Georges "Rush" St. Pierre Versus Josh Koscheck: The Babyface Versus The Heel
UFC welterweight champion Georges "Rush" St. Pierre has had a target on his back for a long time, but now the competition is starting in earnest with him competing against Josh Koschek as coaches on opposing teams for the Ultimate Fighter season starting this evening. The MMA gloves are off. The fighters are ready, so grab your popcorn and let's go!
GSP is one of the UFC's most beloved fighters, with an incredible work ethic to back up a tremendous amount of talent. Koschek also shares the work ethic with a very solid wrestling background, an although many viewers weren't fans at first he has slowly gained people's respect at least as a fighter. Koschek was a four-time D1 All-American wrestler, and although he started fighting with a pure wrestling style he has transitioned into a far more well-rounded fighter.
The two fighters first met at UFC 74 in August 2007. GSP won the bout by decision. They will fight again on December 11th at the Bell Centre in Quebec, Canada. GSP does have a slight edge, so it'll be interesting to see how Koschek's approach will change this time around. Koschek has improved tremendously in the past three years, but whether he's improved enough to create a different outcome remains to be seen.
What will be interesting is the different coaching styles of Koschek vs. GSP. Kos comes from a wrestling background, so I'm expecting tons of drills and repetition (exactly what fighters need a lot of the time) plus some dedicated technique work. GSP seems to take a more holistic approach, and I'm thinking will probably focus quite a bit on the mental aspects of the game in addition to hardcore training. An interesting season for sure.
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