Mike Pierce Aims to Break Josh Koscheck 'Mentally and Physically' at UFC 143
Mike Pierce Aims to Break Josh Koscheck 'Mentally and Physically' at UFC 143
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"I hear things from people that used to train with him or used to be involved with him one way or another and they're like, 'That's really him,'" Pierce said on Monday's edition of The MMA Hour. "That's not the kind of guy I really like, to be honest. I do like that he is a wrestler. I do respect that. But the attitude and arrogance that come with it, I'm not really keen on that."
Koscheck goes into the fight as a sizable favorite but Pierce has shown the skills to be competitive win anyone. In his most high-profile fights, he took a round from Jon Fitch when Fitch was ranked No. 2 in the world before losing a close decision, and he later lost a split-decision to the surging Johny Hendricks.
Given those experiences, suffice it to say that the prospect of facing Koscheck doesn't scare him. In fact, he says standing up to Koscheck's aggression is one of the most important ways of seizing the momentum of the fight.
"I think you just press the pace on him and wear him down," he said of his keys to victory. "I tend to think he's kind of got that bully style where if he goes in there and starts beating someone up, he gets that momentum going, and it's kind of hard to stop him. But if you come at him from the opening bell and put the pressure on him, and get inside his head and show him that he's not in the fight, he's just going to give up and break down."
Pierce's wrestling credentials make him believe that he can negate Koscheck's advantage. He, too, was a Division I wrestler while at Portland State University, experience that influences his hard-charging style.
That's exactly what he hopes to bring to Koscheck as the 31-year-old looks for the signature victory of his career, a win that would vault him up the rankings list and announce him as a contender.
"I want to just press the action on Josh and watch him break down," he said. "Nothing gives me more pleasure than watching a guy mentally and physically give up and then having the referee pull me off of him. That's what I want."
This is a high risk no reward fight for Kos. Pierce is a tough guy who is very similar to Kos. That being said I expect Kos to win and probably set up a matchup with Hendricks or the Diego vs Ellenberger winner.
Kos still hasn't been tested since GSP. That Hughes fight wasn't a test. He outpowered and outmuscled Hughes after getting caught by Hughes speed on his feet....which isn't good.
Pierce is built like a tank....low centre of gravity. And I am hoping Kos will have problems outmuscling him to the ground. Pierce has power...especially in that left.
They mentioned on Inside MMA a week ago that Pierce had to change camps and had a problem with his old camp....didn't really understand what they were talking about.
I hope that in this fight, we get to see how Kos takes a punch. He looked really awkward in that Hughes fight when he took a shot. He looked literally scared...
I also hope that Pierce has the hand speed to stand with Kos.
Honestly...good test for Kos since his fight with GSP. He hasn't proved to me that he looks the same as he did before the GSP fight....when he was in his prime.
But there were times when others taught him a lesson. At the Peninsula Wrestling Club in Portland, Ore., where he first dedicated himself to the art of grappling, he locked horns with a younger Chael Sonnen.
"One time I was picking on my brother at school, and after school was done, I went to practice at Peninsula," Pierce said. "And my parents told Chael, 'Hey, Mike was picking on his brother. Why don't you go teach him a lesson?'
"So I get out there, and this is during freestyle and Greco season where we can throw people over the top. He's just beating the crap out of me, and he picks me up. We're walking across the mat. I have no idea where we're going, and he finds this big throw mat and tosses me on it. He's like, 'Yeah, your parents wanted me to do this to you.'"
Former Portlander Chris Leben certainly didn't ask to be abused when Koscheck harassed him on the first season of the UFC's seminal reality show. That, and Koscheck's attitude, turned Pierce.
Naturally, that carried over to Saturday's fight. Koscheck was smug about the very notion of fighting Pierce.
"He said that line: 'Do you know who I am?'" Pierce said. "I was like, 'C'mon, who says that?' He was a national champion, which I understand, so he's got a background there. That doesn't necessarily mean you're going to be the world's greatest MMA fighter. A lot of great fighters that weren't national champions fight in the UFC. So that was the starting point for me."
But ultimately Pierce has to finish things in the octagon by competing at his best, and he doesn't plan on showing any mercy to Koscheck. When the fuzzy-haired welterweight revealed he was worried about taking a punch in his most recent fight as the result of a broken orbital he suffered in his loss this past year to welterweight champ Georges St-Pierre, Pierce took notice.
"It's got a big bull's eye on it," he said of the soft spot. "I'm not 100 percent sure he's gotten over that, so we're going to test it come Saturday."
Pierce warns that Koscheck's smugness could come back to bite him, especially if he thinks he's up against an inexperienced, one-dimensional wrestler.
"Guys tend to key on that and bite on that, and they forget that I've been working on my striking for a long time," Pierce said. "My goal has always to get my striking up to where my wrestling is. Getting people scared and making mistakes is what I'm aiming to do."
Last edited by Cat--Smasher; 02-01-2012 at 11:55 AM.
They mentioned on Inside MMA a week ago that Pierce had to change camps and had a problem with his old camp....didn't really understand what they were talking about.
maybe he was talking about the supposed shit that went down while he was at brave legion with rick story?
Kos still hasn't been tested since GSP. That Hughes fight wasn't a test. He outpowered and outmuscled Hughes after getting caught by Hughes speed on his feet....which isn't good.
Pierce is built like a tank....low centre of gravity. And I am hoping Kos will have problems outmuscling him to the ground. Pierce has power...especially in that left.
They mentioned on Inside MMA a week ago that Pierce had to change camps and had a problem with his old camp....didn't really understand what they were talking about.
I hope that in this fight, we get to see how Kos takes a punch. He looked really awkward in that Hughes fight when he took a shot. He looked literally scared...
I also hope that Pierce has the hand speed to stand with Kos.
Honestly...good test for Kos since his fight with GSP. He hasn't proved to me that he looks the same as he did before the GSP fight....when he was in his prime.
Agreed Dude, I just watched Hughes/Koscheck like two days ago and Koscheck was getting lit up by Hughes! Theres atleast a few times where Hughes connects and Kos's face winces.
Suck for Hughes because he looked really sharp up until Kos landed that sloppy wild right. And once that landed Hughes had nothing to offer.
Mike Pierce Aims to Break Josh Koscheck 'Mentally and Physically' at UFC 143 
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