Koscheck Scores One for Old School

Josh Koscheck remains one of the world’s top 170 pounders. | File Photo: Sherdog.com

In previous explorations of the welterweight contender divide, we categorized the top 170-pounders as a mix of New and Old School contenders. After Jake Ellenberger’s 53-second dismissal of Jake Shields at UFC Fight Night 25, the process of the New supplanting the Old took an aggressive step toward completion of an inevitable process.

Still, Josh Koscheck’s resounding knockout of hall of famer Matt Hughes at UFC 135 on Saturday in Denver was a sobering reminder of how tough he will be to dislodge. His wrestling remains some of the best in the division, and his combination of solid standup and explosive power makes him a handful for most. It will be fascinating to see how the UFC matches Koscheck next, for he is incredibly hard to market as a title challenger after dropping two bouts to champion Georges St. Pierre.

My guess is that Koscheck gets a fellow Old School mate in Shields or B.J. Penn next to eliminate at least one of them from the top of the ranks.

Jason Probst can be reached at Jason@jasonprobst.com or twitter.com/jasonprobst.