by Hillary LaClair, Senior Editor
February 21, 2009
Brazillian fighter, Paulo Thiago, is about to make is UFC debut and put his undefeated title at stake as he will enter the ring with Josh Koscheck. Online sportsbooks have placed Koscheck as the favorite, giving him odds of -500 compared to Thiago’s +350. Koscheck, deemed Kos by many of his fans, will make his third trip to the Octagon is less than four months. This match promises great things from both ends, as an overworked Koscheck will take on a rookie to the UFC.
Thiago is no ordinary rookie, however, having fought most of his career in the Brazil’s grueling Jungle Fight and has never once been defeated. There’s a great deal on the line for Thiago, as he is not fighting just to win, but also for an UFC contract. When he originally made a deal with the UFC, they allotted him a “tryout” period, or a rare one-off contract – so they won’t have to cut him if he loses to Koscheck. Thiago has said that he’s hopeful that a good performance will lead to a longer contract. If he wins, he gets the contract as well as a possible pay raise.
For the online sports betting community, however, this doesn’t give much reason to invest in Thiago. A rare one-fight deal does not speak wonders for the UFC’s confidence in Thiago to win. As sports fans saw with Kimbo Slice, undefeated means nothing in the UFC.
Koscheck is more of a Japanese fighter than anything, while Thiago specializes in submission. Koscheck has had a great deal of experience fighting welterweight contenders, as he is coming off of a recent victory over Yorisha and Thiago Alves who took the place of a weaker, slower Diego Sanchez who had been injured that week.
Betus.com has put its faith with Kos, noting, “Kos is one of the elite fighters in the UFC who can matchup with any welterweight, because of his well rounded game. He has a solid wrestling backround that’s finely tuned to perfection, and his takedown defense and improving striking skills makes it easy to see why he’s receiving overwhelming respect of oddsmakers.”
Koscheck’s career launched because of his collegiate wrestling. He went on to become Division 1 Champion of the NCAA at 174 lbs, winning several awards and was a four time Division 1 All American. After just two MMA fights, he was invited to fight with the UFC against Luke Cummo. He won unanimously. Since then, he has defeated the likes of Christopher Sanford, Pete Spratt, Diego Sanchez and Thiago Alves. His first loss came from Drew Fickett, who won with a rear naked choke.
Thiago stands at a winning record of 11-0-0: 2 TKOS, 7 submissions and 2 decisions. He has faced such fighters in the past as Luis Dutra Jr., Ferrid Kheder, Paulo Cevera, Leonardo Pecanha, Fernando Bettega, Frank Carelli, Igor Pakoto, Diogo Almeida and Marcone Marcone. He will have to fight much harder in this upcoming match than he ever did before, as so much more is at stake.
BetUs.com is offering a free UFC pick for Kos to win by round three in submission.
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