Will Koscheck's taunting bring out the best in St. Pierre?

Question:

Is trash talk still trash talk if you don't really mean it?

Ever since the UFC announced that Georges St. Pierre would headline UFC 124 by defending his welterweight title against Josh Kosheck, the challenger has been lobbing verbal bombs at the surprisingly patient champ.

In October Koscheck made plain that he didn't plan to lose to a "French guy."

*Koscheck casts himself as the anti-Canadian in the bout but he must have studied geography under Don Cherry if he thinks being from Quebec makes you "French." No more than being from Ontario makes me "English," but I digress.*

And if you watched the latest season of Spike TV's "The Ultimate Fighter" you saw Koscheck needle St. Pierre ceaselessly hoping, it seemed, to distract the champ from the task he'll face this Saturday. 

It's a tried and true tactic, both in the ring and in the octagon, and with this showdown taking place in St. Pierre's hometown Koscheck had the chance to revel in the heel role, use the crowd's animosity as fuel and make St. Pierre so angry he forgets his game plan.

But on Monday afternoon conference call to hype the fight Koscheck revealed he doesn't plan to take this villain act that far this week because it was, after all, just an act.

"The show needed some entertainment," said Koscheck, who enters Saturday on a three-fight win streak. "(The trash talk) was nothing more than that."

Oh.

Well St. Pierre says it's too late anyway.

The 29-year-old Montreal native says Koscheck's trash talk won't distract him when he enters the octagon. He intends to execute his plan, period.

But he acknowledged that Koscheck's verbal barrage motivated him in the lead-up to the fight, fueling him through grueling training session and pushing him to craft a fool-proof game plan.

"I prepared myself like I've never prepared myself before," said St. Pierre, who hasn't lost since April 2007. "This is the best Georges St. Pierre I've ever been. I'm sharper everywhere, I've been working on a lot of different things for this fight and I can't wait to show it to the public."

These two men first met in August 2007, while St. Pierre was working his way back to the welterweight title and Koscheck fighting to prove that he was a true mixed martial artist and not just a wrestler in an octagon. St. Pierre, stronger and more savvy, won that bout by unanimous decision.

But in the arms race that is top-flight MMA, each man has added plenty of weapons in the three intervening years.

Koscheck was an accomplished NCAA wrestler but St. Pierre controlled him in their first bout, so even as his striking and grappling skills have improved Koscheck says he spent this training camp polishing his wrestling skills.

St. Pierre, meanwhile, hit the mitts.

In the past St. Pierre says he would throw punches mainly to set up his nearly unstoppable takedowns, but after working with superstar boxing trainer Freddie Roach, St. Pierre says he'll enter Saturday's fight ready to throw knockout blows.

"Before I knew (Roach) I thought I knew boxing, but I found out that I didn't," St. Pierre said. "He corrected a lot of stuff. I feel...very confident.

Roach has said he expects St. Pierre to win by knockout Saturday but when St. Pierre co-signed on the prediction Koscheck couldn't resist countering with his own verbal jab.

"Working with Freddie Roach is all good...but Freddie Roach can't teach strengthening your chin," he said. "That's where I'm going to hit George and knock him out on Saturday."

 

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Comments

[op]

you got to love how GSP never seems to cut corners with his training. Obviously its all for show and koscheck is trying to make himself into a character. Its how guys like Tito Lasted soo long

[RH]

Koscheck's trash-talking is on par with a Grade 4 bully. If you're going to play a villain, do it accurately. Instead he just makes himself look like an idiot more than anything else.

It's obvious that Kos's trash-talking has backfired on him in any case, because GSP doesn't show any reaction that Kos is looking for.

The only reason Koscheck is even getting a title shot is because there are not top welterweights for St. Pierre to face in his division. Koscheck hasn't even beaten any top welterweights. What can The American Kickboxing Academy do with Koscheck that Jon Fitch couldn't do?

With that said, you never know, there can always be an upset.

[Sens-ible Bill]

I watched this season of Ultimate Fighter and realized early on that Koscheck was using "trash talk," allegedly meant to get under GSP's skin, as an excuse for his ultra boorish behaviour.
The man is simply a Grad-A . . . umm . . . how can I say this here . . . hmm . . . donkey orifice?
And acts like one.
Sure he claimed it was all for the show and all psychological warfare against GSP. But in truth, it was just Koscheck being his usual donkey orifice self --- something he can't help doing. The man actually takes pride in being boorish.
And when GSP wouldn't bite, why did Koscheck have to get physical with the medic? Sure the guy was large but it was obvious he was no fighter.
Chicken/bully Koscheck certainly would never try putting his hands anywhere on GSP, especially his throat.
Repeatedly calling this gentleman a male nurse was also classless. Simply because Koscheck BELIEVED it to be a derogatory term, and meant to use it that way. However, anyone with any kind of social awareness knows that in reality, male nurses are every bit as valuable as their female counterparts.
For Koscheck, of all people, to look down his nose at both professions --- medics and male nurses --- just showed his own considerable ignorance.
Let's compare.
Koscheck: Someone who gets to be a donkey orifice in public because he has some success at beating up opponents for the entertainment market and that brings HIM a good deal of money.
Medics/male nurses: People who work mostly behind the scenes to selflessly comfort and aid OTHERS who are sick and/or injured, and occasionally get to save a life, for far too little money, given what they provide to society.
Seriously, and sadly, Koscheck the Klown doesn't mere play a villain, he is one.