Josh Koscheck is always up for a fight, so when the camp of one of the UFC’s best welterweights comes calling, it’s no surprise that Koscheck is interested. In this case, it’s a call from the 209 that has Koscheck ready to go.
Over the weekend, Diaz’s trainer and manager Cesar Gracie told Brazil’s Tatame that when Diaz is reinstated from his suspension, a fight with either Koscheck or Demian Maia makes the most sense. But he clearly stated a preference for the former No. 1 contender.
“Personally, I like the option of him fighting Koscheck, a guy who is very popular here in the United States, has great public recognition,” he said. “Everyone knows who he is, especially here. Demian Maia is a great fighter, I think [he] would also be a great opponent, but here in America, [he] is not as popular as Koscheck. So I think Nick probably will face Josh Koscheck in his return to the octagon.”
The fight makes sense on several levels. Both are still consensus top 10 welterweights, both are coming off losses, and of course, both have the reputation of fighting anyone, anytime.
Koscheck quickly took to Twitter to verbally accept the fight, writing “I am down! Don’t be scared Homie!” while adding a preference to fight on February’s traditional Super Bowl weekend show, a major event on the UFC calendar.
If Koscheck does want to face Diaz, however, he’ll likely have to wait a little bit longer than that. That’s because the Super Bowl weekend show will take place on Feb. 2, and Diaz will still be on suspension from a positive drug test stemming from his UFC 143 fight against Carlos Condit.
Diaz’s suspension expires on Feb. 3. There is a possibility that could change as last month, Diaz filed a petition for judicial review of his suspension, with the hope that it would be overturned, allowing him to compete immediately. That petition is still winding its way through the court system, however.
The UFC typically does not book fighters who are currently under suspension.
If the fight was put together, both men would be attempting to avoid two-fight losing streaks which would put a serious dent in the loser’s title hopes.
Koscheck (17-6) dropped a split-decision to Johny Hendricks last time out. Diaz (26-8, 1 no contest) is 1-1 since returning to the UFC, but his narrow loss to Condit scuttled a title fight with Georges St. Pierre, whom he has said is his ultimate target.