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Josh Koscheck thrilled to be a part of Bellator

Andreas Hale

For 10 years, Josh Koscheck gave his blood, sweat and tears to the UFC. He’s more recognizable than your average fighter due to his boisterous personality and blonde locks that permeated into the mainstream as a competitor on the first season of “The Ultimate Fighter” on Spike TV.

But after 25 fights with the organization, including a failed run at the UFC welterweight title against Georges St-Pierre in 2010, Koscheck has packed his bags and decided to go back to where it all began.

Josh Koscheck, right, fights Jake Ellenberger on Feb. 28, 2015, in Los Angeles. (Getty)
Josh Koscheck, right, fights Jake Ellenberger on Feb. 28, 2015, in Los Angeles. (Getty)

Koscheck announced in June that he inked a deal with Bellator MMA, which just so happens to have a home on Spike TV. Koscheck didn’t leave the house that the Fertittas and Dana White built quietly as he openly discussed his displeasure with the direction of the organization.

A couple of months after a media rant in which Koscheck slammed the UFC at every turn, the former No. 1 contender spoke to Yahoo Sports about what the future holds for him.

“I haven’t been this excited in a long time about fighting,” the former NCAA Division I wrestling champion said. “But it looks like I am going to be fighting on Dec. 11 in California. I’m not 100 percent sure, but that’s what we are looking at. I don’t know who my opponent is yet but, to be honest with you, it doesn’t matter who I fight.”

The 37-year-old says he will do whatever he can to help the organization, and if that means interviews every single week, then so be it. Koscheck (17-10, 15-10 in the UFC) isn’t here to simply make a buck. He says he truly believes in Bellator and the vision of the company’s current president, Scott Coker.

“A guy like Scott Coker is a guy who is going to be real with you,” Koscheck said of the founder of the now-defunct Strikeforce promotion. After Zuffa (the UFC’s parent company) bought Strikeforce, Coker spent a short time working for the UFC before his contract ran out and he made his way to Bellator. During that time, Koscheck says he grew close with Coker and knew that he wanted to follow him wherever he ended up.

“He has a great vision for the company,” Koscheck suggested before taking a thinly veiled jab at his former employer. “He’s not going to intimidate you, he’s not going to pick up the phone and cuss you out and he’s going to be reasonable. He’s going to allow you to talk openly if you have a problem with him or Bellator. But he’s going to get whatever your problem is solved.”

Fighter relationships are what Koscheck says led to his departure from the UFC. From the Reebok deal to the “handcuffs” he says were placed on him to keep him quiet, Koscheck let it be known that his final days with the UFC were not enjoyable. And, apparently, he’s not the only one who felt this way.

Joining Koscheck in Bellator are other former UFC fighters such as Phil Davis, Tito Ortiz, Melvin Guillard, Paul Daley, Kendall Grove, Joey Beltran, Stephan Bonnar, Cheick Kongo and the recently signed Josh Thomson. While every fighter didn’t leave the company for the same reasons as Koscheck, he believes that the exodus is something that fans should pay attention to. But if people don’t want to take his word for it, he suggests that everyone listen to a current fighter on the UFC roster.

In a recent interview, UFC middleweight Tim Kennedy recently stated that the business side of the UFC has made the state of the sport “horrible and tragic and pathetic.” He pointed out how the loss of sponsorship money for individuals because of the Reebok deal has put a major dent in fighter earnings.

Josh Koscheck has been outspoken in his criticism of the UFC. (Getty)
Josh Koscheck has been outspoken in his criticism of the UFC. (Getty)

"My disenchantment has come from the business side of it," Kennedy said in an interview with MMA Fighting. He’s currently ranked No. 7 in the middleweight division but hasn’t fought since last September. He pointed to the recent UFC card in Nashville as a perfect example of the money problem.

“Glover [Teixeira] just fought [Ovince Saint Preux], and the entire Reebok payout was like $100,000 or something,” Kennedy said. “[That’s] everyone, every single athlete from the entire card that night. I made more in sponsorship [in one fight] in Strikeforce than every single athlete on the card that night.”

Said Koscheck: “If a guy like Tim Kennedy is saying those things, there must be some truth to it.”

Koscheck says he spoke to Thomson and Davis about being a part of the still growing promotion and what it all means. Both Davis and Thomson waited for their contracts with the UFC to run out before making the move.

“I spoke to those guys quite a bit and they are awesome additions to the roster,” he said. “I think if guys continue to fight their contracts out [with the UFC], they will know what they are worth and can come over to the good side.”

Koscheck believes fans will see what the fighters have been going through in the UFC and that they eventually will also jump ship from the UFC to Bellator.

“The fans want the fighters to be happy,” Koscheck said. “I see it all the time on social media where the fans are not happy with how the fighters are being treated with this Reebok deal. But some of these fighters are scared to speak out. I think the fans are beginning to notice that and realize Bellator is here to help build fighters and give them the opportunity to make as much money as they can.”

In the end, Koscheck is happy to be back where it all began. He also promises that this is where it will also end.

“I started my career on Spike TV and now I get an opportunity to finish here,” he said. “And I will finish my career here. This will be my last run right here. Bellator is it.”