UFC 124 Post-Mortem: Georges St. Pierre Heats Up Pound-For-Pound Debate

Georges St. Pierre Defeats Josh Koscheck By Unanimous Decision

What Happened:

The welcoming for Josh Koscheck in Montreal, Quebec, Canada on Saturday night may have compared to Lebron James' in Cleveland, but the result was something completely different.

At UFC 124, Koscheck received a five round drubbing in the main event against Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre.

Throughout the fight, St. Pierre mixed up his offense and utilized his jab to perfection. Koscheck demonstrated solid takedown defense, shrugging off the majority of St. Pierre's attempts, but it wasn't nearly enough to thwart the champion's offense.

"I know Josh Koscheck likes to throw his punches circular, and I'm a straight puncher," St. Pierre told UFC commentator Joe Rogan in his post-fight interview. "My strategy was to keep him on the outside, and if he came too hard, to go for the takedown."

By the end of the first round, the damage was already showing under Koscheck's right eye, in what doctors are now declaring to be a broken orbital bone.

If fighting St. Pierre wasn't enough, Koscheck was forced to fight the rest of the bout with one eye.

The ringside doctor was close to stopping the bout in the fourth round, but a determined Koscheck refused to give up and gutted out the championship rounds.

The massive swelling of Koscheck's right eye served as fuel for St. Pierre's onslaught in the final rounds. Outside of well-timed one-twos and leg kicks, St. Pierre really started to tee off with the left hook.

It was a masterful strategy that sought to take advantage of Koscheck's inability to see any offense coming on his right side.

At the end of the bout, Koscheck embraced the champion and whispered words of respect. Fans may boo Koscheck, but respect has to be given for his willingness to step up and compete in such a hostile territory against one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world.

"I'm not making any excuses. Georges St. Pierre is a true champion," said Koscheck. "I tried to do what I could to hype the fight up. Montreal, this was an amazing event, regardless of the outcome. I appreciate everything. Thank you so much. I hope that I can come here one day and put on a better show for you guys. St. Pierre is the man tonight."

Even with the win, critics are sure to rain on St. Pierre's victory by insinuating his need to "play it safe."

St. Pierre, who has taken heat recently for his grapple heavy offense, has failed to finish his last three opponents.

"At the end, I saw his eye was closed, so I tried to go with hooks to take him out, but he's very tough," St. Pierre said. "I didn't reach my goal tonight. My goal was to take him out. Sorry, everyone."

The apology hardly seems needed. It isn't like St. Pierre is competing against bums. Jon Fitch, Thiago Alves, and Josh Koscheck are all widely considered as elite level fighters.

With this victory, St. Pierre picks up his eighth straight win and fifth consecutive title defense.

UFC President Dana White maintains his belief that Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva is the top pound-for-pound fighter in the world, but a case can easily be made for St. Pierre.

Technically, the French-Canadian is undefeated, having avenged each of his losses in dominating fashion.

Next for St. Pierre:

A showdown with former Strikeforce Middleweight Champion Jake Shields is next for St. Pierre. Hardcore fans have talked about this fight for a long time.

Shields is believed by many to also be one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the world.

Next for Koscheck :

The second loss to St. Pierre puts Koscheck in a tough position. As long as St. Pierre carries Welterweight gold, Koscheck can pretty much forget about another title opportunity.

He'll have to start from scratch and try to clean out the entire division, but after sustaining a significant injury, it could be awhile before Koscheck sees action again.

Stefan Struve Defeats Sean McCorkle By Round 1 TKO Stoppage

What Happened:

After plenty of pre-fight chatter, Sean McCorkle didn't have much to show for it against Stefan Struve.

Struve, who has become accustomed to Rocky-like comebacks, found himself in early trouble as McCorkle secured a takedown and threatened with a kimura attempt.

The submission finish seemed imminent as McCorkle continued to crank the arm, but "Skyscraper" never had any plans of throwing in the towel.

"I wasn't concerned. I stayed calm and relaxed," said Struve. "He has to break my arm if I'm going to tap."

Thankfully, the fight never came down to any broken limbs. Struve fought out of the hold and pulled off a beautiful sweep that positioned him right into mount.

The true punch line of all the jokes finally came as Struve unleashed a salvo of punches for the TKO stoppage at 3:55 of the very first round.

With this win, Struve improves his UFC record to 5-2; he can also celebrate the fact that he didn't leave the bout looking like a horror film victim.

"It's good to keep my face intact for once." Struve said at the post-fight press conference.

"My last three or four fights were wars. I got a couple new scars from that. It's good to win an easy fight like that."

Next for Struve:

Struve's performance in the co-main event on such a high profile card pretty much guarantees him a shot at stiffer competition.

Mirko "CroCop", Cheick Kongo and Travis Browne all make for interesting opponents.

Next for McCorkle:

"Big Sexy" will likely return to the UFC undercard.

He could get matched with the likes of Anthony Perosh or Chris Tuchscherer.

Jim Miller Submits Charles Oliveira By Round 1 Kneebar

What Happened:

Most people wondered how this bout would play out on the feet, but Jim Miller wasn't taking any chances and wasted no time in shooting in for the takedown.

Charles Oliveira, a brown belt in BJJ, is as dangerous as any Lightweight from his back.

Miller was forced into patience as Oliveira attacked from bottom with various submission and sweep attempts.

After the BJJ display from Oliveira, it was shocking when Miller decided to chance his dominant position for a kneebar attempt; it was even more shocking when it actually worked and Oliveira tapped at 1:59 of the first round.

"I think a lot of people underestimated me coming into this fight," said Miller. "Charles is a tough kid with a ton of potential, but I'm one of the best in the world."

There was a lot of hype behind Oliveira coming into this bout. Miller feels his performance puts him in the mix for a shot at the Lightweight Title.

"I want my [title] shot," Miller shouted.

Next for Miller:

It's amazing how Miller's success continues to get swept under the rug. It'll be hard to ignore him after this win over a quality prospect in Oliveira.

Miller's overall MMA record stands at 19-2, with the two losses coming to Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard. The win over Oliveira was his sixth straight in the UFC.

It's time for a major step up in competition. Kenny Florian and Sean Sherk are two upper-echelon Lightweights who can provide a huge test to Miller's title ambitions.

Next for Oliveira:

There is definitely no need to panic for "do Bronx."

At 21 years of age, Oliveira still shows tremendous promise as a possible Lightweight contender.

The UFC may have been a little hasty to throw him in with the likes of Miller, a proven and consistent veteran.

Thiago Tavares or Terry Etim would make for great comeback opponents.

Mac Danzig Defeats Joe Stevenson By Round 1 KO

What Happened:

This fight was a major reminder of how unpredictable this sport can be.

The majority of the MMA world saw Joe Stevenson coming into this bout and pulling out a fairly lopsided decision.

Instead, Mac Danzig landed a beautifully-timed left hand that put the former title contender to sleep at 1:54 of the first round.

"Hit the jaw, the guy goes out. I'm here to stay," said Danzig, who improved to 4-4 in the UFC.

Having lost four of his last five UFC bouts, Danzig was faced with a high probability of being released by the promotion.

He needed to come out and make a statement against a notable name and proven contender in Stevenson. It all came down to solid game planning and execution on fight night.

"I knew he was going to come in and lead with that left hook. I studied tape on him, and I knew he was going to walk right into that," said Danzig. "The whole thing is to hit the jaw. I used to aim for the forehead."

Meanwhile, the struggles for Stevenson continues, as he suffers his second consecutive loss.

He has lost five of his last eight, and there were plenty of questions after the fight surrounding the possibility of "The Ultimate Fighter" Season Two winner being handed his walking papers.

"I have a lot of respect for Joe Stevenson," UFC President Dana White told Ariel Helwani in an interview with MMAFighting.com.

"What we ask of these guys is to come in and fight, and Joe comes in, and he fights. He got knocked out trying to finish. He was trying to knock Danzig out, and he got caught. I like guys that come in and go for it, and he's one of those guys."

Next for Stevenson:

Stevenson is in dire need of a win.

He needs to go back to the drawing board and rectify mistakes that have lead to recent inconsistencies.

There are plenty of serviceable match-ups at Lightweight including Joe Lauzon, Rafael Dos Anjos and possibly the winner of Cole Miller/Matt Wiman.

Next for Danzig:

Danzig lives to fight another day.

This was easily the most impressive victory of his career, and it should serve as a major confidence booster moving forward.

The UFC could match Danzig in a rematch with Mark Bocek, who was also victorious at UFC 124 over Dustin Hazelett.

Thiago Alves Defeats John Howard By Unanimous Decision

What Happened:

Coming off back to back losses, the "Pitbull" of old reemerged on Saturday night in his three round dissection of John "Doomsday" Howard.

While Howard lunged forward with wild hooks and telegraphed takedown attempts, Thiago Alves maintained a tight stance and tore at his opponent with axe-like leg kicks.

You have to respect the tenacity of Howard, who continued to press forward after withstanding tremendous abuse. The surprise in the bout came from Alves' multi-dimensional attack.

It was really impressive to see him integrate wrestling in his standup heavy offense.

In the third round, Alves took advantage of Howard's lackluster defense and floored him with a straight punch.

The Brazilian wasn't able to finish the fight, but he reminded fans of his forceful presence in the Welterweight division.

"I'm really happy, and I worked really hard to get here today," said Alves. "[John Howard's] a really tough guy, and I liked the match-up from the beginning. I knew with the right training, I could out scheme him."

Alves' return to form began at Friday's weigh-ins. Physically, he looked to be in optimum shape as he stepped onto the scale and made weight on his first attempt. He elaborated on his dietary changes at the post-fight presser.

"The Dolce Diet helped me out a lot," said Alves, who failed to make weight in his UFC 117 rematch with Jon Fitch.

"It isn't just a diet. It's a life choice. Everything [Mike Dolce] tells you, you've got to surround yourself around healthy people who will take you to where you want to get. I always train hard, but it was pretty much the diet and the life choice that I made that made a difference in this fight."

Next for Alves:

The UFC may have acted too soon on matching Martin Kampmann against Diego Sanchez at UFC on Versus 3.

A bout between Alves and Kampmann would've been great. If fans can't have that bout, a match-up pitting Alves against Dan Hardy or Anthony Johnson should make for an entertaining scrap.

Next for Howard:

After two consecutive losses, "Doomsday" finds himself on the chopping block.

He has to tighten up his fundamentals if he wishes to sustain a future in the UFC.

You can't telegraph offense against top-tier fighters and expect to have prolonged success, unless you're Leonard Garcia.

Howard's next bout could come against Duane Ludwig, Amir Sadollah, Matt Serra or Dan Hardy.