Josh Koscheck’s last performance against Georges St. Pierre at UFC 124 resulted in one of the most lopsided bouts in UFC history.While it might have been slim pickings for the UFC welterweight champion, Koscheck said he didn’t perform under his expecta…
Josh Koscheck’s last performance against Georges St. Pierre at UFC 124 resulted in one of the most lopsided bouts in UFC history.
While it might have been slim pickings for the UFC welterweight champion, Koscheck said he didn’t perform under his expectations, and he’s looking to make up for it against Matt Hughes at UFC 135.
“I’ve been on the shelf since December and, I’m honest, my last fight sucked,” Koscheck wrote in his blog on Sportsnet.ca.
“I don’t care if they boo me or cheer me, but they pay to see me fight and on that night I didn’t fulfill my side of the deal because it wasn’t a great fight.”
Obviously, the underachieving performance has left a bad taste in the mouth of Koscheck, but the American Kickboxing Academy fighter has found a chance to win the fans back with an upcoming bout against Hughes—a former two-time UFC welterweight champion and future UFC hall of famer.
But Hughes’ career has seen better days, and while he might have declined in recent years, Koscheck sees more than that.
“Matt Hughes used to be one of the best. Used to be,” he wrote.
“But he’s still got that name and is a two-time champion, and beating a name like that in my comeback fight means something.”
Koscheck’s bout against Hughes is something to look forward to, but it’s more about searching for forgiveness from fans than a win. Certainly the victory will be a morale boost for Koscheck, but to him, it’s more about owing it to the fans.
“I owe it to the fans and myself to come back and give them a fight they can get excited about, and a lot of people are excited to see me against Matt Hughes next weekend,” he wrote.
With only a week before he makes his return to the Octagon, Matt Hughes has called upon some assistance from BJ Penn and long time-trainer Pat Miletich to prepare for his bout against Josh Koscheck at UFC 135. Koscheck had stepped in for Diego San…
With only a week before he makes his return to the Octagon, Matt Hughes has called upon some assistance from BJ Penn and long time-trainer Pat Miletich to prepare for his bout against Josh Koscheck at UFC 135.
Koscheck had stepped in for Diego Sanchez after it was learned that Sanchez broke his hand and could no longer compete.
Hughes is a guest blog on ESPN.com, sharing his experience with his training camp located in Hillsboro, Illinois.
“We did two-a-days, where we practiced in the morning and practiced at night and I was the guy getting beat on and torn down, so I didn’t want to do anything spectacular during the middle of the day,” Hughes wrote.
“I was going to conserve my energy for the mat, and being here helped me lay a good foundation, even with the change in opponents from Diego Sanchez to Josh Koscheck.”
Hughes hasn’t competed since last year after suffering a knockout loss to BJ Penn at UFC 123. The loss snapped Hughes’ three-fight win streak. Ironically, Hughes acquired Penn’s help in preparation for Koscheck. Hughes said the Hawaiian was returning the favour after Hughes had prepared Penn for his bout against Jon Fitch at UFC 127.
Hughes said the training regimen between him and Penn has resulted in a good relationship.
“We are actually a lot alike personality wise, and sense of humor wise for sure,” he said of Penn.
“He’ll catch me a couple times, because I’m a little naïve. But we really have a lot of fun together and we’ve found out a lot about each other since our third fight last year.”
While he might be 37 years-old, Hughes said he still loves what he does for a living and is enjoying his current training camp.
“I still love to work out, I love to sweat and a lot of times when we’re done with practice I’ll still jump on a stationary bike, and I am having a lot of fun. I wouldn’t change my occupation for anything,” he said.
Hughes will continue to blog for ESPN.com leading up to his bout at UFC 135.
Dan Henderson is a guy who makes you wary of shaking his right hand, just out of respect for the power it conceals.Dan Henderson is a living example of how it only can take one punch to change a fight. Hendo has been up against some of the top competit…
Dan Henderson is a guy who makes you wary of shaking his right hand, just out of respect for the power it conceals.
Dan Henderson is a living example of how it only can take one punch to change a fight. Hendo has been up against some of the top competition in MMA, and at 41 years old, shows no signs of stopping.
Hendo’s “H-Bomb” hands have led him to victory for nearly half of his MMA career. His punching power speaks for itself, but he possesses the strength and background of an Olympic wrestler.
Not one to submit you typically, he will surely control you on the ground until you want to stand up, and then deliver his “Mortal Kombat” finishing move, the H-Bomb.
Now in dealings with the UFC again, the current Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion has his eyes fixed on the UFC Light Heavyweight belt as well.
At UFC 135, Jon Jones will be defending his title for the first time since defeating Shogun Rua last March, and becoming the youngest UFC Champion in history.
Jon Jones will face the always dangerous Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. Once these two meet, the title shot opens up for other fighters such as Rashad Evans, and possibly Dan Henderson.
The outcome is yet to been seen, but ideally, when Dan Henderson makes his return into the Octagon, it will be a title shot/unification. But how does Hendo stack up to his two possible opponents?
Betting odds state that Jones will still be Champion at the end of the night against Rampage, but Rampage is hungry for his belt back. A motivated and well-prepared Jackson is a threat to any fighter, and Jones will be sure to use his wrestling and reach to dictate the fight.
If Rampage pulls the upset, he could face Dan Henderson as his first or second title defense. The two have not met since 2007 at UFC 75, where the Pride and UFC belts were on the line in a unification bout. Depending on the events to follow, we may see something similar between the Strikeforce and UFC Belts with the same fighters.
Hendo and Rampage fighting for the championship makes for a very interesting striking match. Hendo may lean toward the takedown and beating up on Rampage, but every fight starts standing. Both are different fighters than their last meeting, but the constant has always been their fists.
If Rampage can stop the takedown, or work on getting up, it could be a challenging fight for Henderson. Rampage is a deadly counter-puncher and if Hendo were to wail one and miss, Rampage could capitalize.
Of course, with Hendo, the fight could end within a few exchanges as well. Hendo has every ability to make Rampage and Bisping have more in common than just training in England together.
His superior wrestling is more than dangerous enough for anyone on the ground, and based on track record, Rampage’s legs are not his greatest foundation. Hendo will be sure to get in and get out with his striking, while the fight remains on the feet.
If Jon Jones can hold onto the LHW belt, a task that has proven very difficult these past years, then a title fight between the new generation of fighter and a seasoned veteran could be on its way.
But first, Jones faces a veteran in Rampage Jackson, who has stood across the cage from the “who’s who” of the Light Heavyweight big-name fighters (multiple times in some cases).
With Dan Henderson, Jones faces a veteran fighter that has donned so many medals and belts in his athletic career, it makes Michael Phelps blush. Hendo is no stranger to the Championship scene, fighting for it and winning it. Jones’ chin has yet to be tested, but if Rampage isn’t the man to do it, Dan Henderson certainly is.
The biggest challenge for any of Jones’ opponents is his reach. His unorthodox style and being a young, fast and hungry fighter makes him a deadly force to be reckoned with. The problem for Jones that lies in Hendo, is his wrestling ability.
A fantastic all-around athlete, Jones has had his share of amateur wrestling. However, Henderson’s pedigree of wrestling is far beyond the repertoire of Jon Jones. Henderson has won wrestling championships right around when Jon was just about learning how to walk.
Regardless if Jones has a good chin, not many can stand up to Hendo’s H-Bomb if it lands flush. Jones must keep the distance, especially for his unorthodox strikes.
Henderson must be the aggressor if he wants to utilize his deadly combo, while Jones needs to keep his cool under the pressure of Hendo’s cocked-back “of the night” fist. The fight should remain more on the feet than on the ground, in which speed can go to Jones, but power goes to Henderson.
At the end of September, fans will have a better idea of what’s in store for the UFC Light Heavyweight division. Whatever the outcome, Dan Henderson is coming. Fans will eagerly speculate and wait to see if Hendo will be either breaking bones or stopping a rampage in the near future.
Who would YOU rather see Dan Henderson face for the title? Jon Jones, Rampage Jackson, Rashad Evans? Leave your comments and thoughts below!
Coming off of arguably the biggest win of his career over Fedor Emelianenko, Dan Henderson looks primed for one more run in the UFC. Hendo, who just turned 41 at the end of August, is open to the move, and actually said he would even be up to fig…
Coming off of arguably the biggest win of his career over Fedor Emelianenko, Dan Henderson looks primed for one more run in the UFC.
However, the 14-year fight veteran has expressed which fight he wants to be involved with next: a title unification bout with the winner of Jon Jones vs. Quinton “Rampage” Jackson.
Bones and Rampage square off at UFC 135, which takes place on September 24, and in an ideal world, Henderson would like to return to the Octagon at UFC 141.
Here’s five reasons this would be a good business decision for the UFC.
(The old dude at the top who hasn’t figured out the fist pose just wandered out from the sauna and got in the photo. Thankfully, he put his clothes on before he did. –photo courtesy of Matt-Hughes.com)
The former UFC welterweight champ, whose three-fight winning streak was snapped by a knockout at the hands of BJ Penn in his last fight also flew “The Prodigy” into Hillsboro, Illinois to help him get ready for the fight, which speaks to how seriously he’s taking his training.
Check out an excerpt from the blog after the jump.
(The old dude at the top who hasn’t figured out the fist pose just wandered out from the sauna and got in the photo. Thankfully, he put his clothes on before he did. –photo courtesy of Matt-Hughes.com)
The former UFC welterweight champ, whose three-fight winning streak was snapped by a knockout at the hands of BJ Penn in his last fight also flew “The Prodigy” into Hillsboro, Illinois to help him get ready for the fight, which speaks to how seriously he’s taking his training.
In a recent blog he wrote for ESPN, Hughes detailed his decision to add the two legends to the mix for this camp.
Here’s what he had to say about reuniting with his old coach, Miletich:
“It had been years since Pat and I had worked together, probably since I left the gym, which was right after “The Ultimate Fighter 6” show in 2007. After that, me, Matt (Pena), Robbie (Lawler), and Marc Fiore — the coaches for my team — all came up with the gym concept. So it’s been that long for us, but Pat and I have always stayed in contact and he’s a brother of mine, there’s no doubt about that. So it was great to get my hands on him and wrestle with him, and the thing that wasn’t so great were his quick jabs and his standup,” Hughes explained. “He’s got ferocious standup. And if you were wondering, Pat’s still got it, but he’s got it in certain time slots. He would not go three five-minute rounds, but he can have a decent five minute go, take a few minutes off, then go again later. It was great getting back in there with him. I still knew what his strengths and his weaknesses were and where he didn’t like to be and what made him uncomfortable, and I’m sure he knew what made me uncomfortable, but I was the guy who was in shape, so things kinda went my way a bit.”
And here’s what he had to say about training with his old nemesis, Penn:
As far as working with B.J., who I fought three times over the years, a lot of people really raise an eyebrow when I say that he’s been training with me, but they might not know that I went out to Hawaii and helped B.J .with his takedowns for (his fight with Jon) Fitch. He’s repaying the favor I did for him and I found out a lot about B.J. when I went out to Hawaii and started training with him. We are actually a lot alike personality wise, and sense of humor wise for sure. We have a ball together and I’ve got to watch out for him because he’s quick-witted. My brother Mark is very quick-witted as well, so I’ve just gotta stay on my toes. He’ll catch me a couple times, because I’m a little naïve. But we really have a lot of fun together and we’ve found out a lot about each other since our third fight last year.
And it’s funny, but after working with both of them, I think B.J. and Robbie Lawler are a lot alike. Those two guys are extremely smart in dissecting opponents and seeing their tendencies, their weaknesses, and figuring out what they’re gonna do in a fight from watching tape. They’re very intelligent cornermen, trainers, and fighters, and it’s been important for me to have both of them around.”
According to Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Jon Jones’ current reign as UFC light heavyweight champion only exists because of him. Following his win over Chuck Liddell in 2007, Jackson would go to unify the light heavyweight title against Dan Henderso…
According to Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Jon Jones’ current reign as UFC light heavyweight champion only exists because of him.
Following his win over Chuck Liddell in 2007, Jackson would go to unify the light heavyweight title against Dan Henderson and become the undisputed UFC light heavyweight champion. It’s a moment that not only holds significance in Jackson’s career, but in mixed martial arts history, too, and he said he’s using it as motivation to defeat the 24-year-old Jones at UFC 135.
“That belt is the unified PRIDE and UFC world title, and that belt exists because of me beating Chuck Liddell and Dan Henderson in two straight fights to win the UFC and then PRIDE titles.”
But the moment wouldn’t last long, as Jackson would lose the title to Forrest Griffin the following year. Since then, Jackson has been climbing his way through the rankings to reclaim the title.
It’s a loss that has eaten away at Jackson ever since, but he understands how much value the title has and how significant it was to unify the UFC and PRIDE titles, which is why he has rededicated himself to a career he no longer felt he wanted to pursue.
“That’s why I want my belt back so bad. It’s my belt,” he wrote.
“So it does kinda bug me that people think I’m not taking this fight in Denver next against Jones seriously. It’s dead serious, heart attack serious to me. I want that belt back.”
Jackson has always reminded the media that he was the underdog in his last title bout, and at UFC 135, he’ll find himself in the same situation against Jones. The only difference is that Jackson was already a feared, dominant competitor.
MMA is always evolving, but maybe Jackson is trying to catch up to a sport that has likely passed him by. Once surrounded by fame and fortune, which he admits he didn’t appreciate, Jackson finds himself desperately chasing a dream that is slowly fading in front of him.
Call it desperation or motivation, but Jackson has found a reason to try and remain relevant, and he will do whatever it takes to recapture the light heavyweight crown.
It might be too little, too late, but “Rampage” has intentions of entering the Octagon and defying the odds one more time.
Josh Koscheck’s last performance against Georges St. Pierre at UFC 124 resulted in one of the most lopsided bouts in UFC history.
