Tag: Mike Pierce

UFC 143: Mike Pierce Calls Josh Koscheck the Michael Bisping of the WW Division

The UFC’s welterweight division is in the spotlight this Saturday, and before Nick Diaz and Carlos Condit battle for the UFC interim welterweight championship in the main event, former NCAA Division I wrestlers Josh Koscheck (16-5) and Mike P…

The UFC’s welterweight division is in the spotlight this Saturday, and before Nick Diaz and Carlos Condit battle for the UFC interim welterweight championship in the main event, former NCAA Division I wrestlers Josh Koscheck (16-5) and Mike Pierce (13-4) will fight to determine a possible top contender.

Pierce enters the fight having come off of two closely contested fights versus Paul Bradley and Johny Hendricks. He was victorious against Bradley in what was a rematch, but lost to Hendricks, who since has gone on to knock out No. 2-ranked welterweight Jon Fitch. Pierce also fought Fitch in a 2009 bout and lost a close decision.

“I think there is going to be a little mix of everything,” Pierce said regarding his plan of attack for this bout. “We took a look at his fights, and where we think he’s got some holes in his game, and where we can exploit those. We’re going to press the action and we’re going to take advantage of the opportunities that show up, so that’s what we intend to do.”

Koscheck will enter the fight having come off his first-round knockout win over Matt Hughes from UFC 135. It was his first fight since losing to UFC welterweight champion George St-Pierre in 2010.

“He’s the guy that everyone loves to hate in the welterweight division,” Pierce continued. “He’s like the Michael Bisping of the welterweights. Like, nobody likes that guy, and everyone has their thing. I’m not quite like that. I’m not going to promote myself that way.”

“Everyone has their own style. For him, that works, it’s great, but that’s just not me,” Pierce said. “Why he hasn’t said more, I’m not 100 percent sure why. It really doesn’t matter. I’m going to speak more inside the cage than out.”

UFC 143 will be available on pay-per-view and feature this fight along with Nick Diaz vs. Carlos Condit, Scott Jorgensen vs. Renan Barao, Fabricio Werdum vs. Roy Nelson and Ed Herman vs. Clifford Starks.

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UFC 143 Fight Card: Josh Koscheck vs. Mike Pierce Breakdown

His originally scheduled bout with Carlos Condit scrapped due to a George St-Pierre injury, Josh Koscheck will now meet Mike Pierce at this Saturday’s UFC 143.Known for causing problems against fellow wrestlers, Pierce will be hoping to become a welter…

His originally scheduled bout with Carlos Condit scrapped due to a George St-Pierre injury, Josh Koscheck will now meet Mike Pierce at this Saturday’s UFC 143.

Known for causing problems against fellow wrestlers, Pierce will be hoping to become a welterweight contender by upsetting Koscheck. At the same time, Koscheck will be looking to win impressively by being the first fighter to ever finish Pierce.

“Pierce has never been submitted or knocked out in his UFC career,” Koscheck said in an interview with Fighters.com. “I’m gonna be the first guy to do it.”

Let’s delve deeper into this matchup between the two welterweight wrestlers to see which fighter is more likely to make an impact at UFC 143.

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Mike Pierce Aims to Break Josh Koscheck ‘Mentally and Physically’ at UFC 143

Filed under: UFC, NewsWith a simple phone call, Mike Pierce may have changed the course of his career. When UFC 143 found itself with a hole near the top of the card, Pierce made a call, asking for a fight with former welterweight division No. 1 conten…

Filed under: ,

With a simple phone call, Mike Pierce may have changed the course of his career. When UFC 143 found itself with a hole near the top of the card, Pierce made a call, asking for a fight with former welterweight division No. 1 contender Josh Koscheck. And to the surprise of many, he got it.

One of those surprised? Koscheck, who has been uncharacteristically silent in the lead-up to the fight, but recently said he’s not impressed with Pierce’s skills, and that he plans to make an example out of Pierce for calling him out.

That may sound like typical pre-fight bluster, but Pierce — who was once a fan of Koscheck’s — said he believes it’s cockiness typical of the real Koscheck.

“I hear things from people that used to train with him or used to be involved with him one way or another and they’re like, ‘That’s really him,'” Pierce said on Monday’s edition of The MMA Hour. “That’s not the kind of guy I really like, to be honest. I do like that he is a wrestler. I do respect that. But the attitude and arrogance that come with it, I’m not really keen on that.”

Koscheck goes into the fight as a sizable favorite but Pierce has shown the skills to be competitive win anyone. In his most high-profile fights, he took a round from Jon Fitch when Fitch was ranked No. 2 in the world before losing a close decision, and he later lost a split-decision to the surging Johny Hendricks.

Given those experiences, suffice it to say that the prospect of facing Koscheck doesn’t scare him. In fact, he says standing up to Koscheck’s aggression is one of the most important ways of seizing the momentum of the fight.

“I think you just press the pace on him and wear him down,” he said of his keys to victory. “I tend to think he’s kind of got that bully style where if he goes in there and starts beating someone up, he gets that momentum going, and it’s kind of hard to stop him. But if you come at him from the opening bell and put the pressure on him, and get inside his head and show him that he’s not in the fight, he’s just going to give up and break down.”

Pierce’s wrestling credentials make him believe that he can negate Koscheck’s advantage. He, too, was a Division I wrestler while at Portland State University, experience that influences his hard-charging style.

That’s exactly what he hopes to bring to Koscheck as the 31-year-old looks for the signature victory of his career, a win that would vault him up the rankings list and announce him as a contender.

“I want to just press the action on Josh and watch him break down,” he said. “Nothing gives me more pleasure than watching a guy mentally and physically give up and then having the referee pull me off of him. That’s what I want.”

 

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UFC 143: Josh Koscheck vs. Mike Pierce Early Breakdown

With Georges St. Pierre out indefinitely and many questions surrounding his return, the welterweight division is now as up in the air as any.UFC 143 will go a long way in clearing up the title picture with a pair of important fights at 170.While Carlos…

With Georges St. Pierre out indefinitely and many questions surrounding his return, the welterweight division is now as up in the air as any.

UFC 143 will go a long way in clearing up the title picture with a pair of important fights at 170.

While Carlos Condit vs. Nick Diaz is sure to get plenty of hype as the main event and the interim title on the line, Josh Koscheck‘s bout with Mike Pierce will also play a role in the current landscape of the division.

Koscheck, a name everyone is familiar with, looks to get his second victory on the comeback trail after being thoroughly battered by Georges St. Pierre.

Pierce, a highly underrated opponent, looks to finally get some of the recognition he deserves and make a case of his own that he is a threat in the welterweight division.

With so much on the line and the interesting clash of styles that exists, Koscheck-Pierce is sure to be an interesting fight.

Here’s how they stack up.

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Mike Pierce Steps in for Condit Against Koscheck at UFC 143


(Mike who? Well, if there’s an ass that needs motorboating, I’ll be there.) 

When Carlos Condit was called up to face Nick Diaz for an interim title shot at UFC 143 in the wake of Georges St. Pierre’s knee injury, one person who felt left out of the mix was none other than former title challenger Josh Koscheck, who was originally scheduled to face Condit at the same event. Kos later tweeted that he would indeed be fighting at UFC 143, possibly as a middleweight. But now it seems that the TUF 12 coach will be fighting back at welterweight against up-and-comer Mike Pierce, who recently announced the match-up via his Twitter.

Pierce is coming off an entertaining three round shellacking of Paul Bradley at UFC on FOX 1, and is perhaps best known for actually managing to mount some offense against Koscheck’s AKA teammate Jon Fitch in their battle back at UFC 107, a feat that has been deemed nearly impossible at this point in Fitch’s career. Pierce is 5-2 in his octagon run thus far, including the aforementioned loss to Fitch and a split decision loss to Johny Hendricks at UFC 133, as well as wins over Brock Larson, Amilcar Alves, and Kenny Robertson.


(Mike who? Well, if there’s an ass that needs motorboating, I’ll be there.) 

When Carlos Condit was called up to face Nick Diaz for an interim title shot at UFC 143 in the wake of Georges St. Pierre’s knee injury, one person who felt left out of the mix was none other than former title challenger Josh Koscheck, who was originally scheduled to face Condit at the same event. Kos later tweeted that he would indeed be fighting at UFC 143, possibly as a middleweight. But now it seems that the TUF 12 coach will be fighting back at welterweight against up-and-comer Mike Pierce, who recently announced the match-up via his Twitter.

Pierce is coming off an entertaining three round shellacking of Paul Bradley at UFC on FOX 1, and is perhaps best known for actually managing to mount some offense against Koscheck’s AKA teammate Jon Fitch in their battle back at UFC 107, a feat that has been deemed nearly impossible at this point in Fitch’s career. Pierce is 5-2 in his octagon run thus far, including the aforementioned loss to Fitch and a split decision loss to Johny Hendricks at UFC 133, as well as wins over Brock Larson, Amilcar Alves, and Kenny Robertson.

Koscheck, on the other hand, will be looking to get back in title contention starting with Pierce, though you gotta imagine he’ll need at least a couple more wins considering how thoroughly he was dominated by GSP in their bout at UFC 124. Fraggle was able to rebound from that orbital breaking loss, however, at UFC 135, where he knocked out and possibly retired former UFC welterweight champion Matt Hughes in the first round.

So, Potato Nation, can Pierce pull out the upset here, via Paulo Thiago hell-fire combination, or is Koscheck just on another level?

UFC 143 goes down February 4th at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.

-Danga 

Josh Koscheck to Face Mike Pierce at UFC 143

Filed under: UFC, NewsJosh Koscheck’s new opponent at UFC 143 will be Mike Pierce.

“With Carlos Condit moving to face Nick Diaz for the interim welterweight championship, it will be powerhouse wrestler vs. powerhouse wrestler as Mike Pierce takes on …

Filed under: ,

Josh Koscheck‘s new opponent at UFC 143 will be Mike Pierce.

“With Carlos Condit moving to face Nick Diaz for the interim welterweight championship, it will be powerhouse wrestler vs. powerhouse wrestler as Mike Pierce takes on Josh Koscheck at UFC 143,” UFC president Dana White stated recently on UFC.com.

In September, Koscheck (16-5) recorded a knockout over UFC Hall of Famer Matt Hughes at UFC 135. That was Koscheck’s first fight back after suffering an orbital bone injury in a loss to Georges St-Pierre at UFC 124 in December 2010.

Pierce (13-4) went 2-1 this year with wins over Kenny Robertson and Paul Bradley and a loss to Johny Hendricks. Upon learning of the opening at UFC 143, Pierce went to the media and Twitter to ask for the Koscheck fight.

UFC 143 takes place SuperBowl weekend on Feb. 4, 2012 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas.

 

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