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Koscheck claims the UFC is protecting Matt Hughes

3K views 83 replies 41 participants last post by  kilik 
#1 ·
In a new interview with Adam Morgan of FiveOuncesOfPain.com, Josh Koscheck expresses his desire for a fight with former UFC welterweight champion Matt Hughes while at the same time claiming that the UFC protects Hughes:

Adam Morgan: In our last interview you mentioned not liking Matt Hughes. Would you be interested in a fight against him down the line?

Josh Koscheck: Yeah, you know, I think that’s a fight that fans would want to see. He’s supposed to be the best wrestler and on paper I have better credentials, he’s won more championships than me and he’s been a hell of a fighter and it’s a fight that the fans should see. I fought Georges St. Pierre for the number one contender and he beat me and now he just beat Matt Hughes so now that fight makes sense.

Matt Hughes is probably saying “why would I want to fight him, I have nothing to gain,” but he would have a lot to gain from the fight because it would be to see who’s the best wrestler in the welterweight division. I just think it’s a fight that the fans would like to see. I think he’s on his way out and I’m on my way up so I don’t even think he’s going to give me the time of day to step up. The UFC kind of protects him a little bit because he is a nine time champion and they don’t want to see a guy like myself who’s coming off The Ultimate Fighter, who’s been in there, won a couple fights and lost a couple fights beating one of their more well known guys.
http://samcaplan.proelite.com/97587
 
#53 ·
Kos is kind of a dick for talking like that. Really, Hughes doesn't have any thing else to prove, and certainly wouldn't prove anything even if he did fight Koscheck. Hughes really only needs one more fight, Serra, and he should just call it a career. He's my favorite fighter, but he'll never hold the belt again. He should fight Serra and retire. Kos on the other hand should be trying to fight Jon Fitch or Karo Parisyan.
 
#54 ·
Kos is right, but he by no means deserves a fight with Hughes because of it. Hughes is on his way out and I personally would like to see him get a shot at Serra or someone else he wants to fight before he leaves. He did a lot of work trying to build and promote the UFC, he deserves it.
 
#56 ·
I think it would be a pretty good matchup. 2 great westlers with sloppy striking. I see a lot of takedowns and scrambling in this one. I'm not real sure who has the striking advantage. I know Kos's standup has improved a lot but when you start from nothing it doesns't mean a whole lot. He seems to have heavier hands than Hughes though but Hughes has much better submissions. I would take Hughes against Kos. I think Hughes experience and submissions will play more of a factor than his actual wrestling would.
 
#57 ·
Matt Hughes has been great but he has Ken Shamrock disease now; other fighters are getting better while he stays the same but he doesn't realize that this is happening. I think Hughes would lose to any of the top contenders at WW right now, including Koschek.

Drogo
 
#58 ·
KOS has vastly superior striking to Hughes now? What a joke.

Matt has zero KO power, and a pretty shitty reach, but i think against someone like KOS who is also a mediocre striker he might get that KO he's been lusting after. Then again, maybe KOS will do the same. The point is, they both have mediocre striking and either one could win the standup.

You can hype Koscheck up as much as you like, and he is a capable fighter that might be top of the food chain one day....but currently, he's only fought one A level guy, and he got embarressed in that outing. Hughes has fought nothing but A level guys since 2002. Can KOS win? Maybe....but no one should be saying he can beat MAtt Hughes until he actually does it....because on paper, it's a complete joke.
 
#60 ·
I really dislike Josh Koscheck. First off...GSP has proven he is the best wrestler at WW...Hughes, Fitch and Koscheck are all close. Giving Matt Hughes to GSP twice probably isn't protecting Hughes. Fighting a guy like Lytle isn't protecting him either (see Lytle's last fight. Koscheck has to worry about beating Hazelett first...which isnt going to be easy.
 
#65 ·
I don't understand all of the statements about GSP being a better wrestler than Kos. GSP beat Kos on the ground during an MMA event, not an actual wrestling match (I'd have to take Kos if that were the case). He did not so much out-wrestle Kos as he did put him on his back and control him. When this happens, Kos is no longer wrestling so much as he is working off his back.

In regards to Hughes vs Kos, there is no reason either one couldn't take it. I disagree with whoever said Hughes could KO Kos with standup - if GSP couldn't do it, Hughes shouldn't be able to.
 
#69 ·
Very true, but I still cant give Alessio too much credit for that. That fight was so boring and he did nothing! Ive never seen a fighter play it so safe in my life. Ive actually never seen Alessio in a good fight. Hes pretty much just sucks. Condit whoopin him was sooooo fun to watch!!
 
#67 ·
See i don't consider Diego A level for some reason. Maybe he is, i suppose he has to be, but i still dont see him on the level of GSP or Hughes either.

Besides, KOS vs Diego didn't have a winner imo; they both lost.
 
#70 ·
Is Karo and A level fighter?? Well, Diego knocked his teeth out. He ko'd Joe Riggs in under 2 minutes. Love or hate Diego, the dude is a beast. He just struggles against big strong wrestlers. The move to 155 would have been great for him.
 
#79 ·
But, it did have a winner, and that winner was Josh Koscheck, who executed a smart gameplan.
Technically yes, but they inflicted so little damage to each other i'm not sure it was even a fight. Besides, Diego had staph at the time didn't he? What did KOS do? Landed one solid shot and got a takedown at the end of round 1 (i havent seen it for a while, correct me if im wrong). Hardly an adequate test of his skills imo.

Is Karo and A level fighter?? Well, Diego knocked his teeth out. He ko'd Joe Riggs in under 2 minutes. Love or hate Diego, the dude is a beast. He just struggles against big strong wrestlers. The move to 155 would have been great for him.
Honestly? No. Karo has come up against the top of the food chain 3 times (Sherk x2, GSP) and lost all 3 times. I consider him a B+ guy that needs that one big win to break through. Riggs? No chance.

Diego is a good fighter, don't get me wrong....but he is not at the elite level of the WW division, and as such, not a good barometer of how KOS does against truly top level opponents....which is what Hughes is.

Maybe KOS can win, but until he shows me something more, Hughes has to be the overwhelming favorite.
 
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#71 ·
Alessio's had some solid fights, but the guy is just inconsistent. Sometimes, he can look like a great fighter, and other times, he can look downright terrible. Don't know what it is with him, but he's sort of like Marcus Aurelio in that aspect, except Aurelio doesn't get finished.
 
#72 ·
And Aurelio doesnt tap when theres one second left in the round. I could see if it was an armbar or he was going to get something broken. But it was a choke!! Just one more second and we woulda got outta that round. That was WEAK SAUCE!!
 
#75 ·
I wouldn't say it was perfected. I'm not even a big Diego Sanchez fan (in fact I really don't like him much at all), but I will say that he looked WAY different in that fight than any of his others and I think that had a lot more to do with his health.
Maybe so, but Koscheck made Diego look like a fool in that fight. He took the Alessio gameplan, and developed it into his own. I'd say he perfected it, since he won, and won pretty clearly.

Pretty solid compared to whom? Matt Hughes, maybe.
I'm not comparing his stand-up to anyone, I'm saying that his stand-up is solid. Koscheck has some nice boxing, and he does have some solid kicks. He's not elite by any means, but he has solid striking, considering that he's been in the game for about 3 years. It goes along well with his wrestling. Before anyone points it out, yes, his striking looked sloppy in the GSP fight. Seemed like Koscheck was trying to do a Matt Serra.
 
#76 ·
Maybe so, but Koscheck made Diego look like a fool in that fight. He took the Alessio gameplan, and developed it into his own. I'd say he perfected it, since he won, and won pretty clearly.
I think Diego made himself look like a more of a fool, especially after the incident at the weigh-ins. Koscheck did what he needed to in order to win; nothing. :dunno:

I'm not comparing his stand-up to anyone, I'm saying that his stand-up is solid. Koscheck has some nice boxing, and he does have some solid kicks. He's not elite by any means, but he has solid striking, considering that he's been in the game for about 3 years. It goes along well with his wrestling. Before anyone points it out, yes, his striking looked sloppy in the GSP fight. Seemed like Koscheck was trying to do a Matt Serra.
I think it's important to compare his stand-up to other fighters in the division to which he is competing. His wrestling is amazing and that's undoubtedly his biggest strength, his bread and butter if you will. But when you look at the rest of his game, he's WAY behind in the striking department compared to a lot of the division (just look at the guys I listed). His BJJ isn't so hot either.
 
#78 ·
I dunno about his sub defense, as I've only seen his fights with Drew Fickett, GSP and Diego. He got subbed by Drew, and GSP almost subbed him via kimura, but Josh held his shorts. Isn't that illegal? I'll give him credit for being smart, but I'll also have to chastise him for cheating (if that's a legit rule). :laugh:
 
#81 ·
Hughes would wreck Koscheck, Hughes has the second best top game at WW, some of the best subs, sick takedowns, good sweeps, world class ground and pound, improved striking, and is IMO the strongest fighter at 170. Kos has what exactly? Fancy takedowns and some nuthugging from Joe Rogan, whoa watch out :sarcastic12:.

Kos has only beat two fighters worth mentioning, Joslin and Sanchez and beat them in the least impressive way possible.
 
#83 ·
Strongest fighter at 170? I don't know how you can say that after GSP bullied him, at the very least he'd be second strongest and I think Koscheck is stronger. I don't think Koscheck would wreck Hughes but I think he'd beat him because he is younger, bigger, stronger and Hughes striking is mediocre enough that Koscheck doesn't have to worry about it much.

I don't think Koscheck is that great but every time I see Hughes fight he looks worse and worse.

Drogo
 
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