Time to preview UFC 124
Music to listen to: Triad by Tool
Let’s get straight to the picks.
Georges St. Pierre vs. Josh Koscheck: These two men fought against each other before at UFC 74 in August of 2007. GSP was coming off of his upset loss to Matt Serra in his last fight and was able to rebound against Koscheck with a decision victory.
GSP hasn’t lost since the first Serra fight, spanning three years and seven fights. He has fought elite wrestlers (Jon Fitch, Matt Hughes), top strikers (Thiago Alves) and even a masterful ground fighter (B.J. Penn). St. Pierre has faced all aspects of an MMA fight and come out victorious.
To me, he’s the top fighter in the world.
As for Koscheck, he’s been 6-2 since his first meeting against GSP, but is on a three-fight winning streak. The only common opponent that the two men have had since 2007 was Alves. Koscheck lost a decision to him.
Kos’ main strength is his wrestling ability. The only problem with that is that GSP outwrestled him in the first contest and the Canadian has even improved that skill set even more in the past few years.
The best plan for Kos will to be aggressive in the standup because GSP is a notoriously slow starter. It the same game plan that Serra had against the champion and that ended well for the challenger.
Prediction: GSP by fourth round TKO
Thiago Alves vs. John Howard: Speaking of Alves, he’s back after suffering a decision loss to Fitch in August. For the second time in his career, Alves was unable to make the weight limit for welterweight in the fight, coming in over the 170-pound limit. Both instances happened in the UFC and would normally be terms for a release but the company has decided to give Alves another shot of making 170.
In his attempts to make the weight limit, Alves has also hindered his fighting ability. He has lost his last two fights by decision to Fitch and GSP and Alves’ stamina was weak for both occasions.
Howard will have to avoid standing with Alves because the Brazilian still possesses some of the top hands in the division. He will have to get the fight into the ground and hope that Alves tires out.
Prediction: Alves by decision
Stefan Struve vs. Sean McCorkle: Both of these men stand above 6’7’’ and are relative puppies in mixed martial arts. McCorkle is the physically stronger fighter but Struve arguably has better technique.
Prediction: Struve by decision
Joe Stevenson vs. Mac Danzig: This may essentially be an elimination fight from ever working in the UFC again, especially for Danzig who has lost four of his last five fights.
I’ve been surprised by Danzig’s downturn in his career because after winning the Ultimate Fighter contract, I thought that he could be a contender in the lightweight decision but that hasn’t happened.
Don’t expect a knockout or stoppage in this fight. In a war of attrition, I’ll take the fighter with better stamina and faster pace.
Prediction: Stevenson by decision
Those are my thoughts, what are yours?
The Sports Inquirer 
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