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

Koscheck's broken face (surgery today in Boston):

 

Rogan gives his opinion a little too much for my liking.

 

He still would've been in Boston getting his eye socket surgically repaired today. Hard to complain when you are legitimately injured.

If you're squeamish don't read the following:

Also--dunno if anyone noticed since nobody has really posted much here about the event--Koscheck seemed to break his toenail in the first round. He bent over and ripped it off between the first and second round. After that there were two or three moments in the fight where he was bothered by it. Might've broken his toe as well.

 

Kos got royally fucked up. I kinda feel bad for him. I do respect that he doesn't quit and would probably fight again on the next UFC card if he could...he's always willing to fight, he's just a douche.

I have no interest in Shields/GSP. Vacate the belt and move up, please.

 

^ The bout with Silva is obviously the goal but does anyone think the middleweight division is anywhere near as talented as welterweight?

Bisping, Belfort, Maia, Okami, Sonnen... outside of Silva I don't think there are many big challenges for GSP there, either.

 

Its just time to move up, though. He's cleared out the WW division. He should walk right through Shields.

It is time for GSP/Silva by the end of 2011. After that, GSP needs to fight @ 185 and Silva @ 205. Build their legacies.

 

Agreed.

Pretty much only Shields and Condit left though Condit is another Greg Jackson fighter.

 

I think Silva would go for the kill. If I'm Anderson I'm thinking "GSP can't finish me" and the wrestling would be my only concern. Silva's got more of a flair for the dramatic, showboating, wants to embarrass you and prove hes the shit. He would desperately want the finish and I think he'd get it. OTOH GSP does nothing but play it safe and try to outpoint guys he knows he can't stand with. His play-it-safe gameplan would reach new heights against Silva but I don't think it saves him. Silva looked bad against the excellent wrestling of Sonnen but he'll likely be more determined/motivated and he'll certainly have the size advantage.

If its a three round fight (it probably will be, no? Or will it be for the 185 championship?) I think that's an advantage for GSP. If its five rounds IMO that helps Silva for exactly the reasons we saw in the Sonnen fight. Silva just needs you to show him an opening for a split second, whether its on the feet or on the ground. Hes a finisher. GSP is a decision guy that doesn't finish well at all and he needs to fight 100% mistake free for the entire fight. And hes fugging great at it. But I just don't think anyone can beat a motivated Silva unless Anderson really slacks on working on his takedown defense.

 

Just a point about Silva--he had Demian Maia in the same spot with a damaged eye, and instead of finishing him he taunted him. In fact Maia came back and finished the fight strong because Silva refused to press the action.

 

The first casualty of this event is Joe Doerksen who has been cut again. Dude has been released like four times from the UFC and always works his way back.

 

Just my opinion here, I think Silva was proving a point to Dana--in a way. He wanted to box Roy Jones Jr and Dana shut that down without hesitation. I'm sure that didn't sit well with Anderson.

 

I'd believe it if he hadn't fought the exact same way against Cote and Leites.

 

Cote I can see, but Leites, IIRC, kept trying to take the fight to the ground and kept trying to pull guard, right? I don't blame Anderson for not going to the ground. I just don't think a fighter loses their killer instinct unless they've been KO'd like GSP was. Anderson wasn't KO'd, I think it is more of him being bored and wanting more of a challenge and trying to embarrass his opponent more than anything. He has a streak of being lethal and finishing his opponents...GSP has admitted that he fights safe. I've got no issues with either fighter, I just can't get into GSP personally because it seems like he could have KO'd Koscheck or Fitch had he been more aggressive.

 

I was at the Silva/Leites fight and I don't know how it came off on TV but he definitely wasn't making an effort to end the fight on the feet. He was toying around and clowning Leites even before the guy started buttscooting and flopping. IIRC he spoke before the fight about wanting to go five rounds for the first time in his career and that's what he did.

I disagree that GSP could've finished Fitch. He worked his ass off trying to finish Fitch. Fitch took a worse beating than BJ Penn, IMO. There were several points in that fight where the ref could've justifiably stepped in and stopped it. I agree about the Kos fight, though. I blame GSP for not going for the kill but I blame Greg Jackson for telling him to "circle and jab" every round despite having Kos on the ropes.

 

Agree with Mamba. I think it has much more to do with Silva being pissed off about the shit fighters Dana throws in there with him. Laites and Maia especially were non-threats and I think he considered Sonnen to be the same type of deal. His arrogance got him beat up for virtually the whole Sonnen fight and briefly in the Maia fight but he still proved his point- that hes head and shoulders more talented than these guys and most of them don't even deserve to be in the ring with him since none of them will/can strike in general, let alone against Anderson. I think he feels like Dana is wasting his time, especially with the non-strikers.

The whole thing is very odd though. We saw him move up and dominate against Forrest but then the move to 205 faded when he said he wouldn't fight Machida. So my understanding is that Dana responded that if hes not going to fight for the belt then just go back to 185 and keep lopping off top contenders? And Anderson seems sick of fighting these guys but simultaneously Ed Soars is lobbying against fights vs. Hendo (perhaps the best available competition even despite a previous loss to Silva), right? Dana wants him to fight Belfort and Sonnen again but is there any plan to get him back to 205 after since Machida is out now? Does Silva even want it? And how is GSP-Silva affecting his permanent move to 205? Seems like GSP doesn't want any part of it for the forseeable future. I get the feeling we won't get to see this fight until both of those guys are on the decline so I'm really not going to get my hopes up about it. GSP is content beating on the unlimited supply of quality 170's and it may not be until this time next year that Silva is done with Belfort and Sonnen. He'll be that much older and assuming GSP is still nowhere near ready to move up he oughta start fighting Rampage/Rua/Rashad/Jon Jones/Couture if hes around.

 

I hope for fuck's sake Anderson moves up. There are a lot of intriguing matches for him @ 205. I really have no urge to see Sonnen/Silva II unless Sonnen earns a title shot by going through 2-3 opponents, first. He didn't lose a close decision, he got subbed. It doesn't matter how bad he whooped Anderson's ass, he still got subbed. He lost by result of something Anderson did, not by how the judge's saw the fight.

I am intrigued by the Belfort fight. I think someone is getting KO'd in that fight. I have to think Silva will be able to pick him apart. I really have no urge to see GSP/Silva unless Silva is content with fighting at 185. I mean, I'd rather see Wanderlei vs. Anderson just because that would be an all out brawl and you don't have to worry about that one hitting the mat. I think there are far better matchups for him at 205. Rampage, Jones, Bader, Shogun, etc...

As for GSP, I think its time to vacate the title and move up. See how he does against the 185'ers. Sonnen, Marquardt, Palhares, etc...