Josh Koscheck
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Josh "Kos" Koscheck (born November 30, 1977) is an American professional mixed martial artist training out of the American Kickboxing Academy.
He stands 5 ft 10in (178cm) and weighs approximately 170lbs (77kg).
He is a veteran from the first season of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) and is currently a highly ranked welterweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
Amateur Wrestling Career
Koscheck attended Edinboro University of Pennsylvannia on athletic schloarship. During his junior season in 2001 he went 42-0 in all his wrestling matches before going on to become the 174 lbs. NCAA Division 1 Champion. In conjunction with being a four-time NCAA Division 1 All-American, Koscheck is also a two-time winner of the Eastern Wrestling League Achievement Award and a three-time recipient of the PSAC Wrestler of the Year award.
Pre-TUF MMA Career
Josh Koscheck began his professional mixed martial arts career on January 3, 2004 when he defeated Chuz Chacon via neck crank submission in the third round.
Three months later he defeated future UFC competitor, Luke Cummo via unanimous decision in the Ring of Combat organisation.
The Ultimate Fighter
Due to his strong wrestling background and undefeated start to his MMA career, Kosheck was rewared with a position on the inaugural season of The Ultimate Fighter. A reality television show which showcases the UFC and its fighters in an elimination tournament where the winner earns themselves a contract with the organisation.
Koscheck participated in the middleweight category of the show where he made it to the semi-finals. He defeated Chris Leben in the opening round via unanimous decision but lost to the eventual winner, Diego Sanchez in the aforementioned semi-final via split decision.
In a preliminary bout on the The Ultimate Fighter Finale, Koscheck knocked out fellow TUF contestant, Chris Sanford with ground and pound in the first round. That would be Koscheck's last fight as a middleweight.
UFC Career
Koscheck next appeared on the first UFC Fight Night where he faced UFC veteran, Pete Spratt. He submitted Spratt via rear-naked choke in under two minutes of the first round.
At UFC Fight Night 2, Koscheck was matched up against another MMA veteran in Drew Fickett. Koscheck dominated for the majority of the fight but was hit with a knee by Fickett in the dying seconds and promptly choked unconcious with a rear naked choke. Koscheck fought on each of the next four UFC Fight Nights, beating Ansar Chalangov (rear naked choke), Dave Menne (unanimous decision), Jonathan Goulet (strikes), and Jeff Joslin (unanimous decision).
Koscheck got a step up in competition for his next fight when he rematched the undefeated Diego Sanchez at UFC 69 in April of 2007. This fight came with a lot of heat and smack talk behind it, exemplified by a pre-fight tussle at the weigh-ins where Sanchez pushed Koscheck and started shouting at him. The fight however was not as exciting as the pre-fight talk as a noticably less aggressive Diego Sanchez got out punched on his feet by Koscheck for three rounds. Koscheck was rewarded with the unanimous decision victory. It was later found out that Sanchez was suffering from a severe case of staph infection during the fight.
Koscheck faced the ultimate test of his career in his next bout in August of 2007 at UFC 74 where he faced the then former and now current UFC welterweight champion, Georges St. Pierre. Surpisingly, Koscheck was outwrestled in the match-up by St. Pierre which resulted in a unanimous decision loss for Koscheck.
Since that fight, Koscheck has had two more fights. He defeated both Dustin Hazelett (via strikes) and Chris Lytle (via unanimous decision) at UFC 82 and UFC 86 respectively.
Koscheck headlined UFC: Fight for the Troops in December of 2008 against Japanese fighter, Yoshiyuki Yoshida. Koscheck knocked Yoshida cold in a brutal KO in the first round.
At UFC 95, Koscheck was on the wrong end of a major upset when he was knocked out with an uppercut by UFC newcomer, Paulo Thiago.
Mixed Martial Arts Record
| 16 matches | 12 wins | 4 losses |
| By knockout | 3 | 1 |
| By submission | 4 | 1 |
| By decision | 5 | 2 |
| Draws | 0 | |
Gallery
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External links
http://sherdog.com/fighter/Josh-Koscheck-9418 - Professional MMA Record from Sherdog
--Sam Cupitt 10:07, 25 September 2008 (UTC)
