Josh Koscheck Defeats Anthony Johnson

That “CRASH!” you just heard was the sound of everyone jumping off the Anthony Johnson bandwagon.

Coming into this fight, a lot of people (including myself) underestimated Josh Koscheck. After watching him defeat Johnson, it’s amazing that he was considered the underdog. About the only thing I would have acknowledged was that Josh had the experience advantage. As it turns out, he had a lot more over his opponent than most people realized.

For one, Josh has the faster hands. That’s a great edge to have over a guy like Johnson. Anthony fights with a lot of excitement. He’s always eager to land a knockout shot. That also means he leaves openings when he attacks. Josh knew how to punch and then avoid the counterattack. Clearly, having more power doesn’t make you the better striker.

Then there’s the wrestling. Obviously, not all wrestling titles are created equal. Johnson’s amateur background in junior college is a step below what Koscheck went through.

Also, wrestlers hate being on their back. Once you’re there, you need to rely on your jiu-jitsu to survive. Johnson really needs to work on his grappling skills more than anything else.

Well, except perhaps for his cardio. When it comes to athleticism, he’s no Georges St. Pierre. Then again, only an idiot would make that comparison in the first place.

It could be that Anthony would benefit from fighting at a higher weight class. If he didn’t have to dehydrate himself so much, he’d feel like a new man in the octagon. Plus, he would get to fight slower opponents. Furthermore, there aren’t as many top-flight wrestlers as there are at welterweight.

You have to give props to Kos for his shout out to Dan Hardy. Contrived as it was, it got a laugh out of the crowd. Though, I don’t think GSP was impressed by his verbal performance.

Next Fight: Forrest Griffin vs. Tito Ortiz

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