Before the UFC’s women’s bantamweight division takes centre stage at UFC 184, two welterweight veterans will battle for their future employment with the promotion as Jake Ellenberger and Josh Koscheck aim to get back on the winning track when they square off Saturday. It’s an opportunity for both fighters to prove they can still compete in one of the UFC’s deepest divisions.
Ellenberger (29-9) has lost three straight and has been finished in his last two outings. The 29-year-old has never fought for UFC championship gold, but has flirted with being a 170-pound contender in the past before his losses to Martin Kampmann and Rory MacDonald. He’s still the only man to finish former title challenger Jake Shields in the UFC and boasts wins over Diego Sanchez and Nate Marquardt. Like Koscheck, the IFL veteran is enduring the worst losing streak of his career and no doubt looks to find the form that saw him win six-straight from 2010 to 2012.
Koscheck (17-8) is only one of three active UFC fighters — Diego Sanchez and Mike Swick being the others — who competed on the inaugural season of The Ultimate Fighter. Since his Octagon debut nearly 10 years ago, Koscheck has amassed 13 wins inside the Octagon, but has recently hit the worst patch of his career. After falling short in a title opportunity against Georges St-Pierre at UFC 124 in 2010, Koscheck has gone jut 2-3, including devastating first-round knockout losses to Robbie Lawler and Tyron Woodley. The Dethrone Base Camp member hasn’t fought since November 2013 and realistically needs an impressive victory for his UFC career to continue.
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A number of variables make this one difficult to predict. First off it’s easy to point to both of these combatants’ respective losing streaks, but the reality is they’ve lost to some of the best fighters in the division. We don’t know if the extended layoff for Koscheck has allowed him to retool his game or if this will actually hinder his abilities by experiencing cage rust. Ellenberger has admitted many of his in-cage woes were mental issues and it’s not clear if he’s overcome those challenges. Physically, these fighters are nearly identical and while Ellenberger is eight years younger, he also has 13 more fights under his belt. Both possess knockout power, but each fighter has been knocked out in the past. With what’s at stake you wonder if this fight may turn into a wrestling match and if that’s the case, Koscheck – a former NCAA Division 1 Wrestler – would have the advantage in that area. Either way, there may be a feeling-out process at the start of this fight.
It’s no secret the loser of this fight will undoubtedly receive their walking papers and if that’s Koscheck, it would likely prompt his retirement as well. If that’s the case, the UFC would be losing one of the greatest villains to ever grace the Octagon. Should Ellenberger lose his fourth in a row and with that potentially his job, it’s likely a number of promotions such as World Series of Fighting and Bellator MMA would be interested in his services. Between the two fighters, Ellenberger needs a victory more as its unclear how many fights Koscheck has left in him at age 37. Should the TUF veteran emerge victorious he would immediately be the division’s staple gatekeeper. Conversely a win for Ellenberger would not only snap his losing streak, but also give him another shot to prove he belongs in the UFC.