Tyron Woodley and Josh Koscheck both really, really need a win.
Woodley exploded into the UFC with his demolition of Jay Hieron. Koscheck is desperately trying to remain relevant after losses to Johny Hendricks and Robbie Lawler.
Both fighters are heavy-handed wrestlers, and when push came to shove, Woodley‘s hands proved to be heavier, scoring a huge first-round knockout after dominating the fight with his strikes Saturday night in Las Vegas. So what did we learn?
Josh Koscheck‘s Chin Is Probably Gone
I’m not just talking about how Woodley punched it into the third row.
As we’ve seen with many fighters over the years, both in boxing and MMA, the chin does not become stronger with time. It happened with Andrei Arlovski. It happened with Chuck Liddell. Now, it seems to be happening with Koscheck.
Koscheck was rocked hard twice in the fight before Woodley finished him with one huge right hook. He was knocked out by Lawler back in February with a big knee.
It’s only going to continue getting worse.
Tyron Woodley Is a Beast
That is two UFC wins coming via knockout. Not technical knockout. A regular ol‘ knockout.
In the middle of those wins is a loss to Jake Shields, but really, it was a close fight—and even so, there’s no shame in losing to a talent like Shields. No matter which way you slice it, Woodley has done well in back-to-back fights against high-level welterweights.
It’s time to start talking about him as a title contender, and he should be considered as an opponent for the winner of Rory MacDonald vs. Robbie Lawler.
Woodley Might Be a Title Contender Soon
Woodley may not have that many UFC fights, but the way things are shaking out at 170 pounds, the door might just be open for him to make a serious run at the title in the near future.
As stated, he now has two solid performances against at-one-point top welterweights. Not only that, but as Hendricks has shown, nothing vaults you into the title picture faster than killer knockouts.
If Woodley hurries back into the cage and can knock out somebody like Matt Brown, Martin Kampmann or Jake Ellenberger, he might just be a win away from a shot at the belt.
Sucking Up Improves One’s Chances of Getting Bonuses
Or at least fighters seem to think so. Donald Cerrone, after submitting Evan Dunham, told fans to buy the pay-per-view. Woodley, after killing Koscheck, implored fans to “stay tuned” to that thing they just paid way too much money for (because they totally were going to change it after burning that much money for it).
Granted, if I had a shot at $50,000, I would say and do way crazier things. Still, these are professional ass-kickers making ratings plugs for their bosses. Really makes you think.
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