UFC 124: St. Pierre vs. Koscheck II is one of the most anticipated and hottly discussed fight nights in recent memory. On Saturday, these two welterweights will collide once again, but this time, so much more is on the line. St. Pierre currently holds the belt, and will look to defend his title in his own city, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. While the belt is obviously important, bragging rights are just as important to these two. The rivalry between GSP and Koscheck goes all the way back to their first meeting in 2007. In their first fight at UFC 74, GSP was able to take Koscheck down on several occasions and eventually win a unanimous decision. The wrestling ability of St. Pierre showed to be a step above Koscheck’s, who was an All-American wrestler in college. Koscheck is coming off a win against Paul Daley back in May. This made Kos the number one contender to get a shot against St. Pierre once again. Also, Koscheck won an opportunity to coach on The Ultimate Fighter season 12 show against St. Pierre. This was able to add even more fuel to the fire. GSP ended up winning the season, which puts more pressure on Koscheck to beat GSP. For the fight on Saturday, both guys are going to be as focused as ever. St. Pierre has even said he has never been this focused and prepared for a fight. I think he will look to end this one early. In the co-main event, undefeated UFC newcomer Sean McCorkle will take on “The Skyscraper” Stefan Struve in a heavyweight bout. McCorkle, 10-0, is coming off a submission victory over Mark Hunt in his debut in the UFC. Stefan Struve is the tallest fighter in the UFC, 6’11, and has big knockout power. He showed this in his fight against Christian Morecraft. With two very tall heavyweights in the octagon, anything can happen. Struve should definitely have the edge in the stand up, but McCorkle is a good wrestler and has 5 wins by submission.
The 3rd fight of the main card is a lightweight fight between Jim Miller and Charles Oliveira. Miller has been on a tear lately, winning his past 5 fights. Miller cannot overlook Oliveira, however. Since joining the UFC, Oliveira is 2-0 and has two Submission of the Night honors. When these two meet in Montreal, the fight should stay on the ground the entire time. Look for either an impressive submission or a long, dragged out decision for one of the two. In another lightweight bout, Ultimate Fighter winners will collide as Season 2 winner, Joe ”Daddy” Stevenson will face season 6 winner, Mac Danzig. Both guys were on the losing end in their last fights, and are in need of a win. This fight can go either way; both guys have more submission wins than anything else, so this one could go to the ground, or could be kept standing. You never know. The first fight of the night starts off with a bang as Thiago “Pitbull” Alves faces John “Doomsday” Howard. In many ways, this is one of the most intriguing fights on the card. There are two totally different styles for these two. Alves has powerful hands and has won 11 of his 17 fights by knockout. Howard, on the other hand, is more of a ground fighter (6 submission wins), but has a standup game also. Alves has had a problem making weight in his previous fights. President Dana White has made suggestions that he needs to move to the middleweight division, but will allow Alves to get another chance as a welterweight. Alves needs a win desperately in this one, but will be a hard task against Howard.
Predictions:
UFC Welterweight Championship: Georges St. Pierre vs. Josh Koscheck- Koscheck will try to ruin GSP’s homecoming but the heart and focus for GSP is too much to overcome.
Prediction: St. Pierre with a 2nd round TKO
Sean McCorkle vs. Stefan Struve- Tough fight to call. Whichever guy can execute their game plan the best will win.
Prediction: Stefan Struve by split decision.
Jim Miller vs. Charles Oliveira- Should stay on the ground most of the fight. The result should a submission victory or decision.
Prediction: Jim Miller, Unanimous decision
Joe Stevenson vs. Mac Danzig- Both need a win and could go either way.
Prediction: Joe Stevenson gets back on track and gets a unanimous decision victory
Thiago Alves vs. John Howard- Should be an exciting fight. I think an upset is possible in this one.
Prediction: John Howard with a surprising TKO victory in the 3rd round
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