UFC 123 was horrendous. The Machida-Rampage fight was the butt end of a three hour long joke with the lone bright spot being BJ Penn’s triumph over over-the-hill Matt Hughes. 124 is not shaping up to be one of the better ones itself. The card in Montreal on December 11th has the welterweight title fight, but GSP has already beaten Koscheck, and he is an overwhelming favorite again. In the 175 title fight St-Pierre is known to grind it out for five grueling rounds waiting for his opponent to make a mistake. The lone firework may be six foot eleven inch Dutchman Stefan Struve, who spent his last three fights exchanging haymakers with slugging heavyweights. His match against Paul Buentello at 107 is still one of my favorites to date.
Some predictions for Saturday Night:
Welterweight bout: Brazil Thiago Alves vs. United States John Howard
Alves has lost two fights in a row against the best two fighters in the world at 175. He looked terrible in the Fitch, but that was coming off corrective surgery, and GSP is arguably the greatest mix martial artist to ever walk the earth. John Howard just lost to Jake Ellenberg, that should tell you the whole story there. Alves is going to rebound, he has beaten the likes of Hughes and Koscheck and I can’t see the Pitbull dropping three in a row.
Prediction : Alves 2nd Round TKO over Howard
Lightweight bout: United States Joe Stevenson vs. United States Mac Danzig
These two Americans have both been less than inspiring recently. Both bouncing of losses, Stevenson comes off a decision loss to George Sotiropoulos, and he is on fire. Danzig is on thin ice in the UFC with a record of three and four and his back is up against the wall. Stevenson has more quality wins in his MMA career.
Prediction : Stevenson Unanimous Decision over Danzig
Lightweight bout: United States Jim Miller vs. Brazil Charles Oliveira
Another bout at 155 but one that is much more technical. Jim Miller has only one loss in the UFC, and that is to number one contender Greg Maynard. While Oliveira has never lost a MMA fight and brings the dynamic BJJ and Muay Thai style over from Brazil. Miller’s got jiu-jitsu too though, and I never underestimate the importance of a wrestling base.
Prediction : Miller Unanimous Decision over Oliveira
Heavyweight bout: Netherlands Stefan Struve vs. United States Sean McCorkle
The Heavyweight division in UFC is so dynamic right now, and that is exactly what brings the viewers. Struve is a personal favorite of mine because this guys reach always leads to a brawl. McCorkle is in only his second UFC fight, but he stands at a formidable six foot seven and is undefeated. He beat Mark Hunt in his first fight, and neither Struve nor McCorkle have much of a ground game so I am psyched for this slugfest. Doubt either of these guys will ever make it to the top, but I think McCorkle has more power.
Prediction : McCorkle 1st Round KO over Struve
Welterweight Championship bout: Canada Georges St-Pierre (c) vs. United States Josh Koscheck
It’s early Sunday morning, Sean McCorkle and Stefan Struve just knocked the piss out of each other, could you be more amped to see the best pound for pound mixed martial artist in the world on his way out to the ring? George St-Pierre won’t be coaxed into going for a finish. He doesn’t need to. GSP is the best wrestler at 175, his stand up and jiu-jitsu are top notch, and he knows how to win. He has recently trained with world renowned boxing trainer Freddy Roach, making GSP the most well rounded fighter in the world. Don’t get me wrong Koscheck is a good fighter and a top notch wrestler who has improved since 2007, but he is not going to beat GSP who may have improved even more.
Prediction : St-Pierre 4th round knockout over Koscheck, still UFC Welterweight Champion
- Mike Serra (@MikeSerra90)
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