By Ryan Bartlett, FightTicker.com blogger

Coming off a UFC 90 decision loss to Thiago Alves, TUF alum Josh Koscheck is now training for his second fight in less than two months -- a Dec. 10 meeting with Yoshiyuki Yoshida. Koscheck was kind enough to talk to FightTicker.com by phone on Tuesday.

From Yahoo.com:

The outspoken UFC president said shortly after landing in Hawaii on Wednesday that he no longer wants to work with AKA fighters or those represented by DeWayne Zinkin and Bob Cook.

White said he excepted AKA welterweight Mike Swick from that group because he said Swick called him and told him he wants to fight for the UFC. But Fitch and heavyweight Christian Wellisch were cut on Wednesday, and heavyweight prospect Cain Velasquez and welterweight Josh Koscheck could be next.

From TheFightNetwork.com:

According to a heated Fitch, heavyweight sensation Cain Velasquez and welterweight star Josh Koscheck will be next to go following their upcoming bouts. Koscheck, who is coming off a loss to Thiago Alves, will meet Yoshiyuki Yoshida in the main event of the "UFC Fights for the Troops" card on Dec. 10.

From Sherdog.com:

“They cut him [Christian Wellisch] from the organization first, I think as kind of a scare for me and [Josh] Koscheck and Cain [Velasquez],” said Fitch. “I guess Cain Velasquez wouldn’t sign under his contract and they we’re saying that after his fight he was done and they weren’t going to re-up his contract. I think the same thing goes for Koscheck. I think they would drop him right now too, if he wasn’t fighting on the 10th, if he wasn’t headlining that show –- so they can’t drop him.”

Note that Sherdog is now also claiming that as of Thursday afternoon Fitch and the UFC have re-opened negotations.

New York, NY, November 10, 2008 – Fighting with a truly meaningful purpose in front of some real American heroes, “The Ultimate Fighter” alums Josh Koscheck, Mike Swick, and Matt Wiman will be featured on Spike TV’s telecast of “UFC Fight For The Troops” live from the Crown Coliseum in Fayetteville, North Carolina on Wednesday, December 10 at 9:00pm ET/6:00pm PT.

The special live UFC fight card will raise funds to build a hospital for traumatic brain injuries for the brave men and women in the United States Armed Forces. Thousands of soldiers from nearby Fort Bragg, the proud home of the U.S. Airborne and Special Operations Forces, will be in attendance. More information about the facility, including ways to donate, can be found online at http://www.fallenheroesfund.org or by calling 1-800-340-HERO.

The fight card also showcases five current UFC fighters who are all U.S. military veterans, including Luigi Fioravanti, Tim Credeur, Dale Hartt, Brandon Wolff, and Steve Bruno. An additional fight will be added to the main event and announced at a later date.

“The Ultimate Fighter 1” standout Koscheck (13-3) has won seven of his last nine decisions, only tasting defeat at the hands of current welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre in a three-round decision last August at UFC 74, and most recently Thiago Alves at UFC 90 in Chicago. Koscheck, fighting out of Fresno, CA, needs a win to get back on the winning track in his quest for a potential rematch with St. Pierre. His opponent, Tokyo native Yoshiyuki “Zenko” Yoshida (10-2), has won nine straight pro mixed martial arts fights, including his UFC debut last May at UFC 84 via submission over Jon “War Machine” Koppenhaver.

Swick (12-2), fighting out of San Jose, CA, has also won seven of his last eight bouts in the Octagon, including a three round decision over Josh Burkman this past January in a main event on Spike TV’s “UFC Fight Night.” To continue his quest for a potential title shot, he must defeat fellow welterweight contender, Jonathan Goulet (22-9). The hard-kicking 29-year old Canadian recently scored a TKO victory at UFC 83 over Kuniyoshi Hironaka.

“The Ultimate Fighter 5” standout Matt Wiman (10-3), a native of Tulsa, Oklahoma, has won four straight contests in the Octagon, including an impressive 2nd round knockout of Thiago Tavares at UFC 85 in June. “Handsome” Matt will face his toughest test yet against the pride of Toms River, NJ, Frankie Edgar. A rising star in the lightweight division (9-1), Edgar is coming off the biggest win of his professional career, a three-round decision over the dangerous Hermes Franca this past July at “UFC Fight Night: Silva vs. Irvin” on Spike TV.

On the undercard, two promising fighters make their UFC Octagon® debut as Steve Cantwell battles Razak Al- Hussan. The 22 year-old Cantwell, fighting out of Las Vegas, Nevada, holds the WEC light heavyweight belt and has won six of his seven pro mixed martial arts fights. His most recent victory, a 2nd round TKO victory over Brian Stann in August, was the biggest of his career and netted him the WEC belt. In the opposite corner will be Al-Hussan of Des Moines, IA, who possesses a 5-0 professional MMA record, with four of his five wins coming via TKO or submission. He will look to continue that undefeated trend in his matchup with Cantwell.

The undercard also includes former U.S. Marine Luigi Fioravanti vs. Brodie Farber; U.S. Navy veteran Dale Hartt vs. Corey Hill from “The Ultimate Fighter 5;” Ben Saunders from “The Ultimate Fighter 5” vs. former Navy SEAL Brandon Wolff; “The Ultimate Fighter 7” semi-finalist and U.S. Navy veteran Tim Credeur vs. Nate Loughran; Johnny Rees vs. U.S. Navy veteran Steve Bruno; and Justin McCully vs Eddie Sanchez.

FightTicker.com bloggers have thought long and hard about some of the marquee matchups at UFC 90. Here is the second of three sets of picks: the welterweight bout between Josh Koscheck and Thiago Alves. (For the roundtable picks for the Tyson Griffin-Sean Sherk fight, click here.)

Originally posted on MMAOpinion.com.

Thiago Alves is one of the most devastating fighters in the welterweight division. There’s just one problem: Thiago Alves isn’t a welterweight.

Whe you listen to commentators like Joe Rogan talk about his future in the division, you constantly hear them refer to the Brazilian’s size. Perhaps, though, they shouldn’t be reminding everyone how big he is, because it’s presented a huge problem for Alves.

There is no doubt that Alves is a huge welterweight, and there have been times when he can make the weight, but there have also been moments where that hasn’t been the case.

We first saw that happen when he fought Tony D’Souza and tested positive for spironolactone.

However, as Rogan pointed out in his most recent commentary up on the UFC site about the upcoming fight between Alves and Josh Koscheck, Alves seems to be getting bigger every time he fights.

From MMAMania.com:

Josh Koscheck will replace an injured Diego Sanchez to fight Thiago Alves on less than two weeks notice at UFC 90: “Silva vs. Cote” at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Ill., on October 25.

“The Nightmare” has to withdraw from the highly anticipated welterweight showdown because of torn rib cartilage sustained during training.

I will give my boy, Kos, props for taking this dangerous fight on such short notice. Alves is vicious enough when allowed eight weeks to train, let alone less than two weeks' notice.

I think this definitely has the possibility of being fight of the night and I am jacked that Kos is fighting in "The Windy City."

Photo from UFC.com

Las Vegas, NV (USA) -- Fighting with a truly meaningful purpose in front of some real American heroes, The Ultimate Fighter® alums Josh Koscheck, Mike Swick, Matt Wiman will be featured on Spike TV’s telecast of UFC Fight For The Troops™ live from the Crown Coliseum in Fayetteville, North Carolina on Wednesday, December 10 at 9:00pm ET/6:00pm PT.

The special live UFC® fight card will raise funds to build a hospital for traumatic brain injuries for the brave men and women in the United States Armed Forces. Thousands of soldiers from nearby Fort Bragg, the proud home of the U.S. Airborne and Special Operations Forces, will be in attendance.

The Ultimate Fighter 1 standout Koscheck (13-2) has won seven of his last eight decisions, only tasting defeat at the hands of welterweight champ Georges St-Pierre in a three-round decision last August at UFC 74. Koscheck, fighting out of Fresno, CA, is among the top contenders in the welterweight division and needs a win to continue his ascent for a potential rematch with St. Pierre. His opponent, Tokyo native Yoshiyuki “Zenko” Yoshida (10-2), has won nine straight pro mixed martial arts fights including his UFC debut last May at UFC 84 with a victory via submission with Jon “War Machine” Koppenhaver.

From MMAMania.com:

Top welterweight contender Josh Koscheck could possibly meet up with Yoshiyuki Yoshida at UFC Fight Night 16: “Fights for the Troops” during the three-hour Spike TV special that will take place from Fort Bragg in Fayetteville, N.C., on December 10.

Koscheck has come a long way since his lay-and-pray days following his surprising run on The Ultimate Fighter season 1. He has added a very good striking game to what already was a stellar wrestling background and has been moving up the welterweight ranks at a consistent pace.

Yoshida — the former Cage Force and Shooto star — was successful in his UFC debut at UFC 84: “Ill Will” when he submitted TUF alum Jon Koppenhaver via anaconda choke. The Judoka is the winner of nine straight fights and was looking to make it 10 against Karo Parisyan at UFC 88: “Breakthrough” earlier this month before “The Heat” inexplicably withdrew from the bout just 24 hours before the bout with an injury.

First and foremost, the UFC is doing a wonderful thing here by holding this show and supporting our troops. The Spike TV broadcast will run alongside a telethon to raise money for the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund which has raised over $60 million in support of the families of fallen soldiers as well as severely wounded military personnel and veterans. You can find more information about this fund at http://www.fallenheroesfund.org.

Back to the fight. This will be a very tough test for Koscheck as he will face a fighter whose style he has not faced before. A win here will put him in line for a title shot alongside the winner of the Diego Sanchez-Thiago Alves fight taking place at UFC 90 in October.