Disliked more than ever, Koscheck set to help UFC 124 break records

Win or lose this Saturday, Josh Koscheck should get some massive bonuses from the UFC and even Spike. The welterweight title contender took it up a notch during this season's edition of "The Ultimate Fighter."

The heel versus hero angle played well with television audiences. Twelve seasons in, and TUF put up the third highest ratings in the history of the show.

TUF 12 was just behind TUF 3, the season headlined by MMA legends Ken Shamrock and Tito Ortiz. The highest rated season ever was Kimbo Slice's TUF 10 with Rashad Evans and Quinton Jackson on the verge of brawling in every episode. 

While those four coaches all brought their A-game when it came to trash talking, TUF 12 worked because one guy absorbed all the fan hatred.

Koscheck needled and smirked his way out of the hearts of thousands. 

"Here's what I didn't think going into 'The Ultimate Fighter.' That people could possibly love Georges St-Pierre more than they already did. And that people could possibly hate Josh Koscheck more than they already did," Dana White said. "And that's what happened this season."

Hard to believe St. Pierre could gain more fans, but that's what he did.  

"What I thought could happen was he would eventually snap and get tired of the [expletive] Josh was talking and the stuff he was doing," White said.

"But one of the things about Georges St-Pierre, one of the things that I think makes him not only a great mixed martial artist, a great human being and a great champion is the way this guy carries himself."

Kos has accepted the heel role, and the setting at the Bell Centre in Montreal, as he and St. Pierre square off, should be amazing. GSP's hometown has always turned out for the big UFC cards, but UFC 124 could set records. White expects the crowd to break attendance and possibly all-time gate numbers.

Neil Davidson from the Canadian Press points out that marketing pops like St. Pierre's recent ESPN Sportscenter commercial, his deal with Under Armour and several trips abroad to promote MMA, should also help pay-per-view numbers.

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