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In the world of UFC fans, Josh Koscheck = villain & Chael Sonnen = hero
By Zach Arnold | December 9, 2010
Update at the end of this article.
On Saturday night in Montreal at the Bell Centre, UFC will have its largest crowd ever for an event and the event is appropriately headlined by Georges St. Pierre defending his Welterweight crown against Josh Koscheck. Koscheck is public enemy #1 in the eyes of UFC fans. He relishes the heat he is getting and the fight will draw really big numbers.
With this in mind, I had a sit down conversation with a close friend who is a semi-hardcore MMA observer and we started talking about why Koscheck is so hated. It’s not as simple as saying that he acts like the little snot-nosed brother you never had because that shtick wouldn’t draw the fan reaction he’s getting now. Certainly, a heavy element of the heat is based on the purely emotional attachment that the fans have to St. Pierre who in the eyes of many can do no wrong. However, that wouldn’t equate the level of hatred and venom that Mr. Koscheck is attracting at this moment.
So, what is it? What is it about Koscheck that makes him hated to the degree that he currently is in the eyes of the fans? He hasn’t gotten into a stupid trash talking affair like Rashad Evans did with Rampage Jackson in which some of the dumbest comments about race were ever made. He doesn’t have a penis-looking tattoo on his chest like the former UFC Heavyweight champion. He’s definitely improved as a fighter. By all accounts, Josh Koscheck is an incredibly hard worker who has managed to take the right path in life and stay out of trouble.
This season’s Ultimate Fighter show was largely pedestrian sans some amusing segments between Koscheck and an EMT (aka ‘male nurse.’) Realistically, that was the ‘worst offense’ Koscheck did on the show. He was largely on good behavior and yet, if you listened to the audience at UFC 121 in Anaheim, they treated him like he was in lower standing than a third-world dictator. It’s fairly obvious that the marketing vehicle of The Ultimate Fighter worked magnificently. The question: How did everything come together perfectly to create this combustible fan reaction?
What I found most interesting about the fan reaction to Koscheck is that it is largely the polar opposite to the fan reaction to Chael Sonnen these days. Judging by the amount of feedback I’ve gotten here, here, in e-mail, and offline, Sonnen is practically viewed as a hero for standing up to THE MAN on Thursday when he had his appeals meeting with the California State Athletic Commission board.
The comments I received ranged from “we don’t have any right to judge him” to “you don’t understand his personal situation” to “you guys are a bunch of keyboard warriors and don’t have the balls to fight in the cage like he does.” The arguments are virtually all emotional and completely void of facts. And those who contacted me who did know the facts of the case are largely upset — not at the fact that Sonnen did what he did but the fact that he got caught in the first place and that it delayed his rematch with Anderson Silva.
The disconnect between the fans, fighters, hanger-ons, etc. and the media covering this issue based on the facts is enormous. It’s as wide of a gap as I can possibly recall on an MMA ‘scandal’ to this degree. I was struck by just how aggressive they were in their defense of Sonnen. I truly believe that they view Sonnen with admiration because he’s got the nerve to do something that drug users in this sport don’t have, which is come out and open up Pandora’s box about what he did while proclaiming that it’s above board and necessary. Who would have ever thought that a fighter’s counsel would make an argument that he shouldn’t be suspended because it would be a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act? You want to talk about bold!
There’s plenty of fighters who are doping and testosterone replacement therapy is a growing practice. (Just look at pro-wrestling.) You damage your body by using anabolic steroids, you go see a (mark) doctor when your testosterone level is low, you get a prescription to use testosterone, and off you go. Because Chael Sonnen’s defense has been so publicly blunt and aggressive, will his story give legitimacy to this kind of activity in the industry? Once the doors are open on this, who’s to say we won’t see an even bigger increase in doping that’s not detected by drug testing?
The reason Sonnen tested positive is because he took testosterone a couple of days before his fight. The idea of TRT in theory is that you try to get your body up to its normal levels (1:1 to 3:1 range). He was at nearly a level of 17:1 for his fight. That’s crazy. Anderson Silva and Ed Soares have every right to be disappointed, if not angry. (For more on this issue, read this comment.)
Sonnen noted that he takes two testosterone dosages a week.
One thing Chael Sonnen is telling the truth about is the overwhelming positive support he is receiving. He’s absolutely 100% accurate about that. For Mr. Sonnen, the California commission is a perfect foil. It didn’t matter how brash, shameless, truthful or untruthful he was last Thursday, he knew that image of California’s commission is tarnished in the eyes of many as a disorganized and ignorant bureaucratic operation. The more he pressed the commission, the more public sympathy he would earn. What made the hearing fascinating is that Sonnen claims that UFC physician Dr. Jeff Davidson told the California commission before his fight with Yushin Okami about TRT and had things cleared away. (This is being disputed.) Under oath, Sonnen claimed that he talked with Nevada State Athletic Commission boss Keith Kizer about TRT. Kizer has told numerous media members after the hearing that he did no such thing.
Which leads us to the next step in this saga. Sonnen will have to re-apply for a fighter’s license in Nevada because it expires on the 31st. Mr. Kizer will face a predicament. As Kevin Iole recently noted, the houses for big fighting events in Las Vegas are way down. Scary numbers for the casino shows. We know that UFC generates significant revenue for the local Vegas economy with their big events there. The rematch between Sonnen and Silva will draw big, big numbers if it’s done in Las Vegas. Will Keith Kizer stand up to Chael Sonnen and help block Sonnen from getting licensed again or will the economics of the situation alter the outcome of the re-licensing hearing? After all, the Nevada commission did reject a license request for Antonio Margarito after he got caught with a plaster-like substance on his hand wraps in California. The difference between Margarito and Sonnen, however, is that Margarito is a reviled figure nationally and Sonnen has gained fan support since the Silva fight.
And I’m totally baffled as to why the more fans learn about the case brought against Mr. Sonnen at the appeals hearing, the more they seem to support him in the matter. I give Chael credit for one thing — like a good magician, he pulls off a trick and right as you figure out how he accomplished it, he’s already onto something else.
(Update 12/9): A report that the Nevada State Athletic Commission approved both Dan Henderson and Todd Duffee for HRT/TRT.
Topics: Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 20 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
“The reason Sonnen tested positive is because he took testosterone a couple of days before his fight. The idea of TRT in theory is that you try to get your body up to its normal levels (1:1 to 3:1 range). He was at nearly a level of 17:1 for his fight. That’s crazy. Anderson Silva and Ed Soares have every right to be disappointed, if not angry.”
The ratio you’re citing there isn’t the testosterone level; it’s the ratio of tg to eg. The point of TRT, in theory, is to return the testosterone level (which is measured in ng/ml, not as a ratio) to normal levels. The ratio indicates that he recently took a lot of testosterone, but it doesn’t indicate that his testosterone levels are above normal – that’s not what the test is for.
The problem is that they don’t actually do a test for testosterone levels, which you need to take blood to do (you can’t get it from a urine sample). So there’s no way to determine if Chael just took enough testosterone to put his levels back to normal, or took way more. In order to do that you’d need to do a blood test immediately pre- or post-fight. This /should/ be a requirement of fighters being “authorized” for TRT. Whether it is or not, I have no idea.
Agree for the most part except about the absence of urinary testosterone http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14977449. Testosterone can be measured in pretty much every tissue if the test is sensitive enough (saliva, hair, fecal, etc).
I still don’t understand how Chael can claim that he didn’t know testosterone was a steroid, and that he wasn’t using a steroid he was using a prescription- he had high school biology, right?
And him not knowing how much of what kind/brand testosterone he injected seems doubtful as well.
I would have been fine with Chael invoking “catabolic imbalance” and that his physician prescribed him testosterone to counteract this. As long as the testosterone component is normal, I wouldn’t worry about the ratio of T/EpiT being elevated.
If having a lower level of EpiT somehow gave Chael an advantage then this point would have to be addressed.
As for Koschek, I think Steve4192 sums it up nicely
I never went to highschool,
but you would think that injecting testosterone would be something to mention.
At least if your intention is to be completely honest.
I for one am rooting for Koschek.
As for Sonnen, Zach, you care a lot about PEDs. I don’t think many fans do. People in or close to the business realize it’s part of the game.
From what I saw during my time in MMA I would estimate conservatively 80% of the guys you see in UFC and SF are using something. If you want to see guys have 5 year careers and drop out of fights constantly keep pushing for stricter drug testing. MMA isn’t healthy for you as is. He drugs don’t make it that much worse.
I’m sorry if this comes across as crass or rude, but man, people are
fuckingmorons.Kos enjoys playing the villian, i will be rooting for him i hope he beats GSP, I’m also a fan of Sonnen i can’t wait to see him fight again.
I like both Koscheck & Chael. But then again, I recognize what they are doing. They are playing their roles to perfection, even if those roles are just their normal personalities cranked up to 500%.
The reason they are received differently is because of who their respective foils are. Chael’s foil is a largely unliked, non English-speaking champion who has been known to mock and humiliate his opponents during fights. Koscheck’s foil is one of the most beloved figures in the sport.
Personally, I think all four guys are great. I love Silva for his technical brilliance. I love GSP for his respectful attitude. And I love Chael & Kos for playing the black hat to perfection. I wish all four guys all the success in the world and hope they are around for a long, long time.
MMA is like politics.. the easily swayed and uninformed majorities ruin it for everyone else.
The sheep buy the UFC PR so Kos is the worst thing in the sport.
Sonnen goes in front of a commission less prepared than the average person goes to traffic court and he’s a “hero”
Those people are why Kimbo on a spike mid-card got more US viewers than a CBS Fedor main event.
koscheck spent the entire season coaching his team to be bad winners, sore losers, and generally just bad sports whenever they encountered gsp’s team. he showed again and again that he was not at all averse to acting like a total a-hole to get under gsp’s skin in any way. he played favorites with the biggest douchebag on his team (the wrestler who got guillotined twice), and picked fights with anybody who showed the slightest interest in doing so. it’s way more than the male nurse thing that makes people hate him, and while a solid contender he’s never really had a signature fight in the octagon that would make fans think differently about him.
sonnen won over everybody with his performance against silva. he put his money where his mouth was and brought the fight to the spider. koscheck’s mouth is nowhere near as good as sonnen’s, and i suspect his performance won’t be either.
Just fighters looking for extra attention to increase their value and get paid more. Nothing more, nothing less.
Chael Sonnen should NOT be heralded as a role model or a hero or anything. Neither should Koscheck, or most fighters really. But I think fans liking Chael Sonnen is extremely similar to fans loving Stone Cold Steve Austin in the nineties. A bad-ass blue collar type who sticks it to the man. He’s allegedly (I would dispute this next tidbit) more relatable than Koscheck.
It’s funny that Sonnen is loved and Koscheck is hated because both guys are trash talking douches who (as 45 huddle pointed out) are both looking for extra attention and getting paid better for it. Maybe (Along with my point in the prior paragraph of mine) because Sonnen is white and Koscheck isn’t? I don’t know, I might be speaking out of my ass on this one…
Funny you mention Stone Cold Steve Austin, as I think Sonnen’s behaviour is much closer to his trainer’s Chris Adams. Adams was a sleazy real life con artist that even his colleagues in WCW couldn’t stand because he was such a sleazy real life con artist. I think Sonnen is starting to get the same rep within the MMA business as he implicates everyone from George Dodd to Keith Kizer to UFC through their doctor in his TRT defence.
What people don’t know, or don’t think about even if they know is that what steroids do. They aid recovery after training. The mechanism through which strength gains occur is very similar to the one that rebuilds the worn down muscle/connective tissue etc. So you are an athlete in his 30s, trying to compete at that level and make a living out of it, would you be willing to be held back since your balls aren’t working as well as a 21 y.o. or would you be willing to wait for an additional 6 months for the inevitable injury to heal? I have no problem whatsoever with his test use as long as his levels were within normal range. And as someone else pointed out earlier the T:epiT ratio only indicates is T is naturally produced or externally fed into ones system, not the actual level.
I think the main difference between Sonnen and Kos, is that Kos goes out of his way to be a d*** while Sonnen is basically playing a gimmick.
Kos just comes accross as trying way too hard to get a rise out of people while Sonnen is over the top he does it with comedy which people like myself enjoy.
In the end it doesn’t matter what they say you have to back it up in the cage and is Kos is alble to either beat or give GSP a run for his money he’ll gain respect. Just like Sonnen did because he called his shot and was 1 minute from doing everything he said he’d do.
Because he cheated. And if you are one of those who still buys the gonad whatever excuse:
http://mmajunkie.com/news/21657/ask-the-fight-doc-what-do-you-make-of-chael-sonnens-csac-testosterone-case.mma
Keep telling yourself that and making up any other excuse like Anderson’s rib injury, but when they rematch it will look the same except next time Sonnen will finish the job.
Dude, I shouldn’t really have to explain this, but I’m not that big of an Anderson Silva fan.
I believe Chael was cheating because he had a late career increase in speed, power, wrestling, cardio(eventhough it still sucks), and pretty much every other part of his game except sub defense. Along with that he suddenly developed Backne when never had it in his career up to the WEC.
I aslo find it pretty hard to believe that Chael would “forget” to provide all the paper work when he was taking testosterone, and I believe Kizer and the head of the CSAC when they said they never talked to Chael when he said they did.
But let me go ahead and make an EJ argument: Just get off your hero’s ballsac man! Chael lost to Anderson and there’s nothing you can do about it! He’s never heven gonna get another shot at Anderson because Wand is gonna KO his republican ass!!!
Kos gets a lot of heat because of the real or percieved faking of fouls. “Faking” a grounded knee against Daley and grounded knee/eyepoke against Rumble Johnson. In fact the Rumble Johnson match may be the dirtiest match I have ever seen. Kos came back to eye poke and low blow Johnson en route to finshing him with a choke. Personally I think most of these actions were deliberate on Kos’ behalf. That’s got to be part of the hatred going Kos’ way.
ersonally, Sonnen is funny and connects a lot better with the crowd while Kos feels forced. He just doesn’t interact as well. He feels like that guy who used to be a bully back in high school and thought everything he said was so funny and insightful because everyone else was stroking his ego and afraid to tell him otherwise.
I think a lot of it is that Kos has been in the spotlight so long, and people know what he is all about because TUF 1. He was a poor sport, an instigator, and came off as a world-class jerk. Chael hasn’t had the spotlight as long, and so he hasn’t developed this long-term standing that Kos has. The Daley fight really re-affirmed that, with his actions after the fight. He may be turning the notch up, but he’s got a really unlikeable base to start with. And on top of his attitude, I don’t think on top of that, that people have forgotten Koscheck’s rep for not finishing fights.
Not to cool, possibly racist.
Koscheck is a bit of a twit, but he’s never been busted for steroids and then politically weaseling his way out of it.