After a lingering illness forced Brock Lesnar to withdraw from his UFC 106 heavyweight title fight against Shane Carwin on Nov. 21, UFC officials began scrambling to find a marquee match-up to supplement the card’s new main event of Forrest Griffin vs. Tito Ortiz II.
And since the mantra of Josh Koscheck has always been “I don’t care who I fight or where … just get me someone who wants to fight,” it should be no surprise that his phone was the first to ring.
Sherdog.com has confirmed the TUF star’s Twitter message that he will indeed be taken off his previously scheduled bout against Mike Pierce at UFC Fight Night 20 on Jan. 11 in Fairfax to face Anthony “Rumble” Johnson in Las Vegas on Nov. 21
Koscheck is fresh off a first round technical knockout finish of former two-time 170-pound number one contender, Frank Trigg, at UFC 103 just last month. The American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) standout has expressed numerous times his desire to fight whenever, wherever and against whoever the promotion sees fit.
They didn’t have to look very far.
Whether it should be seen as reward — or punishment — Johnson will have less than a month to exorcise his weight cutting demons that cost him more than 60 grand at UFC 104: “Machida vs. Shogun,” where he missed weight and his chance to earn “Knockout of the Night” when UFC President Dana White ruled his obliteration of Yoshiyuki Yoshida ineligible for the bonus based on the weight cutting infraction.
Both fighters are approaching the precipice of title contention. This fight has an interesting contrast in styles, and it will be interesting to see how Johnson deals with the stingy ground game of the AKA wrestler.
Likewise, the power in Johnson’s hands will be Koscheck’s primary concern. It would not come as a surprise to see “Rumble” challenging Georges St. Pierre in 2010 if he can manage to stop “Kos” — and avoid any more weight cutting problems.
Or perhaps a number one contender bout opposite Mike Swick? First things first; however, as Johnson has to prove he can hang in the upper echelon of 170-pound fighters. Koscheck on the other hand has already been there — and it’s up to him to prove that he still belongs there.
UFC 106 will feature “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” Tito Ortiz making his return to the Octagon in a rematch with former light heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin, after spending nearly a year and a half on the sidelines.
For more on the developing UFC 106 fight card and rumors click here.
