For Josh Koscheck, 2009 was a year full of mediocrity. He went 1-1, with a disappointing loss to Paulo Thiago earlier in the year. Recently, he rebounded at UFC 103 with a win over aging veteran Frank Trigg, but there is no doubt that Koscheck is as far from the UFC Welterweight title as he has been in a long time. Now, he will seek to take another step forward in the rankings by defeating up and comer Mike Pierce on January 11th in Virginia. The fight might headline Fight Night 20, which will take place somewhere in Northern Virginia. MMA Weekly’s got the news, of course:
A welterweight match-up between Josh Koscheck and Mike Pierce is planned for UFC Fight Night 20 on Jan. 11 in Northern Virginia.
Sources close to the fight say bout agreements have yet to be signed, although verbal agreements are in place. Koscheck confirmed the fight on his official Twitter account Friday afternoon.
Word of the Fight Night card first broke on Thursday when the Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation confirmed the UFC’s request of the January date, though the office could not confirm the event or its location.
Koscheck (17-4) has met mixed success in 2009, having recently defeated Frank Trigg by TKO at UFC 103 and lost by KO to Paulo Thiago at UFC 95. Still, the original “Ultimate Fighter” alum has made a home in the upper tier of the 170-pound division, with a 12-4 record inside the Octagon.
Pierce (10-1) recently made a splash in his UFC debut, defeating former WEC contender Brock Larson by unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night 19.
Pierce intrigues me. He lacks a signature win, but his win over crafty veteran Brock Larson really opened my eyes. Larson is a good fighter that comes from a good camp in Minnesota Mixed Martial Arts, and he grounded and pounded in a decision victory for Pierce. Also a wrestler, Pierce will have to do some serious work on his standup if he wants to compete with Koscheck. Expect the wrestling to cancel out, and Koscheck to dominate on the feet. However, if Pierce can get a takedown, he might be able to keep Kos on his back and steal a win.
After watching Mike Swick guillotine Joe Riggs at UFC 60, Anthony was completely hooked on MMA. Since then, he has dedicated himself to spreading the gospel to the uninitiated, showing the world why MMA is great.When not writing, or worrying about this site, Anthony enjoys reading and playing XBOX 360. 
