LAS VEGAS -- It wouldn't be a Josh Koshceck fight if the fans weren't trying to boo him out of the building, would it?
Everyone's favorite UFC villain was it again on Saturday night at UFC 143, frustrating the crowd during his fight against Mike Pierce and taunting them on the mic afterwards. Koscheck took a split-decision victory every bit as close as it sounds, winning on two of three judges' score cards, 29-28.
"Hey, you guys boo me all the time," Koscheck said in his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan. "I'm the most hated guy in MMA, guess what, deal with it man! I find a way to win."
Round one was a very close affair; a tight positional battle with lots of grappling. According to Compustrike, Pierce outlanded Koscheck 22-16 in the round.
In round two, Koscheck picked up the pace and opened up a deep cut in Pierce's scalp, above his left eye. Koscheck landed a late takedown fairly easily, but couldn't do much with it.
At the start of round three, the Mandalay Bay Events Center crowd serenaded Koscheck with a "Koscheck sucks" chant, then another close round ensued. Koscheck then further aggravated the crowd with an apparent eye poke late in the round.
Judge Junichiro Kamijo gave Pierce rounds one and two; Jeff D'Amato and Jeff Collins both gave Koscheck rounds two and three.
"Mike Pierce is a tough guy," said Koscheck (19-5) "I knew this going in."
Koscheck has won both of his fights since returning from a broken orbital bone he suffered in his Dec. 2010 loss to Georges St-Pierre.
Follow Dave Doyle on Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/davedoylemma
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