Big night for AKA

Over the past few weeks, the American Kickboxing Academy and the UFC have been in the headlines quite a bit. The beef between the two companies got so bad that UFC president Dana White states that he refuses to work with any fighters that are from the San Jose based camp. Thankfully for the UFC and their fans, two AKA fighters were allowed to co-headline last night’s “UFC Fight Night 16: Fight for the Troops” event, as Josh Koscheck and Mike Swick unleashed two devastating knockouts.

Before the fight, Swick predicted that he would be able to finish Jonathan Goulet before the final bell. He just didn’t say that he was going to do it just after the opening bell. It took Swick all of 33 seconds to knockout the crafty French-Canadian, bringing all of the military fans at Fort Bragg to their feet.

“I’m healthy now,” said the 29-year-old Swick. “I had an (elbow) injury. My right arm wasn’t where it should have been. I’ve got my right arm back. I’m in great shape. I feel really confident right now.”

With the impressive knockout, Swick now brings his overall record to 13-2, and is an impressive 8-1 inside the Octagon.

Then there was Josh Koscheck WOW he has never looked so good. Koscheck showed the MMA world that he is no longer just a wrestler turned MMA fighter. Throughout the 1stRound, he landed one punch after another, eventually knocking Yoshiyuki Yoshida out cold at 2:15 of the opening round.

“I knew he was looking for the overhand right a lot so I kind of focused on throwing straight punches,” Koscheck stated after the fight.

The UFC has settled their issues with two of AKA fighters, Jon Fitch and Swick, however the latest reports indicate that Koscheck has yet to sign the lifetime exclusivity agreement for the UFC’s upcoming “Undisputed” video game.

The UFC is requiring that all of their fighters, including the organization’s biggest stars, sign the agreement. To date, almost all fighters have been compliant.

If Koscheck remains defiant, Wednesday likely marked his last Octagon appearance. If that ends up being the case, then that is certainly the way you want to go out.