Koscheck: Ready for the Bad Guy role in TUF
Batman has his Joker. The Autobots has Decepticons. Even the Smurfs have Gargamel the sorcerer to contend with.
The good guys need the bad guys to define them and reaffirm their positions. The producers of the reality TV series, The Ultimate Fighter, know that they would need two polarizing characters to make the UFC's MMA reality show interesting.
In some ways, the formula had been tried before with former sets of TUF coaches, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira versus Frank Mir and Dan Henderson versus Michael Bisping. The soft-spoken Nogueira was opposed by the cockiness of Mir and more so with the Henderson-Bisping rivalry. Without a doubt, the “good cop, bad cop” routine draws more interest.
UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre is always known as a gentleman in the brutal sport of MMA. He will be featured as a coach in TUF season 12. Expect nothing from him but to be professional, respectful, and non-confrontational. Well, to say the least, GSP’s personality—by reality show standards—is a potential snooze-fest.
It is a great thing that the opposing coach is a fighter who, in many ways, contradicts the personality of St. Pierre. The brash and cocky Josh Koscheck perfectly fits the mold of the villain. The number one contender for the welterweight title will definitely make the 12th season of TUF interesting a very entertaining one.
Many people like the fact that St. Pierre acts in certain way that is perceived as different from the stereotypical cage fighter. It makes the welterweight champion endearing to the fans. But it does not necessarily convert to viewers.
Koscheck, on the other hand, is the type of fighter that people just love to hate. That genuine dislike of Koscheck brings in potential viewers and needless to say, TV is all about ratings. Another good thing about Kos is that he embraces the bad guy role. He does not mind being hated on, he even feeds from it.
Koscheck himself is product of the show, the very first Ultimate Fighter. He did not win the competition but he is certainly a memorable character. His trademark arrogant and reckless attitude created entertaining clashes with other fighters, particularly the one with Chris Leben. With his aggressive personality paired with his innate fighting ability, any show with Koscheck in it is sure entertainment.
The shooting for the latest TUF season had already ended and Koscheck is vividly proud of this season saying that fans of the show will really enjoy it. He also speaks about the personality differences between him and the current champion.
"He[Georges St. Pierre] tries to act a certain way and be perceived as an A-class person. He doesn't make mistakes and he likes to live his life a certain way. Well, I'm a lot different. I'm a guy who likes conflict. I like to talk. I like to express my feelings and my opinions.“ Koscheck said in an interview with Yahoo! Sports. “I think everyone is going to be interested to see the way our personalities mesh.”
Koscheck also expressed that he had learned more about St. Pierre on the show and that knowledge will give him an advantage in their next fight, the main event of the officially unconfirmed UFC 124. He said that he had picked up on some flaws that the champion has always had. He never doubted his abilities and his self-belief has grown even bigger after his stint as a TUF coach.
"I saw some weakness in him and I definitely plan to use that against him.” Koscheck said with confidence. “Maybe he doesn't believe I'm a better fighter than I was, and if he doesn't, it's his mistake.” St. Pierre defeated Koscheck before at UFC 74.
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