KOS Out For 6 Months Minimum

Josh Koscheck will settle the score with Georges St-Pierre when he gets healthy.

But instead of tangling again with the welterweight champion inside a cage, he'll do it on an ice rink for now.

"We have a bet to settle," Koscheck told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) during his first public appearance since he lost to St-Pierre at UFC 124.

That's something to look forward to for Koscheck, who said he's out for a minimum of six months as he heals from a broken orbital bone he suffered in the fight, which took place Dec. 11 in Montreal.

St-Pierre has asked for a rematch, at least when it comes to the home-run challenge he lost during the filming of "The Ultimate Fighter 12." The two served as opposing coaches on the reality show before squaring off in Canada.

"As soon as I get healthy, we've got a little one-on-one competition," Koscheck said just prior to signing autographs at the one-year anniversary celebration for the first UFC Gym opening.

The one-time contender underwent surgery in Boston nine days after the fight and flew home to Fresno, Calif., in time for Christmas.

Doctors have limited his physical activity to walking as he recovers. Koscheck said the entire right side of his face is still numb. A prominent scar now resides underneath his right eye.

Despite the challenges ahead, Koscheck is thankful the injury wasn't more serious. He plans to focus on the business of his gyms in Fresno, and he has appearances booked through February after spending more than a month at home.

"It's boring as hell," he said. "I can see why people want to fight for longer than ever. I'm like, 'What the hell do I do?'"

Meanwhile, the welterweight world spins. St-Pierre (21-2 MMA, 15-2 UFC) has a sixth title defense scheduled for UFC 129 against Jake Shields, whom Koscheck (15-5 MMA, 13-5 UFC) has trained with on and off for two years.

"I think it's an easy fight for Georges if he plays a smart game plan," Koscheck said. "But Jake Shields is definitely a good fighter. He's got some weapons. He's got a good guillotine, and he's vicious on top."

Koscheck, though, would rather it be him out there.

"Georges beat me fair and square that night," he said. "He's a better fighter, but I think that the first punch of the fight was when I broke my eye. So I thought that it was definitely bad luck on my behalf. That's life. He threw the punch, and it was a good punch. I definitely think the fight would have been a lot different if that wasn't the case."

But regardless of whether St-Pierre stays at welterweight or moves up a class to meet middleweight champion Anderson Silva, Koscheck is not giving up on his dream to be champion.

"I'll continue to grind and build my way up to being the No. 1 contender and put myself back in the position," he said. "Right now, that's so far away for me. I still have five months of recovery."

It would be a moral victory to get revenge on the ice. Koscheck said he played hockey as a kid and thinks he can give St-Pierre a run for his money.

In another sense, though, he's already won. Koscheck worked fans into a frenzy by trash-talking St-Pierre and helped propel UFC 124 to sell-out status and a reported 785,000 pay-per-view buys.

Asked whether he benefited from that, he couldn't help but smile.

"Of course," he said. "Real good benefit."