Josh Koscheck is widely considered to be a top-five welterweight. So you would expect him to face top-tier competition at UFC 143, but that won’t be the case.
The musical-chairs matchmaking for the event forced Koscheck’s original opponent, Carlos Condit, into a bout against Nick Diaz for an interim title.
That left Kos at a crossroads, as he had no opponent, but still wanted to make money.
Instead of a replacement commensurate with Condit, Koscheck will now face Mike Pierce.
If you’re asking yourself who Pierce is, don’t feel lonely.
A quick Wikipedia search will let you look over his stacked resume. Pierce has gone 13-4 over his MMA career, which sounds respectable until you look at who he’s faced.
Pierce came out on the losing side in bouts against higher-level talent like Mark Munoz and Jon Fitch as well as against a decent (but not top-tier) fighter in Johnny Hendricks.
His record looks even worse in light of his most recent fight—a rematch against Paul Bradley.
Pierce won their first matchup on the regional circuit by unanimous decision. His win in their rematch came via split decision.
Not that it is the all-mighty source of knowledge, but Wikipedia does not even have a page for Mr. Bradley.
Does a guy who won a split decision over someone without a Wikipedia page sound like a guy who deserves to fight one of the best welterweights in the world?
Kos has been fighting high-level fighters for quite a while. He deserves better than an up-and-comer who has disappointed against tough competition.
Koscheck may be on his way out the door but it’s not like he’s on a losing streak or been relegated to a gatekeeper role. Besides Fitch and Georges St-Pierre, you’d be hard pressed to find a welterweight who’s better than Koscheck.
If you don’t believe me, just ask Pierce after the fight—when he’s hearing Bruce Buffer call out Kos’ name.
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