Demian Maia is continuing to climb the welterweight ladder, and his next stop on the way to a title shot goes through Josh Koscheck at UFC 163.MMA Fighting reports that sources close to them have confirmed the fight, with the UFC yet to make the bout o…
Demian Maia is continuing to climb the welterweight ladder, and his next stop on the way to a title shot goes through Josh Koscheck at UFC 163.
MMA Fighting reports that sources close to them have confirmed the fight, with the UFC yet to make the bout official.
Maia, a fourth-degree Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, has torn a path right through the UFC’s 170-pound division ever since dropping from middleweight. He has racked up three straight wins against Dong Hyun Kim, Rick Story and Jon Fitch.
Maia is also a one-time title contender from middleweight, having dropped a surprisingly competitive, yet strangely paced match against Anderson Silva.
Although Koscheck (No. 10) holds a lower rank than Maia (No. 5) in the official UFC rankings, defeating the one-time title contender and 22-fight UFC veteran would arguably set up Maia for a future title shot against Georges St-Pierre—assuming that he still holds the belt by that time.
GSP is slated to face current No. 1 contender Johny Hendricks at a future event.
Despite spending his career as a perennial “Top 10” welterweight, Koscheck has seen his stock dip in recent fights, having dropped back-to-back losses for the first time in his career against Hendricks and Strikeforce import Robbie Lawler.
Lawler‘s return to the UFC against Koscheck was extremely emphatic, with “Ruthless” putting away “Kos” via technical knockout in one round at UFC 157.
Assuming that the Maia vs. Koscheck bout takes place, the home-field advantage will belong to Maia.
UFC 163 is set to have a featherweight title fight starring Jose Aldo vs. Anthony Pettis, currently rumored to be taking place in Brazil at the HSBC Arena in Rio deJaneiro.
Far be it from us to accuse UFC matchmaker and noted “mean little f*cker” Joe Silva of phoning it in, but when rumors started to circulate that former middleweight title challenger and reborn welterweight Demian Maia would be facing former welterweight title challenger Josh Koscheck, we balked at the idea. Balked I tell you! Sure, Koscheck’s a seasoned veteran, perennial contender, and world-renowned motorboater, but in what universe does it make sense to have a guy on a two-fight losing skid fight a guy on a three-fight winning streak? This one, apparently.
Brazilian outlet NewsMMA was the first to report the matchup, which has since been confirmed by both fighters Sherdog pages.
Like we said, we were quick to dismiss the notion of this pairing…at first. But then we got to thinking: What possible motivation could the UFC have for booking this fight? And then, it all became so clear. The UFC is severing its ties with Josh Koscheck.
Don’t buy it? Well, let’s just take a little trip down memory lane, shall we?
Far be it from us to accuse UFC matchmaker and noted “mean little f*cker” Joe Silva of phoning it in, but when rumors started to circulate that former middleweight title challenger and reborn welterweight Demian Maia would be facing former welterweight title challenger Josh Koscheck, we balked at the idea. Balked I tell you! Sure, Koscheck’s a seasoned veteran, perennial contender, and world-renowned motorboater, but in what universe does it make sense to have a guy on a two-fight losing skid fight a guy on a three-fight winning streak? This one, apparently.
Brazilian outlet NewsMMA was the first to report the matchup, which has since been confirmed by both fighters Sherdog pages.
Like we said, we were quick to dismiss the notion of this pairing…at first. But then we got to thinking: What possible motivation could the UFC have for booking this fight? And then, it all became so clear. The UFC is severing its ties with Josh Koscheck.
Don’t buy it? Well, let’s just take a little trip down memory lane, shall we?
As we all know, the UFC’s current roster is about 100 fighters heavy — this is according to none other than UFC President Dana White. In an attempt to right the ship, the promotion has resorted to several mass firings over the past few months, mass firings that have left half the lot of TUF 17 contestants, unofficial Zuffa political advisor Jacob Volkmann, and the likes of Terry Etim and Paul Sass (among others) in the dust.
Also claimed by the great deluge of 2013 was former welterweight title challenger Jon Fitch, who was seemingly tossed out like yesterday’s trash after spending upwards of seven years with the promotion. Here’s what Dana White had to say about the “super f*cking expensive” AKA product when attempting to explain the reasoning behind his departure:
Jon Fitch was ranked number nine, OK, however you want to look at that, he’s ranked number nine, whether it’s right or wrong or the rankings are bullshit or whatever. Ranked number nine right now. Now, this isn’t a case where Jon Fitch was ranked No. 9, No. 7, No. 6, No. 4, No. 2 and then we cut him. He was ranked No. 1, fought for the title and then he was ranked No. 2. He was ranked No. 3, 6, 7, and now he’s 9. That’s called the downside of your career. He’s on the downside… He’s super f—ing expensive.
If a #9 ranked, former welterweight title challenger with a 2-2-1 record in his past 5 fights who makes $66,000 to show is “too expensive” and on the “downside” of his career, then how do you think DW will view Koscheck — the #10 ranked welterweight who makes $78,000 to show and is 2-3 in his last 5 — should he drop a third straight fight to Maia? And why, for that matter, would the UFC set up what is essentially a lose-lose matchup for Maia at this point?
The answer is simple; this is Koscheck’s sink-or-swim fight. It would appear that the UFC wants him to sink. He’s just come off the second TKO loss of his career — to a pretty hefty underdog, no less — and has next to no chance of fighting for the title as long as GSP is still around. According to our chart, Koscheck is simply too fucking expensive to continue fighting for the UFC, and the Zuffa Gods have realized this.
Watch your back, Crippler. There is a Judas in your midst.
In the fast-moving world of mixed martial arts, fans and pundits alike can’t help but gaze into their crystal ball. It’s why we always want to hear one fighter call out their next opponent as soon as Joe Rogan hands them a microphone after a big win.Ho…
In the fast-moving world of mixed martial arts, fans and pundits alike can’t help but gaze into their crystal ball. It’s why we always want to hear one fighter call out their next opponent as soon as Joe Rogan hands them a microphone after a big win.
However, not everyone’s future looks so bright. Some Zuffa fighters are on the cusp of being released. Others are stuck outside of the UFC looking in. There are even some top names who fight in the Octagon who simply don’t have much to look forward to.
Here is a look at 10 fighters whose futures are looking pretty bleak.
The term “swag” or “swagger” denotes specifically a person’s style of dress as well as how they carry themselves. That’s quite a subjective criteria and in terms of MMA, can denote anyone not dressing in the usual mi…
The term “swag” or “swagger” denotes specifically a person’s style of dress as well as how they carry themselves.
That’s quite a subjective criteria and in terms of MMA, can denote anyone not dressing in the usual mixture of Affliction t-shirts and neck tattoos. But it takes more than that to rank in the top ten of the most “swagtastic” fighters competing today.
With the media attention and image consultants that now surround the modern MMA athlete, here’s a look at 10 fighters that represent the finest turned-out men in the sport.
His name may not land at the top of the welterweight contender’s list just yet, but Robbie Lawler sure returned to the UFC in style with his thrilling TKO win over perennial contender Josh Koscheck at UFC 157. In his first fight with the UFC since…
His name may not land at the top of the welterweight contender’s list just yet, but Robbie Lawler sure returned to the UFC in style with his thrilling TKO win over perennial contender Josh Koscheck at UFC 157.
In his first fight with the UFC since 2004, the exceptionally heavy-handed Lawler shrugged off takedown attempts from the former NCAA wrestling champion for the better part of four minutes before swiftly and violently turning the tables.
In a sequence that’s rarely seen in MMA, Lawler began thumping Koscheck with punches from a front headlock position. “Ruthless” then unleashed a furious barrage of looping punches that flattened Koscheck and left him temporarily dazed and on the verge of unconsciousness.
Referee Herb Dean recognized Koscheck‘s vulnerable state and quickly stepped in to minimize the damage.
It was just the second time in Koscheck‘s 24-fight pro career that he suffered a loss via form of knockout.
Lawler, a middleweight the majority of his career who fought Renato Sobral at a catch weight of 195 pounds in Strikeforce, hasn’t fought at 170 pounds since getting KO’d by Nick Diaz at UFC 47.
Josh is a game opponent but I felt very strong at 170. When he took me down and he was on top of me he did not feel heavy at all. I felt like as soon as I got back to my feet I was going to stop it, so eventually that’s what I was trying to do. But I felt great.
Often criticized for being one dimensional, Lawler went the extra mile to prepare for Koscheck, relocating from Iowa to the American Top Team MMA Academy in Coconut Creek, Fla.
Lawler credited American Top Team coaches Ricardo Liborio and Conan Silveira for facilitating in his transformation.
I was getting a lot of good work with my wrestling up in Iowa, training. But I needed more all-around game—the striking (and) the jiu-jitsu at a high level—and I had a lot of good coaches down at ATT to work with. They pushed me. Everything was smart (and) everything was precise. I had a great training camp.
In arguably the deepest weight class in the promotion, UFC president Dana White has landed yet another entertaining contender to compete with the division’s top dogs.
The road won’t get any smoother for Ruthless in the near future, however. Lawler could soon find himself pitted against an opponent like Demian Maia, Nate Marquardt or Erick Silva.
But regardless of whom he draws next, Lawler made one thing clear: Given an opening, he can deliver a vicious knockout in an instant.
Make no mistake, no matter how last night’s main event was going to end, it was going to be an important moment in UFC history. For the first time in the promotion’s history, two female athletes would be competing in the UFC. Squash match or not, the historical significance of the fight and the freshly minted UFC Women’s Bantamweight title were enough to bump the fight up to main event status.
I’ve seen dozens of writers today write about how “predictably” the main event ended, but I can’t help but feel that this does a severe injustice to the fight we were treated to. Yes, it ended in a first round armbar victory for Ronda Rousey, and no, literally nothing else about this fight was predictable.
This is in large part a credit to challenger Liz Carmouche. Few people gave Carmouche any sort of chance to win, as clearly reflected by the betting odds for the fight. Yet for the first time last night, Carmouche was able to expose holes in Rousey’s game, and make the women’s champion look beatable. She wasn’t Rousey’s slightly-resistant grappling dummy – she was a very worthy challenger who almost finished Rousey with a rear-naked choke, and has teeth marks on her arm to show for it. Let’s all stop and admit that none of us expected this from her.
Photo courtesy of Getty Images
Make no mistake, no matter how last night’s main event was going to end, it was going to be an important moment in UFC history. For the first time in the promotion’s history, two female athletes would be competing in the UFC. Squash match or not, the historical significance of the fight and the freshly minted UFC Women’s Bantamweight title were enough to bump the fight up to main event status.
I’ve seen dozens of writers today write about how “predictably” the main event ended, but I can’t help but feel that this does a severe injustice to the fight we were treated to. Yes, it ended in a first round armbar victory for Ronda Rousey, and no, literally nothing else about this fight was predictable.
This is in large part a credit to challenger Liz Carmouche. Few people gave Carmouche any sort of chance to win, as clearly reflected by the betting odds for the fight. Yet for the first time last night, Carmouche was able to expose holes in Rousey’s game, and make the women’s champion look beatable. She wasn’t Rousey’s slightly-resistant grappling dummy – she was a very worthy challenger who almost finished Rousey with a rear-naked choke, and has teeth marks on her arm to show for it. Let’s all stop and admit that none of us expected this from her.
Let’s make sure to give Ronda Rousey her proper dues as well. Rousey responded to the stiffest test of her career the only way she knows how to: by cranking an arm until something taps or snaps. She managed to score her seventh victory by way of first round armbar in just as many professional fights, living up to the hype that she had been justifiably receiving. It may not have been her prettiest victory, but she survived the challenge and kept calm under pressure.
Above all else though, Rousey and Carmouche deserve respect for shattering not only the ceiling for women in the UFC, but the glass ceilings that fans placed on female fighters. Say what you want about women not being as strong or fast as men, or that the talent pool isn’t as deep (as opposed to the stacked men’s flyweight division), or keep talking about the ability to dunk a basketball like it even remotely matters*. Just don’t say that women don’t belong at our sport’s highest level of competition. If you value the quality of the fights over the sexes of the athletes, you walked away from last night’s main event excited about future women’s matchups.
Elsewhere on the card:
– I’ll admit that before the event, I thought a case could be made that Henderson vs. Machida was the real main event. On paper, Rousey vs. Carmouche was little more than a squash match designed to give Rousey the title. Meanwhile, on paper, Machida vs. Henderson was a legitimate fight for light-heavyweight number one contendership. Unfortunately, anyone who sat through Machida vs. Henderson was reminded that things rarely play out in real time the way that they should play out on paper.
If Rousey vs. Carmouche was everything fans can look forward to from the UFC’s newest acquisitions, then Machida vs. Henderson was everything fans were already sick of. A “too elusive to be interesting” fighter more concerned with winning rounds than putting on a show? Check. An aging fighter on testosterone replacement therapy? Check. A judge ignoring the things he’s supposed to be looking for and picking the winner of the fight based on a vague notion of “Octagon Control?” *sigh* Check. “Forgettable” barely describes this one.
– Yes, Machida is next in line for a shot at the light-heavyweight title, although Dana White didn’t exactly sound thrilled to be announcing it. “It wasn’t a barnburner,” said White about Machida vs. Henderson. “It wasn’t the most exciting fight you’ve ever seen. You won’t be writing stories about this fight until the end of time. But Lyoto won the fight. He beat the number one contender.”
– Urijah Faber knew he needed to put on an extra special performance against Ivan Menjivar if he wanted job security, and did exactly that. You don’t see too many standing crucifix-to-rear-naked choke finishes, but then again, you don’t see too many fighters as creative and athletic as Urijah Faber. When he’s matched up against the Ivan Menjivars of the division, the end result is something special.
– Court McGee was a tough-as-nails middleweight, is now a tough-as-nails welterweight, and continued to look solid against lower-end competition with his victory over Josh Neer. I don’t see a Demian Maia-esque resurgence at welterweight in McGee’s future, but then again, I didn’t see one for Maia, either.
– If Robbie Lawler knocking out Josh Koscheck isn’t at least an honorable mention for “Most Satisfying Beatdown of 2013,” then a lot of heels are going to get their asses kicked by old-school warriors this year. However, I was surprised to see how many people thought that the fight was stopped too early. It’s one thing not to like a fighter, it’s another thing to want him dead.
– Lawler rightfully took home the $50k Knockout of the Night bonus for his performance. Meanwhile, Koscheck may very well find himself unemployed. I’m sure Dana White likes Koscheck, just as I’m sure he likes Jon Fitch, too. By the way, Fitch not only made less money than Koscheck does per fight, but he also had a higher “ranking” when he was released.
– Submission of the Night honors did not go to Ronda Rousey, but rather, Kenny Robertson for his first round kneebar submission over Brock Jardine.
– Fight of the Night went to the three round war that was Dennis Bermudez vs. Matt Grice. These two featherweightst absolutely stole the show with this fight. In the end, Bermudez won by decision.
Full Results:
Main Card:
Ronda Rousey def. Liz Carmouche via submission (armbar), 4:49 of Round 1
Lyoto Machida def. Dan Henderson via split decision (29-28 x 2, 28-29)
Urijah Faber def. Ivan Menjivar via submission (rear-naked choke), 4:43 of Round 1
Court McGee def. Josh Neer via unanimous decision (30-27 x 3)
Robbie Lawler def. Josh Koscheck via TKO, 3:57 of Round 1
Preliminary Card:
Brendan Schaub def. Lavar Johnson via unanimous decision (30-27 x 3)
Michael Chiesa def. Anton Kuivanen via submission (rear-naked choke), 2:29 of Round 2
Dennis Bermudez def. Matt Grice via split decision (29-28 x 2, 28-29)
Sam Stout def. Caros Fodor via split decision (29-28 x 2, 28-29)
Kenny Robertson def. Brock Jardine via submission (kneebar), 2:57 of Round 1
Neil Magny def. Jon Manley via unanimous decision (30-27 x 2, 29-28)
Nah-Shon Burrell def. Yuri Villefort via unanimous decision (29-28 x 2, 30-27)
* By the way, if dunking a basketball is the measuring stick of whether or not a person is a good athlete, then our sport’s most accomplished light-heavyweight is, well, you’ll see:
Demian Maia is continuing to climb the welterweight ladder, and his next stop on the way to a title shot goes through Josh Koscheck at UFC 163.
