Josh Koscheck is one of the best wrestlers in mixed martial arts. His opponent at UFC 113, Paul Daley, is a powerful puncher who doesn't have much in the way of takedown defense or ground skills. If Koscheck is smart, he'll try to take Daley down and beat him on the ground.
But Koscheck hasn't always been smart as a fighter. There have been fights in which he's looked like he wanted to prove something on his feet, even at the expense of finding the best way to win the fight. Is there a chance that Koscheck will make that mistake against Daley?
In a column he wrote at UFC.com, Koscheck at first indicated that he was going to adhere to a strict game plan, but then shifted gears and hinted that he might be looking to trade punches with Daley.
"I'm a smart fighter –- I've had a lot of people talk before and I know what my game plan is –- my coaches gave me a strict game plan for this fight," Koscheck writes.
OK, that sounds good. He's a smart fighter, he's got a strict game plan, and he's going to follow that game plan. So that means taking Daley down, right?
Well, maybe not.
"I can guarantee that this fight won't go past the second round," Koscheck writes. "It will probably end in the first, but I may carry him to the second round. ... I can submit guys, I can knock guys out, I can head kick guys, and I'm not gonna have a problem standing toe-to-toe with Paul Daley. He's not gonna hit me with anything I haven't been hit with. So it's gonna be an exciting fight, and the fans are gonna be tuning in because they just never know what Josh Koscheck's gonna do."
That sounds to me like Koscheck is going into his fight with Daley looking for a knockout. And while that might be the right way to hype the fight, I don't think it's the right way to win the fight.
But Koscheck hasn't always been smart as a fighter. There have been fights in which he's looked like he wanted to prove something on his feet, even at the expense of finding the best way to win the fight. Is there a chance that Koscheck will make that mistake against Daley?
In a column he wrote at UFC.com, Koscheck at first indicated that he was going to adhere to a strict game plan, but then shifted gears and hinted that he might be looking to trade punches with Daley.
"I'm a smart fighter –- I've had a lot of people talk before and I know what my game plan is –- my coaches gave me a strict game plan for this fight," Koscheck writes.
OK, that sounds good. He's a smart fighter, he's got a strict game plan, and he's going to follow that game plan. So that means taking Daley down, right?
Well, maybe not.
"I can guarantee that this fight won't go past the second round," Koscheck writes. "It will probably end in the first, but I may carry him to the second round. ... I can submit guys, I can knock guys out, I can head kick guys, and I'm not gonna have a problem standing toe-to-toe with Paul Daley. He's not gonna hit me with anything I haven't been hit with. So it's gonna be an exciting fight, and the fans are gonna be tuning in because they just never know what Josh Koscheck's gonna do."
That sounds to me like Koscheck is going into his fight with Daley looking for a knockout. And while that might be the right way to hype the fight, I don't think it's the right way to win the fight.