5 Potential Middleweight Opponents for Josh Koscheck

Former UFC welterweight title challenger Josh Koscheck claimed a victory over UFC Hall of Famer Matt Hughes this past weekend at UFC 135.

After knocking out Hughes in the first round, Koscheck puts himself back on the map of UFC welterweight contenders, but is there a title fight awaiting him after losing to Georges St-Pierre in December? Probably not.

There are several things the 33-year-old can do while waiting for potential challengers. He can sit back and wait for St-Pierre to vacate the title and move up to middleweight, or he can make the decision to do so himself and make his way up the ladder to fight UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva.

Koscheck doesn't have many fights left in his career, and these decisions will ultimately determine how the rest of his career plays out.

These are five opponents he could challenge if he decides to move up to the 185-pound division.

No. 5: Chris Leben

A rematch with Chris Leben could be something fans would get behind, especially after seeing the bad blood these two had on the first season of The Ultimate Fighter.

Koscheck would be the first to defeat Leben on the show, and "The Crippler" was left with the words "there's your plane ticket home" after the loss.

The two have fought a combined 37 times in the Octagon since they first met in 2005, and they've each faced the best of the best in their respective divisions. Neither has fought outside of his division in the UFC.

Leben is currently scheduled to face Mark Munoz at UFC 138, but win or lose, he could still welcome Koscheck to the division.

No. 4: Alan Belcher

Alan Belcher is 17-6 in MMA with five victories in his last six bouts. Of his last five fights, four of them were awarded bonuses, including two Fight of the Night awards.

Belcher is one of the long-time contenders in the division that has yet to face Anderson Silva. His career has been hot and cold up until his recent string of impressive victories over fighters like Patrick Cote, Jason MacDonald and Wilson Gouveia.

Belcher vs. Koscheck could be a fight that produces power-punching displays of stand-up attacks by both fighters. Koscheck possess one-punch KO power while Belcher is technically superior and isn't afraid to mix it up with kicks and punches.

No. 3: Yushin Okami

Yushin Okami (26-6) is coming off his KO loss to Anderson Silva at UFC 134, but he still remains one of the elite middleweights in the division.

With Koscheck potentially moving up, he could be challenged by the much bigger Okami, who walks around as a heavyweight.

Okami's only losses in the UFC have come against Silva, Chael Sonnen and Rich Franklin.

A win over Okami means you are one of the best fighters in the division, and with Koscheck only looking for big fights, it could mean a lot for him in jumping right into title contention with a victory over the Japanese fighter.

No. 2: Vitor Belfort

Vitor Belfort (20-9) rebounded from his knockout loss to Anderson Silva to knock out Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 133. The win showed he still has much to offer in his career.

Koscheck is only several months younger than Belfort, but he is much younger in terms of his MMA career. Belfort won the UFC 12 tournament in 1996. Koscheck made his MMA debut eight years later.

Belfort has always had problems against wrestlers, and Koscheck is the type of guy that could put him on his back and test that notion. Belfort's size and punching power might create problems for the former NCAA Division I wrestler, and they are what makes this fight so intriguing.

Koscheck has stated he would like to return in December while Belfort recently pulled out of his UFC 139 bout but will be allowed to fight before the end of the year. This is a fight that could be made for the year-end show.

No. 1: Stephan Bonnar

Light-heavyweight Stephan Bonnar is willing to fight Koscheck at a catchweight bout, and their problems are well-documented after Bonnar used a cartoon version of Koscheck for a T-shirt label called "Trash Talking Kids."

Koscheck spoke to Bleacher Report about the possible matchup in an interview from June:

"

He's never got any paperwork from my attorneys or my managers to do this shirt. He's never contacted me, and he was told not to do it. He put me in breach, and I had no other choice. He put my back against the wall, and I didn't have any other reason to do this—or choice—and there's never been a problem, but now he created a problem.

Now, Stephan Bonnar is calling me out, and it's absurd. That p***y really needs to think about who he's calling out because when he becomes a B-level fighter, then I'll take him serious.

But right now, he's not even a B-level fighter, so I'm not taking him serious.

If he does want to fight me and run his mouth and continue to run his mouth personally, then we can settle this. I'll fight him at 185 for the fans because I know there's a lot of people out there right now [for whom] this is a big deal, and I'll make that my comeback fight hopefully in October. All day long, that'd be a nice, easy comeback fight. I'd like to have a nice warmup fight, and Stephan Bonnar would be that fight.

"

If they agree to this fight, it could be one of the most anticipated fights of the year.