"I've already had my ass kicked many of times in my UFC career, but I have also went out there and kicked some ass, so no pressure on Josh Koscheck. It's an opportunity to get a chance to fight Paul Daley at some point. It's one fight at a time for me, but yes, I want to have the chance to stand across the cage from Paul Daley," stated newly-signed Bellator welterweight Josh Koscheck, who talked about his future plans and much more. Check it out!
PC: Congratulations on signing with Bellator. I'm sure you're approaching this as a second life and second chance in MMA. Is there any pressure on you to perform a certain way?
JK: No, there ain't no pressure on Josh Koscheck. What is the worst thing that can happen, I go in there and get my ass kicked in Bellator? Well, guess what! I've already had my ass kicked many of times in my UFC career, but I have also went out there and kicked some ass, so no pressure on Josh Koscheck. It's an opportunity to get a chance to fight Paul Daley at some point. It's one fight at a time for me, but yes, I want to have the chance to stand across the cage from Paul Daley.
PC: For a lot of people, they may question your urgency to get in with Daley again considering you beat him the first time, but you guys really can't stand each other.
JK: No, we don't like each other; you're correct on that. I think the next time I see him, I might spit in his face just to piss him off a little bit.
PC: When you look at the experience you gained in your run in the UFC, how do you feel you could apply those experiences in your Bellator run?
JK: You know, I had some good days in the UFC. I can't totally discredit them. They helped build this sport to where it is. There were some good times. The bad thing about that is that they have handcuffs on all the UFC fighters. They own them. If you look at the labor laws, technically we were employees of the UFC and they tell you where to be, when to be there, and all of those types of things, so if you look at those laws of me being a UFC fighter when I was there, we were employees. That's the bad thing about it. So there should have been a 401K, there should be a retirement, and obviously the health care thing they did was a great thing. I want to see all organizations at some point get to those statures as far as health care, benefits, and a retirement program. But I don't have to worry about those things now. I'm signed to Bellator, and Spike TV is awesome and Bellator has been awesome to me so far. I think the biggest difference here is dealing with a guy like Scott Coker, who is down to earth. Scott Coker is a guy you can pick the phone up and call and it's not, "F you and F that; do this or else you're fired." He is a guy that will work with you. He is a guy that we can support. The fighters can support him and if there is issues, you can go and pick the phone up and you call him and you talk it out. "Scott, I'm having this problem. Can we do this?" He's going to do everything in his power to make it happen. And he's trying to make you feel good as a fighter and make things happen for the fighters.
PC: You were always looked at as the bad guy in the UFC and I really don't know why. You seem to get a few more cheers when you're in the Bellator crowd. They seem to be a little more receptive. What has the reception been like?
JK: Yeah, good reception. Fans are always dicks until they come up to you and meet you. They're always going to boo you from afar, but when they get close, they ask for a picture. That's always been my perspective of the fans over the years (laughing). But nah, it's been good. I'm going to have haters and I'm going to have people that like what I do, but at the end of the day, I want them having an opinion because if they don't have an opinion, that means that they are not tuning in to watch Josh Koscheck fight for free on Spike TV or showing up at the events.
PC: Two guys that I speak with fairly often is King Mo and Daniel Cormier. They both told me how good of a businessman you are outside of the cage. How important is that for a fighter to not only be able to fight well inside of the cage, but to also be able to handle business outside of the cage as well?
JK: I have great mentors as far as getting my business perspective and building my business portfolio. Dewayne Zinkin and Zinkin Entertainment and Bob Cook, they are great business guys. They helped me throughout my career. Mark Gross is another guy I work with on business. He's with Oak Grove Technologies. I have, shit, I don't even know how many businesses I have right now. I probably have about 6 or 7 different businesses, so I'm pretty busy outside of the cage. My goal is, coming in, there is no residual income with fighting. That money is only going to last so long. I'm getting towards the end of my career and it's time to start focusing on the aspect after the fighting and after the time of competing for Bellator and the UFC. I've been focused on that for a long time. I come from a very humble and poor upbringing, so I know what it's like to have no money and I know what it's like to struggle. I know what that feeling is. I've been struggling my whole life and now I finally have an opportunity to get ahead and I'm going to make the best of it and try to put on good, solid businesses and develop these businesses into my retirement so that I have residual income for the rest of my life.
PC: Obviously when the average person reads that, they are going to ask the question why get punched in the face and continue to compete? Is that because you have been poor and want to seize every opportunity or just the competitive drive isn't quite gone yet?
JK: I'm hungry, man. All the way around the board, I'm hungry. I know there are opportunities in every area with fighting and my other businesses. I'm a worker. I think that I'm not satisfied just sitting around collecting checks. I want to go out there and work. I want to earn it. I'm a grinder. There's days where I get 4-5 hours of sleep and I'm working on businesses and then I gotta go and train. That's part of it. That's part of the grind. It makes you tougher as a person and I believe that the American dream can still exist. It's a little harder today, but that's what I'm thriving for. I'm thriving for that American dream and I'm willing to work for it. I don't want nothing for free. I've never asked for anything and I never will ask for anything. I'm a guy that will listen. I'm a guy that will take advise from business people that are very successful, and my thing is, it may take me a little longer to get it done and there might be smarter people out there, but eventually, I'm going to get it done and I'm going to succeed. It's all because of one thing and it's called hard work.
PC: It's amazing to me how long you guys can stay in one weight class. Is 170 still comfortable for you to make or can we expect some movement?
JK: Well, if the money is right and the opponent is right, I'll go up to any weight class. I don't care. But 170 is pretty comfortable for me. I walk around at the most right now like 192, but generally I go into the gym for a couple of days and I'm weighing in after training at like 182-183.
PC: We see you again in the cage in December at home. Do you have anyone in your sights or just whoever Bellator lines up?
JK: Whoever Bellator lines up. I've never been the one to shy away from a challenge. Whoever they line up for me is fine and I will be fighting in Fresno in December.
PC: Over the years, we watched you go from wrestler to knockout artist with a wrestling background. Who do you feel you are as a fighter now?
JK: Right now, I've been doing a lot of Jiu Jitsu and just trying to touch up my skills in Jiu Jitsu and just get better as a Jiu Jitsu practitioner. But I pretty much work everything. My boxing is getting better with Coach Marcos. In 2 weeks, I'm going to have a couple of weeks of training with some good guys like Jon Fitch and some different UFC fighters are coming into town to train at my facility in Fresno for a couple weeks. We're all just going to get together and do some old school training.
PC: Fighting in December, I take it that it doesn't bother you to train throughout the holidays.
JK: I don't really care when or where I fight. I've always been that type of guy. We can fight wherever or whenever. It could be Christmas Day or New Year's, it doesn't matter.
PC: I wish you the best of luck in December and in all of your endeavors. It's refreshing to hear a fighter speak knowledgeably about outside businesses and knowing the fight business as well. Is there anything else you want to add before I let you go?
JK: Thanks to the fans for the support. And in my opinion, I think these fighters need to fight their contract out. All of the fighters need to fight their contract out and see what their market value is. They're never going to know what they're worth until they fight those contracts out and put the negotiations on the table. We talk about unions and we talk about this, but all of these fighters need to do that. If you are unhappy where you're at, fight your contract out and then put yourself on the negotiating table because that's where you're going to get your true market value. I'm a businessman, so I get it and you should take my advice and if you need anything from me, call my management company and I will give them the best advice ever. Everything that I state today is just my opinion. It's Josh Koscheck's opinion and I'm entitled to that opinion.
PC: True businessman, concluding an interview and you're already working on your next business as a sports agent (laughing).
JK: (Laughing) I'd love to reach out to the Major League Baseball [MLB] Association because that's the best association in the world in my opinion. For me right now, I'd be more than willing to help the fighters and do that, but man, I'm so busy right now. I'm getting pulled in a million different directions for me with my company. It's a 24/7 job.
PC: It's great to see you doing well and I look forward to seeing you fight inside of the Bellator cage. I'm going to let you go before I feel like I owe you money (laughing). You taught me some things today as well.
JK: (Laughing) I'll mail you my FundMe account. But thanks, man. I appreciate it.
[ Follow Percy Crawford on Twitter @MrLouis1ana ]