Future Mixed Martial Arts Stars: Welterweight Edition

Josh Koscheck - 29 years old (DOB 11/30/1977)

A member of the first season of The Ultimate Fighter, Koscheck has a professional record of 9-1 with wins over Luke Cummo, Pete Spratt, Dave Menne, Jeff Joslin and Diego Sanchez. Koscheck enters the Octagon as one of the most decorated college wrestlers in all of mixed martial arts. Josh is a Division-I Champion and a 4-time Division-I All-American. Using his wrestling as a base, Koscheck has also branched out to include striking and grappling into his game, which he has learned from his time at the American Kickboxing Academy. Koscheck will look to follow the trail of success of other wrestlers in mixed martial arts such as Matt Hughes, Matt Lindland, and Dan Henderson.

Jon Fitch - 29 years old (DOB 3/24/1978)

Former Purdue wrestling captain, Jon Fitch, has amassed a record of 14-2 with notable wins against Shonie Carter, Jeff Joslin, Brock Larson, Josh Burkman, Thiago Alves, Kuniyoshi Hironaka, Luigi Fioravanti, and Roan Carneiro. Like his teammate at AKA, Josh Koscheck, Fitch bases his fighting style around his wrestling. To help him once the fight hits the ground, Fitch has also put in the time to earn a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Fitch was flying under the radar for much of his UFC career due to the fact that his fights were preliminary bouts that were usually never shown, but as he started piling up the wins the UFC has begun to showcase his fights. With his mixture of strong wrestling and submission skills accompanied with his ever improving stand up, Jon Fitch will be one to keep an eye on.

B.J. "The Prodigy" Penn - 28 years old (DOB 12/13/1978)