UFC welterweight and former title challenger Josh Koscheck (17-5) takes on former UFC welterweight champion Matt Hughes (46-8) later tonight in the co-main event at UFC 135.
The event will be headlined by UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones taking on former champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson.
Hughes and Koscheck plan on stealing the show in what could be Hughes’ last time in the Octagon.
Koscheck is coming off his unanimous decision loss in his title fight versus Georges St-Pierre at UFC 124. That December bout came after Hughes’ last fight, which was a loss to B.J. Penn at UFC 123.
After accepting the fight on short notice, the 34-year-old from Waynesburg, PA, looks to get back on the winning track and goes into his fight with Hughes as a 5-to-1 favorite in some places.
With a 13-5 UFC record, Koscheck brings wins over Paul Daley, Anthony Johnson, Yoshiyuki Yoshida and Frank Trigg to the Octagon.
A win over Hughes could be the fight he needs to get back on the winning-track, but it won’t be enough to get him back in the title picture. A move to middleweight will probably be next for the former NCAA Division I wrestler, and that’s something that couple open the door to a potential fight with Anderson Silva.
The pay-per-view for tonight’s fights begins at 9 p.m. ET. Other main card bouts include Takanori Gomi vs. Nate Diaz, Rob Broughton vs. Travis Browne and Mark Hunt vs. Ben Rothwell.
Be sure to check out Bleacher Report for all things UFC 135. B/R is your home for MMA, from pre-fight predictions to in-fight coverage, and post-fight analysis…which you can check out at our event hub.