UFC featherweight Erik Koch (11-1) was all set to face Cub Swanson at UFC on Versus 3 on March 3 when something happened that he’s become all too familiar with lately … his opponent had to back out of the fight at the last second.

Koch had been scheduled to fight then-top contender Josh Grispi at WEC 52, but Grispi received an offer to face featherweight champ Jose Aldo at UFC 125. (Aldo later suffered an injury, and Grispi ended up losing to Dustin Poirier)

Now, wouldn’t you know it, about a week or so before Koch’s fight with Swanson, Swanson had to back out to deal with an injury.

However, Koch’s luck hasn’t been all bad. Francisco Rivera stepped in at WEC 52, giving Koch the chance to earn the Knockout of the Night bonus. And instead of facing Swanson, Koch will get to go up against Raphael Assuncao (16-3) at UFC 128 on March 19 in Newark, N.J.

While Swanson is a formidable opponent, in Assuncao, Koch has the opportunity to defeat a featherweight right around the fringe of the top ten who owns wins over the likes of Joe Lauzon and Jorge Masvidal. On top of that, Koch will be a part of a stacked pay-per-view card that features UFC light heavyweight champion Maurcio “Shogun” Rua against the almost unbeatable looking Jon Jones.

Since ProMMAnow.com interviewed Koch before his fight with Swanson fell through, we made sure not to take up too much of his training time, but managed to get his thoughts on his new opponent and who he thinks will win the UFC 128 main event.

ProMMAnow.com: Hey Erik, thanks for speaking with us again. It seems like you’ve had some bad luck lately with opponents having to back out of fights. When did you find out about this one?

Erik Koch: I found out after a hard training session. It happened the same way as the last time. Before the Grispi fight, I’d just gotten done training for the day and Duke [Roufus] called me down to the locker room and said, “Grispi pulled out.”

This time a friend of mine told me, “Man, you’re gonna be pissed. MMAJunkie said Swanson’s out.”

ProMMAnow.com: You were right near the end of your training camp when Swanson had to back out, and now you’re having to go back and rev things back up. Do you think the change in the training schedule might throw you off?

Erik Koch: Nah, I’m not concerned about that. Swanson pulled out right when my camp almost over and I was starting to taper down, but now it’s just a couple more weeks of hard training before the fight. As a fighter, that’s just one of those things that can happen and you have to be ready for it.

ProMMAnow.com: On paper you’ll have a big advantage in the striking, but Assuncao has a great ground game; I’m pretty sure he’s a Jiu Jitsu black belt. Do you think you need to keep this fight off the ground? How do you think you match up there.

Erick Koch: He’s really good on the ground, but I train hard in that area. Me and Anthony [Pettis] are very similar. We can take people down and we can control them. So don’t be surprised if you see me winning the ground battle too.

ProMMAnow.com: Although he has great Jiu Jitsu, he doesn’t have the strongest wrestling pedigree, so he might not come and shoot in the same way a guy like Chad Mendes would. Have you been anything different with your takedown defense to get ready?

Erik Koch: He’s a good wrestler. I certainly don’t think he’s like Chad Mendes level, but he’s strong and it’s definitely something I have to look out for. But in all my training camps, I train for everything. That’s why I’m nicknamed “New Breed.”

A game plan to a certain extent is good, but what happens when the game plan fails?

I’m ready for anything. Wherever the fight goes, I think I can win it.

ProMMAnow.com: I believe he’s a little shorter than Swanson, so you should have a pretty good reach advantage on the feet. Is that a good thing or do you have to guard against getting overconfident?

Erik Koch: It’s a good thing. I like fighting shorter guys. I know how to use my reach well … and my inside fighting’s gotten a lot better.

I don’t want to get overcomplicated, but I definitely feel standing I’ll have a big advantage. I know people want the knockout and since it’s pay-per-view, I know I want the knockout of the night.

ProMMAnow.com: Looking at the main event, you’ve mentioned you’re a big Shogun fan. How do you see the main event playing out? And as a fighter, do you think Jones will have any trouble with the short turnaround time just coming off of the training camp and win over Ryan Bader?

Erik Koch: It won’t affect someone like Jon Jones. I think his heads in the right place. I know it wouldn’t affect me. I’ve always said that if I won my fight and a month and a half later they wanted me to fight Jose Aldo, I’d do it. You don’t turn stuff like that down.

As for Shogun, I’m a big shogun fan, but it’s one of those things … I have to say I think Jones is going to win. I think he’s the next big thing. The size, athletic ability, how fast a learner he is and how he mixes in his striking. I do think Jones’s is going to win, but I want Shogun to win. Looking at Shogun’s style…I’ve been a fan of his for years.

Koch has some new t-shirts coming out. They are ProMMAnow.com endorsed because they don’t involve pitbulls and skulls. You can hit him up on Twitter @NEWBREED04 or on facebook for more info.

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