Josh Koscheck: Love To Hate Him, Or Hate To Love Him, You’ll Watch Him At UFC 124

Josh Koscheck vs Frank Trigg

You might not know it to watch the twelfth season of “The Ultimate Fighter,” but Josh Koscheck insists he didn’t go on the show with the intention of toying with his future opponent, Georges St-Pierre.

The American Kickboxing Academy welterweight was placed on the show as a coach opposite St-Pierre for six-plus weeks, and during that time seemed to take every possible opportunity to try to get under the welterweight champion’s skin. Koscheck says he was just having fun, and if it bothered St-Pierre, it really doesn’t matter to him.

“I didn’t go into it thinking I was going to be messing with him, but it just so happened to be that way. I just tried to have fun with the show and make it a good fun experience for myself,” Koscheck told MMAWeekly Radio recently.

“I’m not really sure if I got under Georges’ skin or not; I don’t really care.”

When the season was finished filming, there were surely no heartfelt goodbyes between Koscheck and St-Pierre, and if it got personal, once again it won’t be Koscheck writing an apologetic note to his fellow coach.

“I don’t know, you’d have to ask Georges that. I’m not concerned with personal feelings. I’m not concerned if I hurt Georges’ feelings on TUF. I’m concerned with myself and where I got to be mentally to win this fight come Dec. 11 and that’s my plan,” said Koscheck.

He has come to embraced his role as a bad guy in his MMA career, but that doesn’t mean the brash former “Ultimate Fighter” competitor doesn’t have his own group of fans. To the contrary, he meets them all the time because not everyone can like Georges St-Pierre and his “squeaky clean” image.

“It’s funny you have all these people that say I’m the bad guy, I’m this, I’m that, but it’s funny to see all these people come up to me every time I’m out in public that want my autograph and want my picture, so I don’t get it, I don’t see it,” Koscheck commented.

“If I’m the heel, if I’m the most hated guy, it’s kind of odd that you see all these guys and all these people coming up to me wanting autographs and pictures.”

Koscheck has definitely carved his own niche in the sport of MMA. Much like Floyd Mayweather in boxing or Bob Knight in college basketball, sure they had their detractors, but that didn’t stop them from winning or having a rabid fan base as well.

Sport needs villains and figures that fans can love to hate because without them there won’t be much to talk about, and Koscheck has made sure he always gives people something to talk about.

“You have Georges St-Pierre’s image, which he tries to keep squeaky clean and he does a good job of it. Then you have me who really doesn’t care what people think of him,” Koscheck explained. “That’s why people are going to tune in on Saturday because they want to see Georges St-Pierre kick my ass. Because I’m the bad (guy).”

Koscheck will surely electrify the crowd at the Bell Centre in Montreal on Saturday night from the first moment his music hits, until the final horn sounds.