Koscheck talks fighting at 39: 'I'd have said you're crazy'
Josh Koscheck doesn't need to be reminded of just how long he's been in the MMA business.
Set to make a fresh start at Bellator 172 in San Jose, Calif. this Saturday, the longtime UFC welterweight standout remains as irreverent as ever. That said, Koscheck has been fighting professionally since 2004, and the brash attitude that made him a popular (and divisive) personality has clearly been tempered by the wisdom that only comes from experience.
Koscheck recently spoke to theScore about his role in Bellator, and his preparations for what could be his last run as a cage fighter.
"I don't care what other people think of me," Koscheck said. "Bellator is going to do what they gotta do and if they want to put butts in the seats and they want to get eyeballs on the TV then they should put Josh Koscheck on the card versus guys like Paul Daley, things like that that can sell. I'm not afraid to fight anybody, anytime, anyplace, anywhere, never have, and I never will be.
"But now that you've dated me that this is my 13th year, holy s--t I'm old."
Facing Koscheck at Bellator 172 will be Mauricio Alonso, a little-known Brazilian fighter with a 12-7 record. Alonso is a wild card to be sure, but the greater challenge for Koscheck could be the mental hurdle that comes from not having picked up a win since Feb. 4, 2012. He hasn't even been able to fight for almost two years, with an injury forcing his withdrawal from (what was supposed to be) his Bellator debut last January.
Koscheck recently turned 39 - an age where most athletes are getting ready to retire, not preparing to hop in the cage after nearly 700 days away from competition. However, he's been staying busy by training with young, hungry talents like fellow Bellator signees Ed Ruth and Aaron Pico, while taking time out of his busy schedule to spar with UFC contenders.
"I did some traveling," Koscheck continued. "I lived part-time in North Carolina because I have a company over there. I go over there and get a lot of different training with different partners, then I went down to (Stephen) 'Wonderboy' Thompson's and trained with him for 10 days, so I kind of got that simulation of, 'Hey, this is a new person standing in front of me, it's not the same training partner,' so you get those nerves of going in and training and sparring with somebody else."
As a former world title challenger and a veteran of 25 UFC bouts, Koscheck has plenty of training advice to offer, but primarily just tells up-and-coming fighters to be smart about marketing themselves, to avoid being exploited, and to win at any cost.
That, and not to get ahead of themselves, regardless of the stage in their careers.
"I'm not trying to fool anybody. I'm 39 years old," Koscheck said. "Five or six years ago, if you said I'd be competing until I'm 39 or 40, I'd have said you're crazy. For me, I just take it one day at a time right now. I've got to be real. At some point it's going to come to an end and it's probably going to come to an end in the near future. 2017 will probably be my last year, but we'll see. You never know. Crazier things have happened. In this game, if you can get hot, go out there and put three, four, or five (wins) together, you never know.
"But as of right now, I'm going to go out there and scrap come Feb. 18 and see what I got, see where I'm at. We'll see after that."