UFC 124: St. Pierre vs. Koscheck 2 [Results]

Re: UFC 124: St. Pierre vs. Koscheck 2 (Dec. 11th)

23,000+ tickets sold
$5,000,000 gate

Most tickets for a North American UFC
Highest live gate worldwide for UFC

 

Re: UFC 124: St. Pierre vs. Koscheck 2 (Dec. 11th)

http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2010/12/9/1865878/ufc-124-pre-fight-press-conference-video#storyjump

 

Re: UFC 124: St. Pierre vs. Koscheck 2 (Dec. 11th)

Dana White: "Josh Koscheck isn't a bad guy, he's a dick."
Josh Koscheck: "Prick, not dick."

LMAO

 

Re: UFC 124: St. Pierre vs. Koscheck 2 (Dec. 11th)

The betting lines indicate it could be a long night for the Canadians on the card other than GSP and Mark Bocek.

John Makdessi (+120), Jesse Bongfelt (+130), TJ Grant (+140), Joe Doerksen (+190), and Sean Pierson (+240) are all coming into their respective fights as underdogs.

Bocek has a slight advantage over Dustin Hazelett (-125 to -105). GSP is a 5-to-1 favourite to beat Koscheck.

 

Re: UFC 124: St. Pierre vs. Koscheck 2 (Dec. 11th)

http://mmajunkie.com/news/21683/wat...igh-ins-live-on-mmajunkie-com-at-4-p-m-et.mma

 

Re: UFC 124: St. Pierre vs. Koscheck 2 (Dec. 11th)

Weigh-in Results

Preliminary fights (may not be broadcast)
155lbs. Pat Audinwood (156) vs. John Makdessi (155)
170lbs. TJ Grant (170) vs. Ricardo Almeida (170.5)
170lbs. Matt Riddle (170.5) vs. Sean Pierson (170.5)
185lbs. Jesse Bongfeldt (185.5) vs. Rafael Natal (185)

UFC.com (9:00pm EST)
155lbs. Dustin Hazelett (155) vs. Mark Bocek (155.5)
185lbs. Joe Doerksen (185.5) vs. Dan Miller (184.5)

PPV (10:00pm EST)
155lbs. Charles Oliveira (153.5) vs. Jim Miller (155)
170lbs. Thiago Alves (171) vs. John Howard (171)
155lbs. Mac Danzig (156) vs. Joe Stevenson (155.5)
265lbs. Stefan Struve (253) vs. Sean McCorkle (264)
170lbs. Georges St. Pierre (c) (170) vs. Josh Koscheck (169)

 

Re: UFC 124: St. Pierre vs. Koscheck 2 (Dec. 11th)

I really want that RHCP Thermal that Dana was wearing, but I ain't droppin' $40 + tax + shipping.

 

Re: UFC 124: St. Pierre vs. Koscheck 2 (Dec. 11th)

 

Fight of the Night... GSP/Koscheck ($100,000 each -- fan vote)
Knockout of the Night... Mac Danzig ($100,000)
Submission of the Night... Jim Miller & Marc Bocek ($50,000 each)

Dana said Riddle/Pierson was the real fight of the night and those guys will be "taken care of."

 

Re: UFC 124: St. Pierre vs. Koscheck 2 (Dec. 11th)

MAIN CARD

• Georges St-Pierre (c) def. Josh Koscheck via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45) – retains welterweight title
• Stefan Struve def. Sean McCorkle via TKO (punches) - Round 1, 3:55
• Jim Miller def. Charles Oliveira via submission (kneebar) - Round 1, 1:59
• Mac Danzig def. Joe Stevenson via KO (punch) - Round 1, 1:54
• Thiago Alves def. John Howard via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

PRELIMINARY CARD

• Dan Miller def. Joe Doerksen via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
• Mark Bocek def. Dustin Hazelett via submission (triangle choke) - Round 1, 2:33
• Rafael Natal and Jesse Bongfeldt fight to a majority draw (28-28, 28-28, 29-28)
• Sean Pierson def. Matt Riddle via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Ricardo Almeida def. T.J. Grant via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• John Makdessi def. Pat Audinwood via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)

 

Re: UFC 124: St. Pierre vs. Koscheck 2 (Dec. 11th)

For sure I think that was one of the best shows of the year. Very pleased with the card top to bottom.

 

http://blog.fightmetric.com/2010/12/gsp-vs-koscheck-ii-fightmetric-report.html

GSP 357 Kos 95

Yikes.

 

People give Machida credit for being elusive and not taking damage but I think GSP has taken that style and perfected it. I kind of regret that his approach is to safely dominate his opponents but that is the case. On one hand it is pretty incredible that he can make an entire division look like shit by knocking off number one contenders like empty tin cans; on the other hand his desire to take even a small risk to try and end a fight seems to fade as the fight progresses. His performance last night was about equal to his fight vs. Alves in which he injured himself and not as good as Hardy, Penn, and Fitch.

 

This was a good card and the UFC needed it. The whole event went by so fast. Every fight was entertaining.

Alves/Howard was a lot more one-sided than I think most people expected. Howard didn't have anything to offer. Alves looked great, like he usually does against B-level competition (and Josh Koscheck). Unfortunately he has no chance of beating the top-2 fighters in the division so I don't know what is next for him. I suppose he could rematch Koscheck? Howard is going to drop back down into the middle of the pack and will need to fight his way up again. Wouldn't mind seeing him fight Amir Sadollah.

Joe Stevenson is now 3-5 in his last eight UFC fights but I would be surprised if he gets cut. I don't personally like his style but he comes to fight and I think the UFC will give him a chance to avoid losing three in a row. I could see them throwing him in with Joe Lauzon next. Mac Danzig is a middling fighter in the division and I don't expect much to come from this. The knockout was really similar to Seth Petruzelli/Kimbo Slice in that it was kind of a glancing blow as Stevenson was charging forward. Danzig brought his UFC record up to 4-4 and I think he'll stick around for two or three more fights before feeling the sword of Damocles hanging over him again. I suspect we could see him fight Bocek (while he waits for Sotiropolous) or a veteran like Spencer Fisher.

Jim Miller surprised me as much as Danzig last night. I think he is really hunting that title shot now. He is the Jon Fitch of the lightweight division--pretty much beats everyone except the title holder and the top contender (I think he is 8-1 or 9-1 in the UFC now). Since the LW strap is tied up for two fights (Maynard/Edgar, then the winner of that vs. the winner of Henderson/Pettis) he's probably going to take a fight in the meantime. I'm thinking a good gatekeeper for him might be Kenny Florian, supposing Kenny can get healthy. Oliveira still has lots of potential. Hope his knee is alright. I'd like to see him fight Cody McKenzie or McKenzie's English doppelganger Paul Sass.

Struve vs. McCorkle was good too. Big Sexy put it on him for the first couple of minutes but as Struve said in the presser he just stayed relaxed and worked his guard defence. He threatened his own kimura before executing a really magnificent sweep into mount and showing great top control en route to the stoppage. I think his game is evolving. He is a young kid and although he's far from a perfect fighter he is the kind of guy the UFC will always like to have around. All of his fights are entertaining. I could see him up against Cheick Kongo or even Cro Cop next. Maybe even Gabe Gonzaga. McCorkle is a cool guy and I'm sure he will recover from this loss quickly. Dunno where he goes from here. Probably put him up against someone like Rob Broughton, a middle of the pack HW.

The undercard guys--Bocek vs. Hazelett and Pierson vs. Riddle--had more good performances. Bocek punched Hazelett's ticket out of the UFC, I reckon, but he challenged a guy who already has fight booked in Sotiropolous. I don't know of George can get healthy in time for the April show since he's fighting in late February. I suppose that giant Toronto event is a good motivator--everyone is going to want to be a part of it. GSP's buddy Sean Pierson had a hell of a UFC debut, overcoming the adrenaline dump most newcomers get in the second round to defeat a very game Matt Riddle. This was the fight of the night and I suspect DW gave both those guys the deserved six-figure bonuses (fans were allowed for the first and last time to vote for fight of the night and they chose GSP/Koscheck to the dismay of White, who claimed he's take care of the real winners, Pierson and Riddle). Not bad for your first UFC fight to get $100,000 extra. I was a little surprised the judges gave Pierson round two, though. Pierson needs more experience so I don't think the UFC will tremendously upgrade his competition for the next bout. A tough guy like Matt Brown might suffice. Riddle is a young kid who is slowly coming along. He might get a newcomer or a can in his next one. His strategy of throwing combinations well out of range and marching forward while eating jabs and hooks was a little perplexing.

The main event was probably not what everyone was expecting, either. GSP's take-downs and top control were nullified by Koscheck's great wrestling defence and his ability to stand back up. As usual GSP's level changes and varied approach made his opponent tentative, leading to a clean sweep and another dominant performance by the champion. GSP will get more criticism for not finishing. I think it is important to recognize that every time GSP fights he's coming up against guys who are scared of him and spend the whole fight covering up and retreating. It seems to be easier to finish someone who is engaging. I'm not trying to make excuses for GSP who has become a safe fighter since losing to Hughes, it just seems to me that you can't only blame him for the way his fights turn out.

Koscheck had the best showing against GSP since Fitch or perhaps since Koscheck last fought GSP. Although he took a lot of damage I don't think he was ever in serious danger of being knocked out. When GSP had him down or tried to get his back Koscheck defended well and got out of trouble. His offensive game was absolute shit--he brought nothing to the table to demonstrate an evolution in his game since 2007 or whenever it was they last fought. It was the same Koscheck just more prepared to grapple. GSP took the centre of the octagon and Koscheck stood in front of him with no head or body movement, little to no countering, and he backed straight up allowing GSP to stick the jab in his ever-swelling eye 55 times (according to Fight Metric). For the record, Frank Edgar landed 44 jabs on BJ Penn, so it is possible that GSP reset the bar.

Not only did GSP batter Koscheck's face he also tenderized his legs. I have read some criticisms of Koscheck for not trying to take GSP down when he had some success doing so in the first round. By the second or third round Koscheck's legs were rubber. GSP landed 55 total leg kicks including a number of knees when they were grappling against the cage wall. With his eye closed and his legs sore I don't think Kos was able to shoot. He tried a bit when they were tangled against the cage but GSP was strong and kept getting underhooks or turning him around.

Does anyone really think Jake Shields would fare better? Shields' wrestling is not at this level. Once he has top control he is very gifted but getting into that position with GSP is reserved for only the finest wrestlers. Kos got it briefly in their two fights, Fitch had it for a few moments before GSP slipped out... Shields' striking is even worse than Koscheck's. I imagine the UFC will book this fight for the April show but hopefully they also book Velasquez/Dos Santos or another big one beside it because even the UFC hype frate trane will have trouble convincing everyone Shields has something for GSP.

And yeah, I don't see GSP vs. Anderson Silva getting booked. Silva has Belfort and Sonnen to get through first and GSP seems content to clear cut the WW division for antoher year or two.

 

GSP will dominate Shields.

I just wish GSP would finish fights.

 

Josh Koscheck reportedly has a broken orbital bone.

I was disappointed in Joe Rogan last night during the break between the third and fourth rounds. He chastised the ringside physician for even considering stopping the bout--even though it was evident that Koscheck was injured and unable to see out of his right eye. Rogan himself said later on in the fight that Koscheck might've had a broken orbital. Since that seems to be the case stopping the fight would've been warranted. Even if not it is still the responsibility of the physician to make sure the fighter is healthy enough to continue. Joe should do his job and commentate and allow the physician to do his job as well. I hope "Kris Kringle" wasn't within earshot of Rogan's complaints. Rogan got flak for criticizing the Phan/Garcia decision. That is subjective. This wasn't--Joe isn't a medical expert. His behavior was unprofessional.

Or should GSP be allowed to cave Koscheck's skull in just because Kos won't quit?