Despite an offer from Ben Henderson, the UFC have decided to call upon Josh Koscheck to replace Ben Saunders as Erick Silva’s opponent at UFC Fight Night 62 in Brazil on March 21st.
Koscheck takes the fight on just two weeks notice and just two weeks after he lost by second round submission to Jake Ellenberger at UFC 184.
That leaves Koscheck in a very precarious position as it marked his fourth loss in a row, so agreeing to step in as a late replacement is a risky decision on his part. Perhaps the UFC have given him assurances that they’ll keep him on-board regardless of the result since he’s doing them a favor by stepping up to the plate like this though.
Either way, the 37 year-old desperately needs a win and it won’t come easily against an opponent of Silva’s caliber. While his 5-4 UFC record to date does not flatter him, Silva is a fan-favorite thanks to his entertaining do-or-die style and is dangerous both on the feet and with submissions, though Koscheck’s wrestling will be a cause for concern heading into this encounter.
With this fight confirmed the UFC Fight Night 62 card is once again complete with another welterweight bout between Demain Maia and Ryan LaFlare set to serve as the main event of the evening.
