According to Josh Koscheck, the bridge to American Kickboxing Academy is burnt. After a fallout with Javier Mendez, The Ultimate Fighter bad boy left the gym after eight years.
FightPromo hosted a video of Koscheck chatting with longtime training partner and friend Jon Fitch. The two discussed Koscheck’s departure from AKA, his relationship with Mendez and Koscheck’s new gym in Fresno, Calif.
The video ends with a disturbing sentence: “I hope the gym burns to the ground.”
Koscheck has been controversial, often accused of being a dirty fighter or faking injuries in the cage, but this one may have crossed a line.
The bleach-blonde bad boy announced his departure from his longtime gym at the UFC 143 post-fight press conference. Shocking many members of the MMA community, the move saw Koscheck voluntarily step away from one of the most celebrated fight camps in the sport.
BJPenn.com hosts the transcript of Koscheck’s explanation.
“There was a lot of poison going on around there and I’m really disappointed because we had a good thing going. It was a good thing and I think people’s egos got in the way. Well, not people just Javier, his ego got in the way, and too many cameras in the gym and him trying to build himself up and his brand”
Koscheck’s next fight is exactly one month from today, as he will meet Jake Ellenberger on the main card of UFC 151. After losing a close fight with Johny Hendricks, Kos knows that he is losing his place at the top of the division. Is this a weird attempt at getting some publicity for the bout?
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Andrew Saunders is a syndicated writer and featured columnist for Bleacher Report MMA. Follow him on Twitter for late-breaking news and analysis for all things MMA.
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