UFC 95 Video: Josh Koscheck Furious That Ref Gave Paulo Thiago TKO Win

Above, Josh Koscheck reacts to his controversial technical knockout loss to Paulo Thiago at UFC 95. (Warning: Explicit Language)

More Coverage: UFC 95: Morning After | Full UFC 95 Results

"Man what the f**k?" Koscheck can be heard saying about the referee's decision to stop the fight after Thiago floored him with an uppercut-hook combination. "I got hit, yeah, of course, I got dropped. But my f**king eyes were open. Everything was fine."

At that point, a member of Koscheck's entourage says, "Your hands were up for defense, you were going to guard."

"Yeah," says Koscheck. "How the f**k?"

When a Telegraph reporter tried to ask Koscheck a couple of questions, Koscheck wasn't interested. But he could later be heard off-camera attacking some chairs the way he probably wished he could attack the referee.

Personally, I agree with Koscheck: As I view the tape, it looks to me like he's defending himself, preparing to pull Thiago into guard, and still in control of his faculties. But the majority of people I've heard from disagree, and say it was a correct stoppage. It was a close enough call that it's hard to find much fault with the referee, even though you can't blame Koscheck for being angry.

UFC 95 Photos

Rory Markham, right, attempts to punch Dan Hardy during their match at UFC 95 on Feb. 21, 2009 in London, England.

Josh Hedges, UFC

Rory Markham punches Dan Hardy during their match at UFC 95 on Feb. 21, 2009 in London, England.

Josh Hedges, UFC

Rory Markham punches Dan Hardy during their match at UFC 95 on Feb. 21, 2009 in London, England.

Josh Hedges, UFC

Dan Hardy, right, connects with a devastating left hook against Rory Markham during their match at UFC 95 on Feb. 21, 2009 in London, England.

Josh Hedges, UFC

Dan Hardy watches Rory Markham recoil after his punch during their match at UFC 95 on Feb. 21, 2009 in London, England.

Josh Hedges, UFC

Dan Hardy quickly pounces on Rory Markham after his powerful punch during their match at UFC 95 on Feb. 21, 2009 in London, England.

Josh Hedges, UFC

Dan Hardy exalts after the ref stops his fight against Rory Markham at UFC 95 on Feb. 21, 2009 in London, England.

Josh Hedges, UFC

Dan Hardy celebrates his first-round TKO of Rory Markham at UFC 95 on Feb. 21, 2009 in London, England.

Josh Hedges, UFC

Dan Hardy celebrates his first-round TKO of Rory Markham at UFC 95 on Feb. 21, 2009 in London, England.

Josh Hedges, UFC

Diego Sanchez knees Joe Stevenson during their match at UFC 95 on Feb. 21, 2009 in London, England.

Josh Hedges, UFC

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)

2-22-2009 @ 2:02PM

Frederick said...

couple of comments

-I think the ref did an excellent Job. Safety is the most important. I dont need to see a guy laying emotionless on the ground, it really goes and grabs me to my stomach.

-Same thing the Stephan struve fight. twice is knees buckled and I think the ref did a great job saving him extra damage

-Koscheck was doing great up to that point and I think most people that know the sport will still consider him part of the top echelon of 170.

-Thiago must learn not to quit in mid fight he gave time to koscheck to recover once he hit the ground. That could cost him in the future. He should not stop fighting till the ref stops it

2-23-2009 @ 7:57AM

shaun said...

I think you are full of it.josh 's fight should not have been stopped

2-23-2009 @ 8:05AM

Everyone can have there opinion its what makes this world wonderfull

How that equals to me being full of it I dont get it. lol

2-22-2009 @ 2:48PM

earsstinks said...

It was a bad call,he was on his back ready to defend himself.it was a good shot but nothing that should have stoped the fight.

2-23-2009 @ 9:32AM

Dave said...

His eyes rolled in his head. Maybe you don't have a hidef TV but his eyes were back in his head. You can be out and still move. His instincts had him move for a minute but Thiago stood over him and could have jumped on him earlier but he knew Josh was out. Pay attention. He got knocked the F out. Its not a death sport.

2-22-2009 @ 3:06PM

mike said...

The ref was in a bad position. Thiago's body was blocking his view of Koscheck's face, which made it impossible for him to know how aware Koscheck was. Bad stoppage, but still give credit to Thiago for a great 1-2 punch.

2-23-2009 @ 5:39PM

evidently you never been hit,in the jaw it does make you BLINK a little what do you want its a FIGHT.He was fine,he was on his back his knees bent back to defend and his arms were out in a defensive position I dont need a super duper TV to know that ! lol

2-22-2009 @ 3:52PM

Brian said...

It was stopped exactly when it should have been. The deer-in-the-headlights look is obvious. His hands were not where they should have been to intelligently defend himself. He's a jackass who is a poor loser.

2-22-2009 @ 4:57PM

dtenore said...

Brian, when you don't know what you're talking about, you should say nothing.

2-23-2009 @ 9:36AM

DTENORE... when you don't know what you're talking about... shut up. Knocked out and the only guy in the ring that didn't know it was the dude the was knoced out! The REF saw it and Thiago saw it. Its Thiago's fault because he just watch the baby on the ground instead of jumping on his and just pounding him until the ref pulled him off. All the dudes that think he didn't get knocked out are fans of the WWE or WWF or whatever that crap is on TV. This is a sport and JK got beat.

2-22-2009 @ 4:49PM

James Speelman said...

Originally, the UFC was sold as a "No Holds Barred" competition. It is anything but that now. A fighter should be given the benefit of the doubt. He did not tap nor get knocked out. Don't let MMA become soft as boxing has.

2-23-2009 @ 8:58AM

macho7925 said...

as soft as boxing?? People die in Boxing rings. The sport may be corrupt, but soft it is not.

sifuchuck said...

If this were stand-up boxing or kick-boxing, then sure, he was down. But this is MMA. Most wins are submissions on the ground in either mount or guard position. When a fighter goes down and assumes a guard postion, then the ref has no reason to stop the fight. This was a bad call. Period. I was yelling just as loud as Josh was. He deserves a re-match and they should declare a no-decision on this match.

2-23-2009 @ 2:03PM

Fuck Face said...

whether most wins are a result of a submission or not..some ar a result of knocking somone the fuck out. josh got knocked out. i dont know if you have ever been knocked out, when you eat sleep and breathe fight sports, like and professional mma fighter does, you are a robot. ive seen guys throw punches from their backs, fight referees, their own doctors, anybody who comes near them, or nobody at all. To say just because josh was in a position to pull guard means nothing other than he is a seasoned fighter. his eyes were open, yes...but trust me, he got rocked.

2-23-2009 @ 3:26PM

I don't know, FF--nice name by the way ;) -- I watched the fight and I saw his eyes and hands. His expression looked sharp. His hands moved up in a classic position to receive an opponent. His legs were bent and up. I've seen plenty of knock-outs and they usually land on their heads and their bodies are limp. This guy rocked back up into a fight position. Safety first? Safety first would be not to get into the ring! I think he should have been given the chance to fight.

2-22-2009 @ 5:08PM

Byron Jackson said...

I THINK THE REF SHOULD HAVE LET THE FIGHT GO ON JUST A LITTLE LONGER. WE HAVE ALL SEEN FIGHTERS WHO WE THOUGHT WE HURT REALLY BAD AND COME BACK AND WIN THE FIGHT.I AGREE JOSH IS A SMART ASS BUT HE ALSO HAS EXCITING FIGHTS.

2-22-2009 @ 5:40PM

Niv said...

Wow!, I'm reading some of these comments and am totally amazed how many people think this was a bad stoppage.

Koscheck was out! He as a very fit fighter obviously was in the process of turning his lights back on, but he's lucky Thiago was aware that he was out and didn't continue hitting him.

The UFC originally was no holds barred, but for it to exist it had to formulate rules and the refs have a responsibilty to the fighters safety. The ref did the right thing and stopped the fight.

There was an mma fatality late last year from what was reported to be a very innocent looking tko. I would assume it's better to be cautious than to let a fighter who was clearly out take a few more shots. Koschek was not defending himself, he was dazed and his actions looked more instinctive as he was regaining consciousness than any kind of intelligent defense.

Kudos to Thiago for showing restraint as a continuation of his assault could have seriously hurt Koscheck.

2-23-2009 @ 8:02AM

safetyg3 said...

I agree. Safety is paramount.

2-23-2009 @ 1:35PM

dchilljr said...

I agree. If Thiago had pounced he would have inflicted massive damage on Koscheck. Maybe if he had, there wouldn't be this controversy. If you watch the tape Koscheck dropped his hands and went limp to the ground after a 1-2 punch. He tried to get up and his arm couldn't hold him up, that is when he laid on his back and was going to pull guard. He might have recovered from that, but if Thiago had pounced it would have been ugly. Often times when guys get knocked out and wake up quickly you see them mouthing 'what happened?' 'why did we stop?'. They don't know what happened between the punch and the mat.

Koscheck might have felt that the fight stopped early, I didn't. I still think that he is one of the better fighters in the welterweight division, and he will probably stay that way. What I do not like is the way he acted after he lost. As frustrated as he might have been acting like that on camera and in the ring (pulling his hand away from the ref) shows a lack of class on his part. He lost, Thiago won. That decision lies with at the discretion of the ref. If he wants to avenge it, he should try to get a rematch, not carry on in that fashion. Either way I have a lot of respect for both of the fighters and am looking forward to a rematch!