(Video props: Youtube/MMAHeat)
One of the sport’s most notorious heels, Josh Koscheck, joined Mike Goldberg in San Jose for the UFC’s latest Fighter Q&A session. There was little hate for the welterweight in his own backyard, and rather than fending off attacks from his legion of haters he weighed in on a variety of subjects including his previous battles with GSP and Paul Daley, his desire to fight Tito Ortiz and Chris Leben, and how Carlos Condit royally screwed himself.
On Cain Velasquez’s loss to Junior Dos Santos: (9:20)
“It was a tough deal. You know, I think that Cain himself really prepared hard for this fight and I don’t like to see…it’s not about winning or losing. I don’t like to see that happen to a friend, a brother, the way it happened. I could accept the fact that Cain went out there and got beat just in a decision, but seeing a friend get knocked out is really heart-touching. One of the things I said to Cain after the fight was, “You know, Cain, it’s not about winning or losing. You’re going to get to go home. You have a beautiful wife, a beautiful kid, and just cherish those things. You can come back from a loss—we’ve all done it, we’ve all been there—now it’s going to show if you’re a true champion or not, the ability to come back from this loss…It shows he is a champion, because Monday morning he was in the gym. He was working out Monday.”
On how the Diaz-GSP bout will go: (14:38)
“To be honest with you, I like the Diaz kid. I think that he brings something similar to what I bring to the table. He’s not afraid to say what’s on his mind. Realistically, I think GSP is a strategist, and GSP is going to come in with a good game plan; that’s where he can play it safe and get the victory. But I’d love to see Diaz win, because when I beat Carlos Condit February 4th, and that means me and Diaz for a title shot, and then that means it’s a big fight because he talks really good and I believe I can talk up a fight really good.”
On the next generation of fighters: (18:08)
“You know, I see it first hand. I own a couple of gyms in Fresno, and it’s absolutely insane to see these kids training these days. And thank god I’m 34 this year and I’ve probably got two or three years left of this because I don’t want some young little kid who’s been training for twenty years coming up and kicking my old butt when I’m forty. So hopefully I’ll be sitting next to you, Goldy”.
On fighting at Middleweight: (18:52)
“I would love to go up for a fight. I actually tried to fight here in San Jose. I was begging Dana, ‘Let me take the Hughes fight, but please keep me on the San Jose card. I want to fight in San Jose.’ I’ve been training out of San Jose for eight years and I consider this as my second home. I really, really tried to get the fight with Wanderlei Silva here in San Jose, but it didn’t work my way. Maybe next time. I’d love to have a grudge match with possibly Chris Leben and some day I think that would be a fun fight from the Ultimate Fighter 1.”
On a catchweight bout with Tito Ortiz: (20:18)
“Oh, I’d love that. [Goldy: ‘Where would we catch?’] Wherever! Me and Tito have had some words and I’m not one to shy away from a challenge. Never have been in my life. One of the reasons I think I’ve been so successful in this sport is because I have ADD. It’s not because I’m a good athlete. It’s because I put my mind to something and I just can’t let it go. I definitely would love to fight Tito. That would be a fun fight. But would he love to fight me, that’s the question. He’d have a lot to lose.”
On another rematch with GSP: (21:27)
“It’s probably going to haunt me forever. I don’t even know if I’ll ever get another chance at him. I had two chances and I failed. I’m one that hates to fail. I don’t like to have that defeat. I believe that I can still beat him. Circumstances of that fight—and I’m not making any excuses—it happened. I got popped in the eye right away and couldn’t see. Georges fought a hell of a fight that night and stuck to the game plan and he won and he was the better fighter. Not only once, that night, but he’s been the better fighter twice, so it’s up to you guys. Can you guys talk Dana White and the UFC into doing a third one, maybe here in San Jose? [very weak applause]”
On another bout with Daley: (16:00)
“I would fight with him [rather than wrestlefuck him]. You guys have got to understand the pressure I was under in Montreal. I had Javier and Dave and Bob Cook in my ear saying ‘you’d better stick to this game plan. You’re wrestling for 15 minutes if you have to’ because The Ultimate Fighter coach, fighting for the title was on the line. So for me for once in my life I listened to the coaches and I got the victory. I felt like I could have stood with him because right off the bat he threw a jab and I was like, ‘oh my god, you’re so slow’ and I told him, I yelled at him, ‘You’re so slow it’s not even funny!’ I like to talk when I fight guys. I was in his ear the whole time saying, ‘if you get up, I’m going to knock you out’. And he goes, ‘let me up then’, and I was like, ‘nah, you got to get up though’. I was in his ear the whole fight. I kept telling him how slow he was on the feet. ‘Man you’re so slow on the feet, oh and your mom *umm mmm mmm mmm mmmmm*’ and that’s when he put his finger in my eye at the end and he tried to sucker punch me.”
On changing his name: (30:45)
“I’m thinking about changing my name. Ocho Cinco changed his name, and it seems like every time I walk out to the cage it’s the same reaction: you hear this ‘booo’. I’m like, alright, I just might be changing my name to ‘Boo Koscheck’ because when I walk out and everyone’s booing I’ll be like ‘Yeah! They’re cheering for me!’”
On Cain’s strategy vs. Dos Santos: (37:19)
“I have mixed opinions obviously because I train at AKA, so it’s going to be a little bit different, but in my opinion I really, truly believe that the game plan was a little bit off for the Cain Velasquez fight. I’m not going to get into that. I’ve said what I had to say to our team and I’m going to keep that private.”
On Condit turning down the short notice fight against him: (41:25)
“He’s a moron, because I was out partying two nights before, having fun. I was like, ‘Oh, GSP is hurt? Dang, I’ll take that fight!’ I texted Dana right away and was like, ‘Hey, DW, I’m ready to go. Let’s get that fight’ and he was like, ‘Oh my god, you’re nuts’. But Carlos Condit had a chance to fight me on seven days notice and he blew it. Now he’s going to fight me on 12 weeks…no chance. Sorry.”
On the Montreal crowd getting to him in his bout with GSP: (52:40)
“Oh I heard them. [laughs] I was a little nervous at first coming out because every time they would show me or Georges on the screen, me is would be [growling], Georges it would be ‘Yaaaay!’. So it was interesting, that’s for sure. I’ve never experienced a walk out like that before. 24,000 Montreal, Canadians just throwing beer and whatever else, yelling ‘F-you’. It was pretty intense, and I remember at one point during the fight they were just heckling me, singing their songs. It was a good experience. When I’m old, I’m going to have grandkids and I’m going to get to look back and say check this out on Youtube. It’s your Grandpa and he was a little shit-stirrer.”