TEAM COACHES VOW TO WIN TUF BATTLE BEFORE DECEMBER WAR

Post date: 21-Sep-2010 13:51:31

TEAM COACHES VOW TO WIN TUF BATTLE BEFORE DECEMBER WAR

UFC WELTERWEIGHT CHAMPION GEORGES ST-PIERRE AND No1 CONTENDER JOSH KOSCHECK CLASH AS COACHES ON ‘THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER’ AHEAD OF THEIR TITLE FIGHT IN DECEMBER

London, England – The two best welterweights in the Ultimate Fighting Championship^(R) - Champion Georges St-Pierre and No1 contender Josh Koscheck – will look to win a significant battle before their feud explodes into total war for their title fight in Montreal, Canada in December.

As opposing coaches on the twelfth series of ‘The Ultimate Fighter^(TM)’ - which premieres tonight on Sky Sports 2 at 10pm – the welterweights had the opportunity to score psychological points as they championed two teams of unsigned fighters in their quest to win a six-figure contract with the UFC^(R).

“It was a chance to get to see him up close and personal again,” said Koscheck, who lost a decision to ‘GSP’ in August of 2007. “I got to see how he coaches, which gives me an idea of how he is training and it wasn’t a surprise. It was the same lay and pray stuff he did in our first fight. I’ve totally evolved in the last three years, but he’s the same.”

Koscheck, 15-4 in MMA, isn’t shy about expressing his opinions and freely admitted he seized every opportunity to goad the champion during the six-weeks of filming in Las Vegas this past summer.

“All the pressure is on him,” ‘Kos’ said. “He’s the champion, he’s supposed to be Superman. He’s supposed to be perfect and I got to spend six weeks getting inside his head and proving he’s not Superman. I learned a few things about him during filming which will absolutely help me in the fight. He’s even admitted I got inside his head and that I got to him.

“The main thing is that I learned he’s a fake. From just from being around him, I truly believe he's fake. He's created this persona and I think he's a lot different to how he comes across in public. You're going to see on the show exactly what he's like.”

While Koscheck seemingly delights in courting controversy, St-Pierre couldn’t be more different in his approach to his sport, and to the task of coaching TUF.

The champion said: “I'm not surprised Koscheck is saying the stuff he's saying, because he's clearly trying to get inside my head. He's already said two lies, though. He said he was happy to fight me in Montreal in December, when I know he isn't. He isn't happy at all. He also says that I'm a 'fake' person, and that's not true at all. Everybody will be able to see who I am and what I stand for on the show.”

British hopes rest squarely on the shoulders of Aaron Wilkinson, the ground-and-pounder who has trained for the last three years at the Wolf’s Lair gym in Widnes alongside UFC fighters like Cheick Kongo, ‘Rampage’ Jackson and Ultimate Fighter Season 3 champion and Season 9 coach Michael Bisping.

Wilkinson, 6-3 in MMA with all six wins coming by submission, said it was a ‘dream come true’ to follow in Bisping’s footsteps and he hopes to join ‘The Count’, Ross Pearson and James Wilkes as British winners of ‘The Ultimate Fighter’.

He said: “Mike sat me down and told me to go there and give everything, that this was the biggest chance of my lifetime. He said winning TUF had changed his life and the life of his family and that’s what I want to do.

“When I got into MMA my plan was always to get on the show, win the entire thing and then receive a contract with the UFC. Failing that, though, I felt it was important to just go out there and put on some great fights and show just how much potential I have. My main goal has always been to get to the UFC and compete against the very best.”

The Ultimate Fighter: Team GSP v Team Koscheck begins tonight on Sky Sports 2 at 10pm