UFC 135: 4 Reasons Why Josh Koscheck Is a Terrible Fight for Matt Hughes

It has recently been rumored that welterweight wrestling star Josh Koscheck will face former UFC welterweight champion Matt Hughes at UFC 135 in place of the injured Diego Sanchez. This bout could mark a sad end for one of the greatest champions in UFC history.

Why is this being marked as the end, let alone sad?

Read and find out!

Age

It's not that Josh Koscheck is young (he's 33), its that Matt Hughes is getting up there in years at the age of 37.

Sadly, not even an athlete of Hughes' caliber can outrun father time; Hughes is not the fighter he once was.

This fight will demonstrate that to a T, with the younger, faster Koscheck outpacing the older Hughes.

Wrestling

For an old school fan, it's difficult to fathom someone's wrestling being more dominant than Matt Hughes' since fans have grown accustomed to seeing Hughes dominate with it for so long.

However, a new class of wrestler (and athlete) is now involved in the sport. Because of this, the baseline wrestling ability for fighters is much higher than it was during Hughes' heyday. Koscheck is a far more accomplished wrestler and likely won't have any problems taking Hughes to the mat and keeping him there if he chooses not to exploit his other advantage, which is...

KO Power/Superior Stand-Up

It's no secret that Josh Koscheck has some power in his hands. It is also no secret that Matt Hughes' chin is not what it used to be. In his last four losses, Hughes has been on the receiving end of bad knockouts three times.

When this is combined with the fact that Hughes doesn't have the strongest stand-up abilities and will be unable to bring the fight to the ground due to his wrestling disadvantage, it spells out a disastrous scenario for the Illinois native.

Koscheck will be able to pick Hughes apart on the feet and keep the fight there as long as he wants. Should Hughes manage to get the better of Kosheck when fists fly, then the superior wrestler will simply bring it to the ground.

Going out with a Whimper Rather Than a Bang

Matt Hughes is one of the most legendary fighters in the history of the UFC. While Hughes hasn't explicitly stated he would retire if he lost again, the writing is certainly on the wall since he seriously contemplated retirement after losing to B.J. Penn at UFC 123.

How sad would it be to see him retire on the back end of two devastating losses? Look at the adjacent picture, is that how you want to remember Matt Hughes?

Thus, a fight with Koscheck would bring about an inglorious end to a glorious career. New fans will see Matt Hughes not as a legend but as a broken, past his prime fighter. An accomplished figure of Hughes' caliber does not deserve such a sad end to his amazing story.