Josh Koscheck says he is unaffected by the pressure ahead of his showdown with Georges St-Pierre for the UFC welterweight title.
Welterweight challenger not feeling pressure to back up words
Josh Koscheck says he is unaffected by the pressure ahead of his showdown with Georges St-Pierre for the UFC welterweight title on December 11.
The American fighter lost to St-Pierre three years ago but has improved his all-round game impressively since the loss.
The Pennsylvania-native is also not afraid to speak his mind and has been attempting to rile the champion for the best part of two months ahead of their clash at UFC 124.
While some believe Koscheck has talked himself into a position he can't escape from this time, the former wrestling standout says he will not be burdened by the pressure to back up his words.
"I haven't really thought too much about the pressure on Josh Koscheck going into this fight," the number one challenger said.
"I just concentrate on finding a way to get what I want. Georges is going to see that on December 11. I'm coming to hurt him and I'm looking to put on a show. I'm coming out with the win and the belt."
Defeat
St-Pierre claimed a three-round decision victory when the two first met - both as contenders, in August 2007 and Koscheck remembers the day well.
Since conceding that defeat to the gifted French-Canadian, Koscheck has improved his game, discovered striking and progressed through the weight class en route to a first title shot.
He has defeated Paul Daley, Anthony Johnson, Chris Lytle, Dustin Hazelett and Frank Trigg along the way and the 33-year-old seems to be getting better with age.
With the St-Pierre loss to still lingering somewhere in the back of his mind, Koscheck is happy to use past experiences to change future fortunes.
He said: "This is the biggest fight of my life. I think it's a big advantage for me that I was able to fight Georges St-Pierre earlier in my career.
"Georges is going to see a different fighter this time around. He's going to see a fighter that has tenacity and someone that looks to finish fights."
He added: "The evolution of Josh Koscheck as a fighter has definitely come three-sixty now. I'm now the kind of person that doesn't try to look past the opportunity I have right now. This 2010 version of Josh Koscheck knows a lot more about fighting that the older version."
