John Kolosci has had an interesting ride since he last stepped inside a cage.
The Portage resident and 1993 Lake Station graduate injured his elbow, forcing him out of a scheduled local fight nearly a year ago. He rehabilitated it, but only a portion of what he was supposed to -- and re-injured it, forcing him to start the process all over again.
And somehow, once he finally completed the rehab process, he had the guts to quit his day job to train mixed martial arts full time.
Tonight, Kolosci, who made a name for himself on the UFC's Season 6 of "The Ultimate Fighter" reality show on Spike TV, will be back in action for the first time in 16 months -- though the fight card, in Kokomo, is a far cry from the bright lights of the UFC.
"I'm in the 'I just want to fight' mode," Kolosci said. "After 16 months, I couldn't expect to jump right back into the spotlight. So I'm just happy to get in the cage and mix it up."
Kolosci (8-5, 0-1 UFC) is scheduled to take on Jay Finnegan in his first fight back since losing to Matt Arroyo on The Ultimate Fighter 6 Finale in December 2007 and said he believes he's well prepared.
"I'm sure there will be some ring rust from being off so long, but my training has been phenomenal and I just have to keep that in mind," Kolosci said. "I have to go in there and do my thing."
Kolosci said Finnegan is a muay thai fighter whose strength is fighting on his feet.
"My game plan is to stand with him and knock him out," Kolosci said. "I've been working diligently on all parts of my game, but I'm really looking forward to standing and banging. Of course, once you're in the cage, game plans can go out the window, but I'm planning to stand."
Since becoming a full-time fighter, Kolosci has been back and forth between training at Gilbert Grappling in Tinley Park and L.A. Boxing in Merrillville, where he is also an instructor. At Gilbert Grappling, Kolosci has been working with some of the best in MMA, including UFC star Clay Guida and WEC vets Joey Gilbert, Joe Benoit, Tommy Lee and Chase Beebe.
He hopes the commitment to fighting full-time will pay off -- he's already got his next fight lined up: May 2 in Warsaw against Rocky France.
"I think any fighter's ultimate goal is to compete successfully in the UFC, so, yes, that's my goal," Kolosci said. "As for now, I'm just taking it one fight at a time and I'll see where that leads."
