“Kos” is back. According to MMAjunkie.com, the UFC is adding a three-round welterweight bout between Josh Koscheck and Neil Magny to UFC 184, which takes place February 28 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. The bout is expected to make it onto the main pay-per-view card. This is such a random matchup and I’m not really sure what to make of it. With Koscheck, yes, he was once one of the top welterweight fighters in the sport for sure, but his time has certainly passed. He has been out of the Octagon for over a year, and he hasn’t actually won a fight in nearly three years. He’s also turning 37 soon and has lost his last three fights, including his last two by T/KO. I honestly thought Koscheck was retired and was going to focus on starting out his broadcasting career, but obviously that wasn’t working out too well for him and he’s going to make a comeback despite all the signs pointing towards this being a bad idea. As for Magny, he is 6-2 in the UFC and is currently riding a five-fight win streak in the Octagon, and he absolutely deserved a “name” opponent, although I’m not really sure if Koscheck is the right guy. I guess the UFC wants to see Magny’s wrestling tested and I can understand that, but I just feel like this isn’t the right test. I do think Koscheck has solid wrestling, but the fact he has been out for over a year just makes this matchup seem irrelevant to me. I don’t know if stopping Koscheck’s takedowns at this point of his career is really going to prove that Magny can wrestle, and I wish the UFC instead of Koscheck put Rick Story or someone like Ryan LaFlare in here with Magny — you know, someone who can wrestle *and* who is relevant in the division. As far as the line goes, it’s hard to say really. Even though I just spent a few sentences criticizing Koscheck, the guy was once a great welterweight and if he can return to form he should be able to outwrestle Magny here. Having said that, with the long layoff, how can anyone really put their faith in him? I do still think that Koscheck is going to be a slight favorite heading into this matchup, but if Magny is available at any sort of decent plus money, it would be hard not to take a stab at him considering his win streak. Regardless of the betting opportunities, though, I just don’t like this matchup and wish the UFC gave Magny someone else, and told Koscheck to stay at home.
