UFC 124 Rumble: Georges St. Pierre Vs Josh Koscheck
By Guillermo Reyes
(Managing Editor’s Note: Guillermo Reyes is our newest Feature Writer at RSR and will be covering MMA and Boxing. I, along with the rest of the team, welcome him aboard!)
UFC 124 is an awesome card with great fighters and a perfect main event; Georges St. Pierre, 20-2, vs. Josh Koscheck, 15-4, good vs. bad, Batman vs. Joker.
It is the squeaky clean French-Canadian, quickly becoming an international superstar, and the Blonde Bad Boy from the steel city that everyone seems to hate and most MMA writers and Analysts are picking to lose: except me!
Koscheck will knock out GSP in round 2!
Their first fight took place at UFC 74 in Las Vegas, Nevada, where GSP dominated Koscheck in a one-sided victory.
GSP took down Koscheck at will en-route to a majority decision. Koscheck admitted that he did not even work on his wrestling in the lead up to the fight as he was still evolving from a Division I national champion wrestler to a striker and all around true mixed martial artist.
In that first match, 3 years ago, Koscheck was a “dumb fighter.” I did not say it first, Dave Camarillo did, and he just so happens to be one of his coaches at the esteemed American Kickboxing Academy, home to the Undisputed UFC Heavyweight Champion Cain Velasquez and the number 3 welterweight in the world Jon Fitch. What made him a dumb fighter?
He did not practice his world-class wrestling!
GSP has beaten some great strikers; Dan Hardy, Thiago Alves, BJ Penn, he has beaten Division I wrestlers; Jon Fitch, Matt Hughes, Sean Sherk, but he has not faced a fighter who is an awesome wrestler and great at striking, which is what Koscheck has become.
Everyone knows what GSP’s game plan is. He is going to try to take you down, throw some elbows, and attempt some submissions, but what is he going to do once he realizes that he cannot take Koscheck down at will?
Once it turns into a stand-up fight, which it will, it is going to be tough for GSP to bang with Koscheck. If Matt Serra made him tap from strikes what do you think Koscheck is going to do? Also, everybody knows that GSP does not hit hard, in fact, he has never knocked out an opponent:
NEVER!
Koscheck is going to be able to stuff the takedowns, which will frustrate GSP and quiet the hometown fans; yes, UFC 124 is taking place in Montreal, which just so happens to be where GSP has spent a considerable amount of his life.
Most people think that fighting at home gives you an advantage but I don’t buy it. I believe that it puts the pressure on you to perform at an even higher level.
GSP is strong mentally, but once that cage door closes and you have 20,000 fans screaming for you to destroy the man in front of you it can be overwhelming. Especially when the man in front of you is Josh Koscheck, who may be the most hated man in Canada.
Here is how it is all going to play out:
Round 1: the first 30-45 seconds both fighters will feel each other out to see what the other is trying to do. GSP will then attempt and secure a takedown but Koscheck will bounce right back up and tag GSP with a 1-2 combo, which he will follow with a take-down of his own.
Once on the ground Koscheck will notice that GSP’s Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is extraordinary and he will just get off of GSP to force a referee stand-up. GSP will then attempt to stand with Koscheck by throwing a few Muay Thai combinations, but Koscheck will counter with strong left hooks and over hand rights. Kosckeck wins the round.
Round 2: Koscheck comes out guns blazing and tags GSP with a hard over hand right that puts GSP to sleep.
Disclaimer: I am not a GSP hater, in fact, I think he is one of the greatest athletes in MMA history, but Koscheck is a fighter and now is his time to be on top of the UFC welterweight division.
All roads lead to UFC 131 in Toronto for the rematch.
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