Can I use an Ability to move enough damage counters onto my Unidentified Fossil to knock it out, but then discard it from play before it gets KO'd?
No, that won't work. As soon as you're done using the ability you would check for KO before being able to discard the Unidentified Fossil.
Source: TPCi Rules Team (2018-02-08)

Relevant cards

Note: All applicable cards may not be listed below.
SM5_134