Where Does Josh Koscheck He End Up in All of This?

Josh "Kos" Koscheck is ranked No. 2 in the world among welterweight fighters. He should be fighting for the title, right? I mean, he was the first man to ever beat Diego Sanchez, who is ranked fourth in the world. Yet, nobody really knows the fate of the three-time PSAC Wrestler of The Year award winner.

Georges St. Pierre has already been asked to dance by B.J. Penn, and the fourth and fifth-ranked fighters in the world, Diego and Thiago Alves, will be fighting on Oct. 25, in a fight that may very well be for the No. 1 contender spot against the winner of GSP and Penn.

Where does this leave Koscheck?

Well, you may have noticed that I've only named four of the top five welterweights in the world. The other, No. 3, is Jon Fitch. Jon is coming off of a brutal beating at the hands of the champion and is also left without a dance partner.

Why not pit the top two fighters besides the champ against each other to determine which gets to fight the champ? Sounds reasonable, right?

Both of these guys have fought GSP, both went to the judges, and both lost unanimously. The difference is, Koscheck didn't look like he got hit by Mack Truck during the postfight interview. Both of these guys know what it's like to lose to GSP, and I'm sure both want another chance to prove they can beat him.

Here are some more things these guys have in common,

• They are the only guys to defeat Diego Sanchez
• Both are very good former collegiate-level wrestlers
• Both were finalists for the first season of TUF, Josh made it; Jon was literally seconds away from making it. (His luggage got on the flight.)
• Jon Fitch looks almost exactly like Dustin Hazelett, who was TKO'd by Josh Koscheck
• Both earned Bachelors degrees in college, Fitch in Physical Education, Koscheck in Criminal Justice
• Both have fought and defeated Jeff Joslin

• Both are just 30-years old

Josh Koscheck is one of very few guys that actually took GSP down. Jon Fitch, on the other hand, was taken down at will by GSP the entire fight. I am by no means trying to put Fitch down, but I believe that Josh Koscheck looked better and showed that he was capable of defeating the Canade.

Before the fight, Josh said that 80 percent of his training was geared toward striking. Although it didn't look that way to me, if he could really focus on getting GSP to the ground and keeping him there, like he did at the end of the first round of his first meeting with GSP, we could be looking at a second original TUF guy to win a UFC title.

Although I don't believe Koscheck can beat GSP, I think he deserves another chance to prove that he can, or at least be given big-name opponents en route to a title shot. If not Jon Fitch, why not Karo Parysian?

As much as I hate the guy, he is ranked eighth in the world and could be a major stepping stone. He could work a lot towards stopping the slew of boos he gets every time he fights.

After being embarrassed and outclassed by GSP, Jon Fitch needs to rebound and fight an opponent with credibility, not a can. Right now, there is a lot of doubt about the real talent level of Jon Fitch, which can only be disproved by Jon going out and beating a big-name opponent.

He may never be champion, but he can still be known amongst the elite welterweights in the world.

Schedule this fight the same night as GSP vs. Penn, so the scheduling works out perfectly. Assuming GSP and Koscheck win, a rematch between the two would be almost certain. If GSP and Jon Fitch win, then we're probably looking at GSP fighting the winner of Diego and Thiago. There is just no way Jon gets back in the picture that soon, even with a win of Kos.

Do you see how much GSP vs. Penn screws up the welterweight division? The UFC has three top-five guys they could have fed to GSP, instead, they are forcing those three to fight again while B.J. takes their fight. Just imagine if B.J. wins.

My Final Thoughts

Josh Koscheck may not be the most exciting fighter every time he steps into the octagon, but he is a proven winner. Although ranked No. 2 in the world, he is very underrated in the UFC welterweight division.

This is a guy that was successful in taking GSP down and fought off three different kimura attempts against the very strong GSP. Watch the final minutes of the second round; Josh is in one of the worst positions possible, yet he fights for three minutes to keep his arm from being ripped to shreds.

Josh deserves more respect, but thanks to B.J., he will have to wait even longer to prove his worth.