Koscheck, St. Pierre Adopt Different Coaching Philosophies for ‘TUF 12’

The 12th season of "The Ultimate Fighter" kicks off Wednesday night at 10 p.m. EST on Spike TV featuring UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre and No. 1 contender Josh Koscheck and if the coaches are to believed, the season should be an exciting one.

"I think there's going to be some fighters from this season that are going to put themselves in some quality camps," said Koscheck during a conference call Tuesday to promote the "TUF" season premiere. "When I first saw the first 28 guys, I sort of gave them the eyeball test and it looked like they picked them for personality. But after the first episode, people will get to see the talent level and I think lot of them going to be in the UFC for a long time."

The first episode of the reality show will air following UFC Fight Night 22, which starts at 8 p.m. ET and features a middleweight main event of Nate Marquardt taking on Rousimar Palhares.

St. Pierre, who will defend his 170-pound championship against Koscheck in the main event of UFC 124 on Dec. 11 in Montreal, said the cast for the upcoming season is indicative of how far the sport of mixed martial arts has come.

"I think our sport has gone worldwide," said St. Pierre, who earned a unanimous decision victory over Koscheck at UFC 74 in August 2007. "Only a few countries play hockey or play American football. Mixed martial arts is worldwide and this season was more representative of what MMA has become. It was a privilege to work with some guys who have some great raw materials. You're going to hear about them after this season, for sure."

Just as St. Pierre and Koscheck have seemingly different personalities, they had different philosophies when it came to picking the fighters for their respective teams.

"I did a lot of research and wanted to find guys who wanted to fight and put on a good, exciting fight," said Koscheck. "I feel like the coaching staff I brought would help all kinds of guys, whether they were strikers, wrestlers or whatever, so I just looked for people who wanted to fight."

Meanwhile, St. Pierre went after fighters that he felt he and his coaching staff could help make the most progress during the six weeks the show was being taped.

"I looked for guys I saw more of myself in and ones I could help the most," said St. Pierre. "I didn't know much about their training and backgrounds. I didn't necessarily pick the best ones, but the ones I could help the most and make them a better fighter. I coached them all in different ways. With every guy, I was different. Some needed more advice, some needed more motivation or to be pushed. They were all different characters. I had to adjust to their personalities."

Along with discussing their coaching stints on "The Ultimate Fighter,” St. Pierre and Koscheck talked up their title fight, which will be in St. Pierre's hometown of Montreal.

"I think the fight being done in Montreal is good," said Koscheck. "They really love me there and I have a good relationship with the fans there. I can't wait to shock them all and come out of there with a new belt. I know I got under his skin (during the filming of TUF 12) and I kind of like that. I like that he's pissed off and training hard so when I whip his ass Dec. 11, he won't have any excuses. Everybody has a chance to be on top for a long time, but now it's time to put a stop to that."

St. Pierre said he didn't mind Koscheck's trash-talking, chalking it up to mind games that Koscheck was trying to play.

"I knew what was going to happen (during the filming)," said St. Pierre. "He's very predictable. Everything on the show was what I expected from him. I can't control how Josh behaves himself, but I know how he is. He's definitely trying to get in my head, which is good for me. It's served as more motivation when it's happened in the past. When we fight, I'll have done my homework, guaranteed."

The public's perception of the Koscheck-St. Pierre fight seems to involve a "good guy-bad guy" dynamic, with Koscheck playing the role of the villain. However, St. Pierre said he thinks Koscheck isn't as bad as people make him out to be.

"I don't think Josh is a bad person," said St. Pierre. "He likes to provoke people when he fights, but it's just what he does. I don't like the trash-talk, but it's about entertainment. People like to like people and like to hate people. It's about 'Love me, hate me, but don't ignore me.' It's a sport of entertainment, so it's not a problem."