Josh Koscheck Returns at UFC 184 to Fight Jake Ellenberger | MMAWeekly.com

It’s been more than a year since Josh Koscheck last set foot in the Octagon, but UFC officials on Tuesday announced he would return against Jake Ellenberger at UFC 184 in February.

Koscheck (17-8) had been rumored to fight Neil Magny at UFC 184, but that bout never came to fruition. Having been on a break from fighting after losing three consecutive bouts, he will instead return against Ellenberger, who has also lost his last three fights.

Koscheck’s three losses in a row marked the first time in his career that he had lost consecutive bouts. The losses were to three of the UFC’s best welterweights in current champion Johny Hendricks, top contender Robbie Lawler, and Tyron Woodley, but they nonetheless left everyone wondering about Koscheck’s future in the fight game.

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As a cast member of the inaugural season of The Ultimate Fighter, and having fought 23 of his 25 professional bouts in the Octagon, Koscheck determined that he wasn’t quite ready to call it a career.

Ellenberger (29-9) has spent much of his recent career in the Octagon, and finds himself in much the same position as Koscheck, having lost consecutive bouts for the first time in his 38-fight career. Like Koscheck, he also lost to three of the UFC’s best 170-pounders in Kelvin Gastelum, Robbie Lawler, and Rory MacDonald.

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Not many fighters survive a three-fight skid in the Octagon, and outlasting four losses in a row is nearly unheard of, so the magnitude of this fight is great for both fighters.

Koscheck vs. Ellenberger will be part of the supporting cast for a blockbuster UFC 184 pay-per-view that is headlined by two title fights on Feb. 28 in Los Angeles. Middleweight champ Chris Weidman puts his belt on the line against Vitor Belfort in the night’s headliner, while Ronda Rousey defends her women’s bantamweight belt against Cat Zingano in the co-main event at the Staples Center.