Josh Koscheck

Scouting report

Josh Koscheck won the 174 pound NCAA Division I title for Edinboro in 2001 and was a four-time All-American. He came out of The Ultimate Fighter 1, beat Chris Leben on the show, and lost a split decision to Diego Sanchez in the semifinals. In the UFC he went 15-10, and he fought Georges St-Pierre twice. The second meeting, at UFC 124 in Montreal on December 11, 2010, was for the welterweight title. St-Pierre won every round, and Koscheck left with a broken orbital bone.

Peak ratings

Josh Koscheck: an NCAA champion who learned to strike at AKA

Koscheck wrestled at Waynesburg Central High School in Pennsylvania before Edinboro, where he was national runner-up in 2000 and champion in 2001. After the show he trained at American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, starting in 2006, and credits it for his striking. His UFC career ran from the TUF 1 Finale in April 2005, where he knocked out Chris Sanford, to a March 2015 loss to Erick Silva. He announced his retirement on June 28, 2018. His record finished 17-11.

Koscheck, one attribute at a time

Boxing. 82. Yoshiyuki Yoshida was knocked out with a punch at 2:15 of round one at the Fight for the Troops card in December 2008. Matt Hughes went the same way at UFC 135 in September 2011.

Kickboxing. 70, well below his wrestling. Dustin Hazelett was stopped by a head kick and punches at 1:24 of round two at UFC 82 in March 2008.

Wrestling. 89. He beat Diego Sanchez on a unanimous decision at UFC 69 in April 2007, and Chris Lytle and Paul Daley went the distance with him as well.

BJJ. 75. He tapped Anthony Johnson with a rear-naked choke at 4:47 of round two at UFC 106, which earned a Submission of the Night bonus. Jake Ellenberger and Erick Silva both submitted him in 2015.

Strength. 83. Frank Trigg was stopped by punches at 1:25 of round one at UFC 103 in September 2009.

Durability. 81. Robbie Lawler stopped him with punches at UFC 157 in February 2013, and Tyron Woodley knocked him out at UFC 167 that November, both in the first round.

Cardio. 84. He went the full five rounds with St-Pierre at UFC 124, and the fight earned a Fight of the Night bonus of $100,000.

Fight IQ. 80. Johny Hendricks beat him on a split decision at UFC on Fox 3 in May 2012. He had beaten Mike Pierce on a split decision at UFC 143 three months earlier.

Wrestling at 89 is the whole case for him

The college title is the first line on the résumé, and the fights back it up. He went five rounds with St-Pierre and beat Sanchez, Lytle and Daley over three. When it was time to finish, he did it with punches in round one against Trigg, Yoshida and Hughes. Draft him when you want the opponent kept in one place and the fight decided there.

Kickboxing at 70 and a late slide

Koscheck lost his last five UFC fights. Lawler and Woodley stopped him on the feet, and Ellenberger and Silva submitted him within a month of each other in 2015. He also pulled out of cards with a foot injury before UFC 98 and a back injury before UFC 151. His only Bellator fight was a first-round TKO loss to Mauricio Alonso in San Jose in February 2017. Pair him with a fighter who can strike, not another grappler.

Ratings shown are my own estimates, made with AI assistance and informed by how Josh Koscheck is regarded by the MMA community. They are unofficial and do not constitute an assessment of Josh Koscheck's real-world abilities. How the ratings are made. See the disclaimer below. Ratings and write-ups by Haaris A. Last reviewed 2026-09-30; spot an error? Tell us. Read our editorial standards.