A close and even 15-minute fight between Josh Koscheck and Mike Pierce ended up a split decision at UFC 143 on Saturday night in Las Vegas, with Koscheck coming out just barely on top.
One judge scored it 29-28 Pierce while two scored it 29-28 for Koscheck. The fans loudly booed the decision, leading Koscheck to label himself “the most hated man in MMA” afterward. Koscheck told the fans they need to deal with it, because he came out the winner.
“Mike Pierce is a tough guy, man,” Koscheck said. “I knew that coming into this fight.”
The first round was close to even, as Koscheck and Pierce spent much of the round clinching with each other against the fence without a lot of action, and once they separated and started throwing punches they landed about evenly. The second round was close as well, with both men landing some punches and Koscheck getting a takedown but not doing a lot with it. An accidental clash of heads opened a cut on Pierce’s forehead, and Koscheck was warned by referee Herb Dean to close his fist because his fingers were getting too close to Pierce’s eyes.
The third round was a close contest, with a lot of clinching and the striking about even. Koscheck poked Pierce in the eye at one point and easily could have had a point deducted because Dean had already warned him. However, Dean simply warned Koscheck a second time, rather than taking a point away. If Dean had deducted a point, it would have been a majority draw. But Koscheck ended up getting the win and improving his record to 17-5. Pierce falls to 13-5.