division and he doesnt want to fight them or Karo.

I dont know why they did not bring in KOS to replace Hector on the 78 card?

They should have, I don’t know why they didn’t. But you never know what Oz (Dana) has in mind. KOS needs another good test.

Who says KOS doesn’t want to fight Karo? He said he’d fight anyone and he wants to fight top guys, doesn’t that include Karo?

maybe if he goes to the WEC or somewhere else – he will never hold the UFC title – never – i would and will bet against fitch everytime he goes against a top 3 WW

Kos and Hughes would be a good fight. I wanna say Kos would win but experience would be a def problem there though. That fight can go either way. We’ll see what Kos is like in his next fight.

Here are some fights that matter in the WW division and Kos isnt on any of them. of course I still consider BJ a WW.

BJ Penn VS. Matt Hughes 3( if Hughes loses to Serra)

Karo VS. Fitch (if Karo can win at UFC 78)

Mike Swick VS. Marcus Davis

I mean Kos could fight Diego again but who cares to that again?

The reason I can’t put himm in there is cause 2 of his teamtes are in the same division and he doesnt want to fight them or Karo.

I think Davis would maul Swick. And I like Swick, but I was so impressed with Davis’ chin at UFC 75. That guy showed alot of heart. Fitch is an animal and can beat everyone listed there and he can beat Kos at this point hands down. They can avoid each other for a while, but not forever. If those payouts are accurate (the ones for UFC 74) I wouldn’t want to risk a friendship and excellent training partner either. Look at what Kos has to gain by training with Fitch; nobody in their right mind would give that up over 10k. Kos and Diego again-eh? I guess it has to happen. Kos had to beat the Diego that showed up for the Fitch fight, period. That’s the only he’ll get that monkey off his back permanently.

I was never a big fan of Kos, but after reading this article I respect him more. I’m looking forward to his next fight. I’m not sure if he can take out one of the top welter weights, but it’ll be an exciting fight.

Violent Mike! Can you or anyone else explain to me what the hell was the point in spending all that money to purchase PRIDE, when many Pride fighters are not joining the UFC. How is Fedor allowed to sign with another company? I thought that the reason for the Pride purchase was to set up dream matches. Now we got guys like Gomi, Fedor, Soukoudjou all signing with other companies. Weren’t the Pride fighters assets of the Pride Company. When you purchase a company you get all it’s assets. Can any one please explain to me how fighters like Fedor and Gomi can just go sign with other companies.

I read(about a year and a half ago) that Fedor signed a 4 year contract with Pride fc.(it was on pridefc.com)
Fedor commented that he would stay pride because they had the best fighters. Then about a year later Zuffa bought Pride.
I dont know why if he had signed a 4year contract, that when UFC bought Pride he would be a free-agent?? dont make sense to me??
Did anyone else read that 4 year contract thing on Pridefc.com??
Do you know UFCMania??

I think that kos should fight the loser of hughes vs. serra. I have always wanted to see kos vs hughes and i personally think that kos would beat hughes fairly easily. I think he would have a few more problems with serra because of serra punching power and outstanding bjj though i think he could pull that one out. I would also like to see kos fight diego again since diego came into that fight in very poor health. I think a healthy dieo vs kos would prove a much more exciting and competitive fight.

Who would u guys want to see kos fight next?

kos is a stand up guy and i cant wait see his next fight which will hopefully be against a top level oppenent. i would love to see him fight matt hughes

KOS says he thinks he can beat Serra (so do I), though I think Matt is right about his punching power etc. It only takes one punch. I really want to see what happens in the Hughes fight. Serra has run hot and cold- I don’t think he’s a top 10 guy though. I think KOS vs. Karo, Hughes, Diego, and Serra… Even Alves or Carniero – those guys aren’t walk throughs- would good opponents to show off his skills and prove himself. 2-3 wins vs. any of those 6 will get him a title shot w/ GSP when he gets the belt back. Penn would be a good fight though I know KOS trained with him when he was preparing for the Diego fight and BJ probably would stick around 170. Jake Shields would also be great if he can get a UFC contract and not renew w/ EliteXC.

I think that kos should fight the loser of hughes vs. serra. I have always wanted to see kos vs hughes and i personally think that kos would beat hughes fairly easily. I think he would have a few more problems with serra because of serra punching power and outstanding bjj though i think he could pull that one out. I would also like to see kos fight diego again since diego came into that fight in very poor health. I think a healthy dieo vs kos would prove a much more exciting and competitive fight.

Who would u guys want to see kos fight next?

  Fitch would be my number one pick, that would be a wicked fight, but they probably wouldn’t fight each other. My second would be karo, another very cool fight.

maybe if he goes to the WEC or somewhere else – he will never hold the UFC title – never – i would and will bet against fitch everytime he goes against a top 3 WW

Haahaa, I think your screen name of Insaine is appropriate here. He’s 7-0 with 15 wins in a row and you want to send him the WEC? Just let me know how much and when ;)