Issue 047
March 2009
No longer just a wrestler, Josh Koscheck has evolved into a fighter who can lay opponents out with a single blow. Jatinder Dhoot spoke with the San Jose-based welterweight to see what plans he has for 2009.
During his Junior season in wrestling in 2001, Josh Koscheck won all 42 of his matches in the 174lb weight category and become the NCAA D-1 champion. Winning every competition he enters is something he’s accustomed to doing. That’s why he’s vowed never to lose again in MMA.
Koscheck is widely regard as one of the top welterweight fighters in the world. Though he has lost to the two men ranked number one and two in the division, Thiago Alves and Georges St Pierre, Koscheck isn’t disheartened and is looking to get right back in the mix and work his way up to a title shot.
“I’m probably top three in the division right now,” answers Koscheck when asked where he ranks himself at 170lb. “I’ve just got to take it one fight at a time and focus on my training, I don’t really care where I’m at in the division, I just want to win fights. That’s the important thing, winning. If not, you might not have a job and a career. My focus is always training and winning fights.”
For the former wrestler it’s all about adding tools to his arsenal. Having wrestled since the age of four, he has got that aspect well covered, but the jiu-jitsu and striking is something he didn’t have an iota of experience of when entering The Ultimate Fighter reality series four years ago.
That has changed dramatically, and is especially evident in his striking game. He has proved he has serious knockout power in his fists, and he put in an impressive showing in his bout against Yoshiyuki Yoshida, flooring the Japanese welterweight in devastating fashion.
“I think the last fight shows where I want to be as a fighter,” comments Koscheck, who trains at the American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) in San Jose, California. “I think I can never be content with where I’m at as a fighter and martial artist, but I think my progress is showing I’m going in the right direction.”
Koscheck’s striking is constantly improving, and his ability to hammer opponents with his big right hand has been exceptional. Yoshida even commented how he was prepared and ready to deal with the right fist of Koscheck prior to the bout, but ‘Kos’ was still able to lay his opponent out inside the first round.
The AKA team, which includes fellow UFC welterweights Jon Fitch and Mike Swick, are a tight-knit group who have helped Koscheck work his stand-up game over the last four years. The main factor for his development has been putting in massive amounts of time into perfecting the craft of Muay Thai.
“Improving on the striking is just putting time in on the pads, and lots of sparring,” comments Koscheck, before reflecting on his days on The Ultimate Fighter. “In the TUF days I didn’t have any training whatsoever in striking, so if you do it you’re eventually going to get better at it.”
While there has been vast improving in his boxing and kickboxing abilities, Koscheck is under no delusions of being the next Anderson Silva. “I wouldn’t say I’m a world class striker yet, and I may never be,” admits Koscheck. But he feels success in the game is more about being a highly trained generalist. “For MMA I don’t think you don’t need to be a great striker, you need to be a great MMA fighter putting everything together, with striking, your wrestling and your jiu-jitsu.”
Improving all aspects of the game is a constant and never-ending process, and it’s something that is needed to be done if he is going to work his way back up the ladder of one of the most competitive divisions in the UFC. Right now, he ranks himself below the two competitors who have bested him by decision when they tangled in the Octagon, Thiago Alves and GSP.
When talking to him, you really get the sense that Koscheck is taking things one step at a time. He is, of course, ultimately focused on snatching the title at some point, but has faith in his abilities and understands that if he takes things one task at a time, his natural ability, hard work and intense competitive drive will lead him to the top.
“My goal is to be a contender for the title and eventually win it, but I’ve just got to focus every day on training, one day at a time, one workout at a time,” he says. “I’m not looking forward to anything other than what’s on my schedule for training tomorrow.”
That’s why even if a fight with GSP or Alves is not on his immediate schedule, Koscheck isn’t concerned. Revenge would be sweet, but he is confident that at some point those rematches will naturally fall into place. “You always want to avenge a loss, but right now I’m not really too focused on that and don’t really care too much about that,” he comments.
“Basically I’ll fight whoever they put in front of me, and if it makes sense and can be a good exciting fight and I have a test for myself, I’d love to rematch those guys. It’s nothing like ‘I’ve got to have a rematch, I’ve got to have a rematch’. I’m going to fight those guys eventually some day.”
The day might come quicker than he thinks if he fights according to the same schedule as he has been recently. Taking fights on very short notice, Koscheck fought four times in 2008. He’s always excited to fight, and would fight even more if possible. Koscheck stepped up to take on top contender Thiago Alves on only two weeks notice, and while other fighters would complain at the lack of time to prepare for such a stuff challenge, Kos makes no excuses.
“You’d like to have more time to prepare for an opponent, get the right game plan and have the time to implement it, but I don’t make any excuses. I just show up and I fight. I’ve got to show up and win no matter what,” says Koscheck. “Whether it’s six months of training or two weeks of training, it doesn’t matter. The key is to win and I’m a big believer in whatever you bring to the cage or competition that day you’ve got to win.”
Koscheck is a polarizing figure in the game, and fans love to boo and cheer him alike, although with his recent big knockouts it seems more fans are jumping on board the bandwagon. “It’s a love-hate relationship,” he says about the fans’ attitude towards him. “If I knock people out they’re going to love me, if I’m wrestling they’re probably going to hate me.”
He realizes though that you can’t be a middle of the road personality to gain any attention. “I like all my fans, whether they hate me or like me. I appreciate the people that hate me and I appreciate the people that love me. If you’re that in-between guy they don’t really care about you. I try my best to make people have an opinion and make people feel one way or another so they can relate or not relate to me. The ones that don’t relate boo and the ones that can relate can cheer. I think it’s important to have all aspects of fans.”
So, are his plans to win more fights or get more cheers? For Kos, the answer is both, and yet neither, as he just wants to work on every aspect of the game. Whether it’s refining his wrestling for MMA, sharpening his jiu-jitsu or working on his striking, he has all areas covered. “I’m focused on everything. My Muay Thai, my cardio, getting more flexible, on jiu-jitsu, I’m focused on everything in MMA.” Of course, this is all done with the strong support network at the American Kickboxing Academy.
He’s come a very long way from being a reality show contestant. Alumni of The Ultimate Fighter have gone onto huge things (just look at the light heavyweight division), and while inspired by the success of others, Koscheck, an ultimate competitor, needs no extra motivation to reach the peak of his craft. “It does inspire me but I need no motivation to train. I’ve been competing since I was four years old,” he notes.
He expects nothing less but to win. Koscheck is ecstatic about the exhilaration of victory, but it is the despicable and terrifying nature of defeat which drives him to excellence. “I’m self motivated and have always been. I fear losing and I hate it. That’s what gets me in the gym every day and makes me train hard and do the things I don’t want to do.”
