To help recover from the mental anguish I put myself and spectators through with the Santa Speedo Sprint, I have a full house for tonight’s UFC 124 live from Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Main event is Josh Koscheck and Georges St-Pierre. Both have improved as fighters since their last meeting in 2007, but Koscheck has dramatically improved in his stand-up. But is it enough? We’ll find out tonight.

Also, for poops and giggles, everyone in the room decided they wanted to do their own scoring and compare it with the judges. Should be interesting!

Amongst the crew for the fights is fellow TU blogger Tom Reale, whose posts over at the Tea Party blog are guaranteed to open your mind, rather than show you a picture of someone whose mind has been opened the hard way.

Keep checking back for periodic updates (after the jump)

Unaired Prelim Results

  • John Makdessi def. Pat Audinwood via Unanimous Decision
  • Ricardo Almeida def. TJ Grant via Unanimous Decision
  • Sean Pierson def. Matt Riddle via Unanimous Decision
  • Jesse Bongfeldt and Rafael Natal went to a Majority Draw (28-28, 28-28, 29-28) First time I’ve ever seen that happen in a UFC event where it didn’t include at least one point deduction from a foul.
  • Mark Bocek def. Dustin Hazelett via Submission (R1, Triangle Choke) Aired on UFC.com
  • Dan Miller def. Joe Doerksen via Split Decision Aired on UFC.com

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THIAGO ALVES vs. JOHN HOWARD
Thiago Alves looked great in this fight. Joe Rogan said it was the best he’d ever seen him. I’m not so sure; as impressed as I was, Howard looked terrible halfway through the fight and I felt like Alves should’ve been able to finish in the 3rd. Still, a vastly improved Alves, and it goes to show what dropping a little weight and improving your condition can do for you as a fighter.
Result: Thiago Alves via Unanimous Decision
In-House Scoring: 30-27 across the board

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MAC DANZIG vs. JOE STEVENSON
This, ladies and gentlemen, is a Loser Leaves Town Match (unofficially). For those that don’t know, that’s a term derived from professional wrestling used by jerks like me to describe a fight between two fighters who are on a losing streak and on the cusp of getting cut. They move around for a bit, with some brief touch and go exchanges. Suddenly, Mac Danzig counters a straight left from Stevenson with a left hook and knocks Stevenson out cold. Wow.
Result: Mac Danzig via KO (early R1)

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JIM MILLER vs. CHARLES OLIVEIRA is next.
Miller could finally finally move up the Middleweight ladder with a win. He also goes in with some pretty boss facial hair. Oliveira with some kicks early and Miller doesn’t like it, so he takes it to the ground. Unfortunately he runs into a lot of trouble getting a dominant position due to Oliveira’s BJJ. Suddenly, Oliveira goes for another triangle and Miller grabs the leg and locks in a knee bar. Oliveira tries to fight it, but taps after three or four seconds. Beautiful form from Miller.
Result: JIM MILLER via Submission (R1; knee bar)

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To fill time, Joe Rogan goes on another lengthy rant against Keith Kizer and the Nevada State Athletic Commission. Just kidding, they actually show Matt Riddle vs. Sean Pierson from the prelims. In-House results are unanimous again, 29-28 Pierson, though one says he could understand going 29-28 Riddle. Montreal judges > Las Vegas judges.

Also, I’d like to note that I’m updating this at my dining room table alongside Joe Yerdon, who writes and is on duty tonight for NBC Sports’ Pro Hockey Talk. The others are sarcastically referring to us as Press Row.

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SEAN McCORKLE vs. STEFAN STRUVE is next.
McCorkle looks like he has a Nazi eagle on his chest. I know it’s not, but from a distance…anyway. McLocks: “break that Nazi bastard’s arm!” I know he’s not a Nazi, but it made us all laugh. A lot of grappling early in the 1st. Back and forth with submission attempts, with Struve reversing a Kimura attempt to get full mount. His position and reach is too much for McCorkle, who eventually starts covering up. Without any defense, the ref stops it.
Result: STEFAN STRUVE via TKO (R1; Strikes from full mount)

—-

GEORGES ST-PIERRE vs. JOSH KOSCHECK is next for the UFC WELTERWEIGHT TITLE
Huge negative crowd reaction for Koscheck, who gets louder boos than any fighter I’ve ever heard in the UFC. GSP seemed to have won the round. Koscheck tried to steal it late with a takedown, but it took a LOT of effort. Koscheck ends the round with a really bad mouse on his right eye. Round 2: GSP is completely picking Koscheck apart on the feet. He has Koscheck’s right scouted, and Kos can’t get anything going. He lands a hard uppercut with a minute left in the round, but it doesn’t seem to do much to GSP. It seems like Koscheck came into this fight knowing he’d lose a war of attrition, and that his only hope was for a quick knockout win. But he’s got to be more clever than this. 20-18 GSP going into the 3rd. Round 3: Round starts and GSP immediately establishes the jab. Kos is fighting tentative, which is self-defeating against a guy like GSP who’s just going to exploit your hesitancy and find more openings. GSP goes for a takedown and doesn’t get it, but transitions to a clinch against the cage. GSP continues to go for a takedown while hitting knees. Koscheck finally able to push him off at the halfway point of the round. They have some exchanges standing that GSP gets the better of, and it’s back to a clinch against the cage. GSP is throwing a lot of nuisance shots, knees mostly. They break back out with a minute left. GSP hitting inside leg kicks to give distance, then moving back in with jabs. Koscheck throws wild with a right hook and a roundhouse but hits nothing but air. With 40 seconds left, GSP starts landing more shots at will. Going into the 4th it’s an easy 30-27. Koscheck hasn’t even so much as put a scare into GSP yet. Round 4:  Before the round, the doctor comes in to check the eye. Doctor determines he’s fine and the fight continues. Right away, GSP takes it to Koscheck. Jabs, a hook, a leg kick, a superman punch and a takedown within the first 30 seconds of the fight. After a second takedown Koscheck goes for a heel hook. He doesn’t get it, but does get it back standing to yet another clinch against the cage. Koscheck falls to an errant body shot with two minutes left, and suddenly he’s not moving or pivoting at all. I think GSP’s leg kicks might have put a hurting on his right leg. The rest of the round is, as Hockey Joe just put it, surgical. Round 5: The reaction in Montreal is deafening. Koscheck’s hands are low and he’s still standing, but that’s about it. Koscheck is going for sloppy takedowns and it’s sad. GSP keeps landing more jabs, which he’s used to dictate the entire fight. Fellow TU blogger Michael Rivest (Boxing in the Capital Region) would fall in love with MMA if he was watching this. With 2:50 left, Koscheck starts loading up his right hand and throws a wild hook, which GSP easily avoids and counters with straight jabs. Koscheck doesn’t look like he’s having trouble standing; he seems completely aware of what’s happening but has absolutely no idea what to do about any aspect of Georges St-Pierre’s game. St-Pierre now transitioning to wrestling; Koscheck does what he can and gets it back to the feet, but that hasn’t done him any favors. With ten seconds left, Koscheck is almost literally begging off. The horn sounds and Koscheck embraces GSP for a good minute or so. Tremendous respect shown between the two fighters.
RESULT: GEORGES ST-PIERRE via Unanimous Decision
In-House Judging: 50-45 across the board.
No question. Complete dominance.

—-

GSP’s next defense will be against Jake Shields, most likely in April. I’d say March, but that’s already looking like a busy month with Light Heavyweight champion Rua, Featherweight Champion Jose Aldo, and potentially Brock Lesnar all returning. I wouldn’t be surprised if the date was announced in the post-fight press conference.

From there, it’s a toss-up. Jon Fitch and BJ Penn are fighting in early 2011, with the winner likely getting another shot at GSP. A third Penn/St-Pierre match-up could be intriguing, but I personally feel that if a fighter can improve as drastically as Koscheck in three years and still get dominated like this, Penn doesn’t stand a chance.

As for the rest of the night’s winners:

THIAGO ALVES looks like he could be another win or two away from getting back into title contention. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him booked against Koscheck next.

MAC DANZIG I have no clue other than to say he gets to keep his job, which considering all the work he’s put in, is a great thing. Genuinely happy for him. Same goes for DAN MILLER.

Speaking of the Miller brothers, JIM MILLER will definitely be stepping up in competition. If I had to hazard a guess, I’d say maybe either Nate Marquardt or Damien Maia.

STEFAN STRUVE put on another great performance. He’s solid technically, has a great reach due to his 6’11” frame, and is a really gutsy fighter. I know there’s probably not much interest in it from the UFC or other fans, but I’d like to see him try to get retribution for his knockout loss against Roy Nelson.

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Thanks all for joining us! A great night of entertaining fights.

See you all on Monday where I bare my soul about baring my mid-riff.

Good night, Canada.

 

5 Responses to UFC 124 Live Blog!

  1. u2 says:

    GSP v. the Brit Daley is the best fight on the table. Will be interesting if Daley’s team can “make ammends” with Dana at some point once his Strikeforce deal runs out.

    • I’m not so sure.

      Don’t be fooled by the win over Scott Smith, who had no business dropping down to 170. That’s a terrible weight for a guy already dropping a significant amount to make the usual 185. They basically put a dehydrated body bag in front of Daley for that fight.

      Daley’s got alright stand-up, but I think GSP would totally humble him. I mean, look at what Koscheck did to Daley, and just imagine Daley having to go in against St-Pierre. His attitude and statements he’s continued to make, it’s clear Daley has absolutely no interest in improving in all the areas that would be necessary to compete with GSP.

      As for best fight on the table for GSP: Maybe a refocused and re-energized Penn if he can beat Fitch?

  2. Frank James Davis says:

    Koscheck may be an improved fighter, but this quirky young man suffers from debilitating character flaws. I doubt Josh will ever be a champion. And, while BJ Penn is, most likely, on the downhill side of his career, he is a truly great fighter. Warriors on Penn’s level can never be counted out. Too often, they decide to be great, just one more time.
    Thanks, Kevin, for the lively, informed and comprehensive report.

  3. Kyle Bryans says:

    Kevin I’m starting to feel the same way about GSP as I feel about Anderson Silva, bored.

  4. Frank – He certainly got exactly what he asked for…literally. He challenged GSP to stand with him at all the press calls and conferences. Well, now what?

    Kyle – Understandable.

    Honestly, I’m one of those fans that has a lot more patience for the more technical and meticulous aspects of the sport than others; for instance, I can actually sit through a Jake Shields fight and enjoy it. Although I do think he underestimated and mailed it in against Kampmann; that fight definitely wasn’t representative of his skill level.

    I think what hurts GSP in the eyes of so many, though, is that like Silva he really doesn’t have any competition at his weight.

    I think people would be more forgiving of St-Pierre if he was at the beginning of his run and folks didn’t have a grasp of how good he was. If you believe a guy can lose, it adds a bit of drama and excitement to a fight. But if every single guy at that weight no matter what is going to be a longshot, eventually you get bored.

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