"The Free Roll" Recap: Josh Koscheck, Tim Kennedy, and Justin Wilcox

Written by Cameron Gidari                       (Sponsored by PerformanceMMA.com)

With Keith Florian away at UFC 101 on Saturday, UFC fighter Josh Koscheck joined the Free Roll Radio Program as a special guest host.

Koscheck was not shy about giving his opinions on Strikeforce, an organization that many people think signed its death warrant by snatching Fedor Emelianenko away from the UFC. Koscheck doesn't see it that way.

"I've known [Strikeforce President] Scott Coker a long time," Koscheck said. "It's not in Scott's interest to pick fights. He just wants to do his business and do his job."

It's no secret that the Emelianenko/UFC deal breaker was M-1 Global's insistence on co-promoting any show Emelianenko was on. While it's a smart business move for M-1, Koscheck doesn't see the UFC taking that deal.

"The UFC's in such a different league that I don't think they need to do that right now," Koscheck said. "I don't think it’s in the UFC business model to do that."

Koscheck also talked about his new gym, the third American Kickboxing Academy. The gym opened Aug. 1 with a slew of high-profile mixed martial arts fighters, including Chuck Liddell.

"We had about 1,000 people lined up, it was good, a good event," Koscheck said. "I'm very fortunate that I have a lot of people supporting me."

Strikeforce fighter and former Green Beret Tim Kennedy joined the program to discuss his upcoming fight with Evangelista "Cyborg" Santos and his difficult decision to leave the military to pursue a fighting career. 

"My company is in Iraq, my best friends are in Afghanistan," Kennedy said. "It's kind of torture getting e-mails from them, but on the same token I was going insane every single time I'd see the guys that I was training with for years and years start winning their belts, and knowing that that could be me."

Koscheck, an avid military supporter and gun enthusiast, also compared gun collections and shooting tips with Kennedy.

"I'm a gun nut," Kennedy said. "I've been to every single shooting school Special Forces could attend."

Justin "The Silverback" Wilcox, a teammate of Koscheck, also stopped by to break down his next fight against David "Tarzan" Douglas.

The match, dubbed the "Rumble in the Jungle" for the great matchup of nicknames, presents Wilcox with an interesting variable: his opponent’s hair. Douglas earns the nickname "Tarzan" in part because of his massive head of hair.

Koscheck's solution was simple.

"I would grab a hold of that wig and start beating him," Koscheck said.

Wilcox actually thinks that the hair is a disadvantage to his opponent.

"The hair doesn't bother me," Wilcox said. "Submission-wise, it's just a little tighter grip."

Wilcox also expressed his thanks to the Cesar Gracie camp, where Douglas trains, for taking this fight. As Wilcox and Koscheck both explained, it can be difficult for AKA fighters to get fights, since the school has a reputation for producing top talent.

"I went almost a whole year without getting fights," Wilcox said. "For these guys to step up and fight, it puts a smile on my face. I've got someone in there who's willing to trade leather and get down."