UFC wagering: no longer stuck with the old thread title. The window to change it is here! (5 Viewers)

[Stingdiddy]

I think you're smelling a festering infection in Koschek's eye.

Seriously, utter domination. Not a safer bet on the card

Can I get a description of what's going on?

GSP punched Koschek in the eye about 9489 times. Unanamous decision win for GSP. Kos's eye is jacked/swollen shut. May have a broken orbital.

Sweet. Thanks. I'm a Kos hater. He was a punk coach on Ultimate Fighter. Good for GSP.

 

[modogg]

I think you're smelling a festering infection in Koschek's eye.

Seriously, utter domination. Not a safer bet on the card

Can I get a description of what's going on?

GSP punched Koschek in the eye about 9489 times. Unanamous decision win for GSP. Kos's eye is jacked/swollen shut. May have a broken orbital.

Yup. GSP kept jabbing his eye, and the fight was practically over in the 1st. GSP just measures up Kos, and tee'd off all night on him. Kos didn't stand much of a chance

 

[Abrantes]

And here I thought Pierson was a lock for "most straight punches landed" on this card.

 

[Gadabout]

The biggest loser of the night was the poor sap who paid to watch this card.

 

[Abrantes]

The biggest loser of the night was the poor sap who paid to watch this card.

Seriously?

 

[RudiStein]

I think you're smelling a festering infection in Koschek's eye.

Seriously, utter domination. Not a safer bet on the card

Can I get a description of what's going on?

GSP punched Koschek in the eye about 9489 times. Unanamous decision win for GSP. Kos's eye is jacked/swollen shut. May have a broken orbital.

I took a leak right at the end of round one so I didn't see Koscheck's eye when he was in corner. My kids yells to me "Koscheck has a whole family of mice living under his eye."

 

[RudiStein]

The biggest loser of the night was the poor sap who paid to watch this card.

Seriously?

Results from UFC 140:Cody McKenzie chokes out the entire 2nd row.Diego Sanchez knocks out Wes Welker with a Yes-Yes-Yes Cartwheel to the liver.Aaron Burr rises from the grave and shoots Harold Howard to death in the 2nd round.231 naked coeds streak naked into the arena and mud-wrestle for 3 rounds.JD Salinger shows up and passes out copies of his new book.Joe Rogan doesn't scream once the entire night.Sean Connery defeats The Situation by TKO (knee to the inner-ear) at 3:13 of the 3rd round.The ghost of John Wayne strangles Osama bin Laden to death with the rope that held the Iwo Jima flag in place.Some goober posts at the FFA "Glad I didn't pay for this card."

 

[Gadabout]

The biggest loser of the night was the poor sap who paid to watch this card.

Seriously?

It's a theme with all of the international cards.

 

[Abrantes]

The biggest loser of the night was the poor sap who paid to watch this card.

Seriously?

Results from UFC 140:Cody McKenzie chokes out the entire 2nd row.Diego Sanchez knocks out Wes Welker with a Yes-Yes-Yes Cartwheel to the liver.Aaron Burr rises from the grave and shoots Harold Howard to death in the 2nd round.231 naked coeds streak naked into the arena and mud-wrestle for 3 rounds.JD Salinger shows up and passes out copies of his new book.Joe Rogan doesn't scream once the entire night.Sean Connery defeats The Situation by TKO (knee to the inner-ear) at 3:13 of the 3rd round.The ghost of John Wayne strangles Osama bin Laden to death with the rope that held the Iwo Jima flag in place.Some goober posts at the FFA "Glad I didn't pay for this card."

You're right, of course. I misplaced my internets manual for a sec.

 

[modogg]

Wow, fight of the night bonus is $100,000? does that mean all bonuses are there? i have to imagine the incentive with that is huge

I heard this is chosen by fan vote tonight? That's not normal, correct?

You are correct.Love Pitbull's muay thai when he actually unleashes it. Crazy that it's been about two years since he looked this good.

Fans voted GSP-Kos fight of the Night. Dana said the prelim fight with Riddle should have got it, and the fans blew their chance and they won't do that again. The bonuses were $100,000 tonight, and Danzig got the KO of the night

 

[RudiStein]

The biggest loser of the night was the poor sap who paid to watch this card.

Seriously?

Results from UFC 140:Cody McKenzie chokes out the entire 2nd row.Diego Sanchez knocks out Wes Welker with a Yes-Yes-Yes Cartwheel to the liver.Aaron Burr rises from the grave and shoots Harold Howard to death in the 2nd round.231 naked coeds streak naked into the arena and mud-wrestle for 3 rounds.JD Salinger shows up and passes out copies of his new book.Joe Rogan doesn't scream once the entire night.Sean Connery defeats The Situation by TKO (knee to the inner-ear) at 3:13 of the 3rd round.The ghost of John Wayne strangles Osama bin Laden to death with the rope that held the Iwo Jima flag in place.Some goober posts at the FFA "Glad I didn't pay for this card."

You're right, of course. I misplaced my internets manual for a sec.

Sorry you had to see the Brazilian kid lose.

 

[sheerterror]

Not a bad overall card, but Struve-McCorkle as the "co-main event" (can we PLEASE stop calling every second to last fight on every card this, UFC?) was a testiment to how weak it was.

Looking forward to WEC on Thursday and then 125 in a few weeks.

 

[modogg]

Not a bad overall card, but Struve-McCorkle as the "co-main event" (can we PLEASE stop calling every second to last fight on every card this, UFC?) was a testiment to how weak it was.Looking forward to WEC on Thursday and then 125 in a few weeks.

i may be wrong, but the original co main-event was Carwin-Roy Nelson, and then it was Jose Aldo's fight after they had to cancel the first one. I guess the UFC didn't want to move a bunch of stuff to load this card up. it is goofy that they don't remove the co-main event title, but i think the UFC tried here and it just didn't happen. and the WEC on Thursday wil be nice. I am really tempted to bet Anthony Petis for that main event, but real hard to bet against Henderson. Quite a few good fights on that last WEC card

 

[sheerterror]

Not a bad overall card, but Struve-McCorkle as the "co-main event" (can we PLEASE stop calling every second to last fight on every card this, UFC?) was a testiment to how weak it was.Looking forward to WEC on Thursday and then 125 in a few weeks.

i may be wrong, but the original co main-event was Carwin-Roy Nelson, and then it was Jose Aldo's fight after they had to cancel the first one. I guess the UFC didn't want to move a bunch of stuff to load this card up. it is goofy that they don't remove the co-main event title, but i think the UFC tried here and it just didn't happen. and the WEC on Thursday wil be nice. I am really tempted to bet Anthony Petis for that main event, but real hard to bet against Henderson. Quite a few good fights on that last WEC card

Yea you're right about that Mo. Forgot about the Aldo fight getting canned.I'm actually thinking about Jorgensen on Thursday. I've bet him his last few fights - he has really impressed me with his strength. I'm going to need to look into this more but I was surprised to see that long of odds on him - especially in a division that's had a pretty high turnover rate of titleholders in the last year or so.

 

[Abrantes]

Yeah, shame Charles Oliveira lost, but I'm not too down about it. Dude's barely 21 years old, with 3 UFC fights under his belt. Plenty of room to grow, and the talent's clearly there. No shame in losing to Jim Miller at this point. Just hope he bounces back in his next fight.

 

[Abrantes]

Also, I hope Frankie Edgar mauls Maynard three weeks from now, preferably ending in a rear naked choke. That would be a great start to the year.

 

[Possum]

Not a bad overall card, but Struve-McCorkle as the "co-main event" (can we PLEASE stop calling every second to last fight on every card this, UFC?) was a testiment to how weak it was.

Looking forward to WEC on Thursday and then 125 in a few weeks.

i may be wrong, but the original co main-event was Carwin-Roy Nelson, and then it was Jose Aldo's fight after they had to cancel the first one. I guess the UFC didn't want to move a bunch of stuff to load this card up. it is goofy that they don't remove the co-main event title, but i think the UFC tried here and it just didn't happen. and the WEC on Thursday wil be nice. I am really tempted to bet Anthony Petis for that main event, but real hard to bet against Henderson. Quite a few good fights on that last WEC card

yeah the WEC card is absolutely stacked - it's going to be a great final card for them. I've been looking forward to the Palaszewski-Shalorus fight ever since they announced it, that one's gonna be a war.GSP put on a face punching clinic tonight - the guy is just on another level from anybody at WW. The Silva fight is really the only one that's worth watching at this point for him,

good to see Danzig and Jim Miller get wins - Miller ought to be getting fairly close to a title shot at LW. Oliveira will be back before long though, that kid is dangerous as hell off his back.

 

[Sebowski]

Not a bad overall card, but Struve-McCorkle as the "co-main event" (can we PLEASE stop calling every second to last fight on every card this, UFC?) was a testiment to how weak it was.Looking forward to WEC on Thursday and then 125 in a few weeks.

i may be wrong, but the original co main-event was Carwin-Roy Nelson, and then it was Jose Aldo's fight after they had to cancel the first one. I guess the UFC didn't want to move a bunch of stuff to load this card up. it is goofy that they don't remove the co-main event title, but i think the UFC tried here and it just didn't happen. and the WEC on Thursday wil be nice. I am really tempted to bet Anthony Petis for that main event, but real hard to bet against Henderson. Quite a few good fights on that last WEC card

Yea you're right about that Mo. Forgot about the Aldo fight getting canned.I'm actually thinking about Jorgensen on Thursday. I've bet him his last few fights - he has really impressed me with his strength. I'm going to need to look into this more but I was surprised to see that long of odds on him - especially in a division that's had a pretty high turnover rate of titleholders in the last year or so.

Also, I bet the sponsors pay more for "co-main event", so it works out for the fighters. Doesn't bother me any.

 

[chet]

Was Sean Pierson's fight televised last night? My friend works with him.

 

[Cliff Clavin]

Was Sean Pierson's fight televised last night? My friend works with him.

Yup. Good fight.

 

[AhrnCityPahnder]

Was Sean Pierson's fight televised last night? My friend works with him.

was originally a prelim fight but because of the quick Danzig KO they played the entire Pierson/Riddle fight on the ppv. Pierson looked good.

 

[RudiStein]

I think you're smelling a festering infection in Koschek's eye.

Seriously, utter domination. Not a safer bet on the card

Can I get a description of what's going on?

GSP punched Koschek in the eye about 9489 times. Unanamous decision win for GSP. Kos's eye is jacked/swollen shut. May have a broken orbital.

I was a little drunk last night but when the doc came in to look at Koscheck's eye before the 4th or 5th round did Rogan say "get that Kris Kringle guy out of there"?

 

[AhrnCityPahnder]

 

[RudiStein]

I Rogan.

 

[Pick]

Enjoyed the fights. Love watching GSP work. I know he has some great tools but he always seems more prepared. What was he like in his two losses?

The Riddle fight was weird. Never seen that guy fight before. He seemed like he had depth perception issues with his punches. I was worried they were going to rob the other guy.

Kept seeing a lot of blood on the mat but never saw the fight where it happened.

 

[AhrnCityPahnder]

Enjoyed the fights. Love watching GSP work. I know he has some great tools but he always seems more prepared. What was he like in his two losses?

Matt Serra caught him with a good punch and then went to gound and pound and GSP was not defending.Many years ago, Matt Hughes caught him in an armbar and he tapped quickly. turns out if he could have held out for 2 seconds he would have been saved by the first round bell. He's a much better/different fighter now then in either of those losses. I don't see anyone at 170 beating him. Really want him to move up to 185 to fight Silva.

 

[Pick]

I do not like Kos claiming he was just hyping the fight up. That's an a-whole's copout there.

 

[modogg]

I do not like Kos claiming he was just hyping the fight up. That's an a-whole's copout there.

I agree. pain to see these guys go at it to hype the fight, then hug and be all buddy after the fights. Why i always like the Diaz brothers a bit. Not saying you have to hate the other guy or whatever, but when you contrive all of this stuff, and you keep saying it is how you honestly feel, then after the fight acting like it was all fake, it will take away from the hyping of fights. And I also think you can attribute both of GSP's former losses to mental mistakes. He admitted to being in awe and not mentally ready to face Hughes, and he admitted to not being fully ready for Serra. Serra got him with a good shot, and deserves credit for that win because of how he pounced on GSP after GSP was rocked, but I don't think we'll be seeing too many of those going forward with GSPand the GSP-Silvas fight is an obvious one to look too, but i am worried it will not be very exciting. GSP will apply a lot of wrestling in that one, and wil likely be able to take down Silva quite a bit. It won't be lay and pray, but when they fight i will be on GSP by decision, figuring he can take Silva down for a majority of the fight.

 

[John Bender]

Alves should roll against anyone that doesn't have ability to take him down. He has rounded out well and looks like one of the best strikers in MMA. Both with his offense and defense. Hands always up, always dodging shots. not a fan of him personally but was really really impressed. I also won quite a bit of money on him so that helps.

 

[modogg]

I see the line for BJ penn-Jon Fitch has opened up as:

BJ +150

Fitch -170

I am silly for thinking BJ is a very good play here? Now, I can't stand betting BJ lately since he has burned me with both of those Edgar bets, but Fitch is not the same as Edgar with his strengths. Fitch does not have exceptional takedowns (i keep thinking of hsi last few fights, but i know in those he didn't) and BJ is known for his takedown defense. BJ's stand-up is definitely better, and his jujitsu is good enough to at least not be hekld down for 5 minutes. Does anybody else have a feel for this fight?

 

[Sebowski]

I do not want to see GSP-Anderson. Anderson is way too big for GSP. Nothing would come of the fight. They are both all-time greats. They don;t need to fight each other to prove that.

 

[No. 16]

I do not want to see GSP-Anderson. Anderson is way too big for GSP. Nothing would come of the fight. They are both all-time greats. They don;t need to fight each other to prove that.

We get to see two of the greatest MMA fighters go at it? They do not need to fight each other to pad tier resumes for P4P GOAT, but as a fan I would love to see arguably the two best MMA fighters ever face each other.

 

[AhrnCityPahnder]

Josh Koscheck injured in lossBy Josh GrossESPN.comUFC welterweight contender Josh Koscheck suffered a broken orbital bone during the first round of his championship fight versus Georges St. Pierre (21-2) Saturday night in Montreal, a source told ESPN.com.Koscheck (15-5) was released from a Montreal-area hospital Sunday afternoon, according to his trainer, Bob Cook. He cannot fly home to San Jose, Calif., because an air pocket formed behind the broken orbital bone, making air travel dangerous. UFC officials arranged for Koscheck and Cook to drive Sunday afternoon from Montreal to Boston, where the 33-year-old fighter is expected to undergo surgery Monday or Tuesday."We're going to have a much better sense of the injury when we get to the States," Cook said. "We'll get it checked down there. Hopefully he can have the surgery there and head home as soon as possible."St. Pierre, who went on to win a unanimous decision after five rounds, shut Koscheck's right eye in the opening round in front of 23,152 wildly partisan supporters inside the Belle Centre with a lunging jab. The 29-year-old champion attacked the right side of Koscheck's face the remainder of the bout with quick jabs and powerful left hooks. A ringside physician nearly called the bout at the end of the third round, however Koscheck was allowed to continue fighting.

 

[RudiStein]

You called that IIRC.

 

[Abrantes]

Hate to be the "how could they let that happen???" guy, but they really should've stopped GSP/Kos between rounds at some point. There was a huge risk of Kos suffering a more permanent kind of damage if GSP landed something on the wrong spot. You can see the bone shifting around over his eye when the corner men and medical staff are trying to help.

Grossness

And Ahrn did call it.

 

[Sebowski]

I do not want to see GSP-Anderson. Anderson is way too big for GSP. Nothing would come of the fight. They are both all-time greats. They don;t need to fight each other to prove that.

We get to see two of the greatest MMA fighters go at it? They do not need to fight each other to pad tier resumes for P4P GOAT, but as a fan I would love to see arguably the two best MMA fighters ever face each other.

At different points in their career out of their ideal weightclass.

 

[No. 16]

I do not want to see GSP-Anderson. Anderson is way too big for GSP. Nothing would come of the fight. They are both all-time greats. They don;t need to fight each other to prove that.

We get to see two of the greatest MMA fighters go at it? They do not need to fight each other to pad tier resumes for P4P GOAT, but as a fan I would love to see arguably the two best MMA fighters ever face each other.

At different points in their career out of their ideal weightclass.

Silva is getting older so that's why it needs to be done ASAP, but 15 pounds is not a lot of ground to make up considering that both of these guys rely on technique/skill more than athleticism. Now, don't get me wrong but both have top notch athleticism, but the focus of the fight will be top notch striking and the classic wrestler vs bjj match up on the ground. I'd rather see GSP fight Silva than run through all the Welterweights for the 3rd time.

 

[Voice Of Reason]

I see the line for BJ penn-Jon Fitch has opened up as:

BJ +150

Fitch -170

I am silly for thinking BJ is a very good play here? Now, I can't stand betting BJ lately since he has burned me with both of those Edgar bets, but Fitch is not the same as Edgar with his strengths. Fitch does not have exceptional takedowns (i keep thinking of hsi last few fights, but i know in those he didn't) and BJ is known for his takedown defense. BJ's stand-up is definitely better, and his jujitsu is good enough to at least not be hekld down for 5 minutes. Does anybody else have a feel for this fight?

Given the beating Fitch took from GSP, I'm hesitant to think BJ can finish Fitch. And I'm worried Fitch will be able to use his size, press BJ against the fence and lean on him. Possibly getting a takedown and stealing round 1 or 2, before he wet blankets a tired BJ in round 3.

I do not want to see GSP-Anderson. Anderson is way too big for GSP. Nothing would come of the fight. They are both all-time greats. They don;t need to fight each other to prove that.

Really?With Chael Sonnen's performance vs Anderson, I'd be surprised if a lot of people felt this way. Anderson seems much more susceptible to quality wrestlers than most people thought prior to that fight.

Silva is getting older so that's why it needs to be done ASAP, but 15 pounds is not a lot of ground to make up considering that both of these guys rely on technique/skill more than athleticism. Now, don't get me wrong but both have top notch athleticism, but the focus of the fight will be top notch striking and the classic wrestler vs bjj match up on the ground.

I'd rather see GSP fight Silva than run through all the Welterweights for the 3rd time.

Anderson isn't a particularly strong MW, so I really don't see GSP getting overpowered.Edgar vs Penn is a good comparison. Edgar is a more natural 145 lber who had great success vs BJ Penn, a more natural 155er, who is not a physically strong 155er. It was the first time that Penn was at a speed disadvantage @ 155.

 

[Clayton Gray]

Hate to be the "how could they let that happen???" guy, but they really should've stopped GSP/Kos between rounds at some point. There was a huge risk of Kos suffering a more permanent kind of damage if GSP landed something on the wrong spot. You can see the bone shifting around over his eye when the corner men and medical staff are trying to help.

Grossness

And Ahrn did call it.

Kos' eye 24 hours later.

 

[Cliff Clavin]

Hate to be the "how could they let that happen???" guy, but they really should've stopped GSP/Kos between rounds at some point. There was a huge risk of Kos suffering a more permanent kind of damage if GSP landed something on the wrong spot. You can see the bone shifting around over his eye when the corner men and medical staff are trying to help.

Grossness

And Ahrn did call it.

Kos' eye 24 hours later.

I hope he had a male nurse at the hospital.

 

[RudiStein]

Hate to be the "how could they let that happen???" guy, but they really should've stopped GSP/Kos between rounds at some point. There was a huge risk of Kos suffering a more permanent kind of damage if GSP landed something on the wrong spot. You can see the bone shifting around over his eye when the corner men and medical staff are trying to help.

Grossness :X

And Ahrn did call it.

Kos' eye 24 hours later.

I hope he had a male nurse at the hospital.

:(

 

[Clayton Gray]

Hate to be the "how could they let that happen???" guy, but they really should've stopped GSP/Kos between rounds at some point. There was a huge risk of Kos suffering a more permanent kind of damage if GSP landed something on the wrong spot. You can see the bone shifting around over his eye when the corner men and medical staff are trying to help.

Grossness :X

And Ahrn did call it.

Kos' eye 24 hours later.

I hope he had a male nurse at the hospital.

 

[Cliff Clavin]

Dominance of Georges St. Pierre Is in the Details

Last Friday, the night before UFC 124, company president Dana White ran into Josh Koscheck in the host hotel, just a block away from the Bell Centre in Montreal. The two shared a few words, and during the conversation, Koscheck shared his prediction that Georges St. Pierre would refuse to strike with him during their championship fight.

The belief that St. Pierre has become a wrestling-dependent, "safe" fighter has become so widespread that even Koscheck -- before the biggest moment of his life -- felt sure it was his opponent's likeliest course of action. It turned out to be the wrong assumption. The fight spent just 68 seconds on the mat, as St. Pierre kept the action standing, where he out-struck Koscheck over five rounds, bloodying him and breaking his right orbital bone en route to a division record-tying fifth straight title defense.

While statistics don't tell the whole story, they help illuminate the fallacy of many criticisms lobbed against the UFC's welterweight champion.

1. UFC Record Streak

Middleweight champion Anderson Silva has the longest winning streak in UFC history with 12 straight victories, but St. Pierre has a historical UFC streak that's every bit as impressive: he's won 30 straight rounds. (By comparison, during his record run, Silva has dropped six of the 29 rounds he's fought.)

For St. Pierre to do what he's done against the caliber of opponents he's faced is stunning. During that time, he's faced BJ Penn, Matt Hughes, Jon Fitch, Thiago Alves and Koscheck twice, among others. It's a level of domination we've never seen before. To win a fight is one thing, but to win round after round requires preparation, concentration and execution of the highest order.

Of course, winning the fight is the ultimate objective, but winning rounds is significant, and during his 30-round stretch, St. Pierre has out-landed his opponents by a tally of 1,067-367, a mind-boggling gap of 700 strikes. He's not just beating them, he's routing them.

2. Complete Game

The big criticism of St. Pierre going into last Saturday's match is that he's too wrestling reliant. Some had their eyes opened when he and Koscheck spent 23:52 of the 25-minute fight on their feet, but the sentiment was probably wrong to begin with.

Over his last five fights, St. Pierre has had nearly perfect distribution of his strikes, throwing 682 standing strikes, and 696 ground strikes. He's complemented his game with wrestling, successfully taking down his foe on 33 of 43 tries (76.7 percent).

Meanwhile, his own defense has been outstanding. Not only is he extremely difficult to take down (Koscheck's first-round takedown against him on Saturday night was the first time GSP had been taken down in over three years), but he's very difficult to hit. His last five opponents have landed only 169 of 540 standing strikes against him (31.2 percent).

Go back further and it's nearly as impressive. His last eight opponents have landed just 32 percent of standing strikes. His last 13 have landed 38 percent. So he's actually gotten better against better competition.

Finally, over his last 13 fights, he's spent 99:05 standing, and 85:03 on the ground, laying to rest the claim he won't stand with people. The truth is, they just can't hit him.

3. Fighting the Best Competition

Detractors might point out that many historical champions have finished at a higher rate than St. Pierre, but how many have faced tougher competition than him?

Fitch was on a 17-fight unbeaten stretch and hadn't been finished since 2002. Hardy had won 12 of 13, with his only loss coming via DQ. Alves had won 9 of 10, with his only loss coming to the aforementioned Fitch. Penn is a future Hall of Famer. Including Koscheck's 6-2 stretch before facing St. Pierre, his last five opponents were a combined 50-6 just before facing him. That's a combined winning percentage of .893 he's absolutely blown away.

Compare that with Silva. The longest win streak of an opponent about to face him was Rich Franklin, who had won eight in a row prior to their first meeting in 2006. Since the start of 2008, the longest win streak an opponent brought into a match with Silva was five, done by both Patrick Cote and Thales Leites, two guys who were out of the UFC within two years of fighting him. Since 2006, four of Silva's ex-opponents (Cote, Leites, James Irvin and Travis Lutter) have been released by the UFC. Since that time, not a single one of GSP's former opponents has been released. Not one. So who's really fighting the better competition?

So, to recap, GSP:

• Won 30 straight rounds, a UFC record

• Won five straight welterweight title defenses, tying a UFC record for the division

• Has 8 straight wins, tied for the second longest streak in UFC history

• During 30-round streak, out-landed opponents, 1,067-367

• Shutout five opponents who had gone 50-6 before facing him

• Was successful on 33 of last 43 takedown attempts

Style is a matter of personal taste, so in the end, the only real criticism detractors have about St. Pierre is that he's not a classic finisher. His recent stretch of three straight decisions, though, is the longest of his career. That's not exactly a drought. Other contemporaries who are considered "finishers" like BJ Penn, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and even Chuck Liddell have had streaks that long.

Translated, the complaint is that St. Pierre is a finesse fighter in a world of power. But our sport is complex enough that his style should be celebrated instead of denigrated. Football had Barry Sanders, baseball had Greg Maddux, hockey had Wayne Gretzky, MMA has Georges St. Pierre.

Fans craving for violence may not appreciate him, but that doesn't change the fact that in many ways, St. Pierre is the sport's most complete mixed martial artist, and may one day be considered the greatest of all time.

 

[Voice Of Reason]

Although it may be nitpicking, GSP was actively trying to go for the takedown vs Koscheck in round 1. GSP obv game planned well in case the fight was mostly standing, but it wasn't until he as clearly dominant on the feet and Koscheck's eye blew up that he became content with a standup fight.

 

[Cliff Clavin]

Although it may be nitpicking, GSP was actively trying to go for the takedown vs Koscheck in round 1. GSP obv game planned well in case the fight was mostly standing, but it wasn't until he as clearly dominant on the feet and Koscheck's eye blew up that he became content with a standup fight.

From what I remember (a little drunk at fight time), when Koscheck would press forward, GSP would shoot as he did against Hardy and Alves. Anytime they pressured, he took them down.

 

[Pick]

GSP was obviously prepared to take the fight wherever it went.

 

[RudiStein]

Dominance of Georges St. Pierre Is in the Details

Last Friday, the night before UFC 124, company president Dana White ran into Josh Koscheck in the host hotel, just a block away from the Bell Centre in Montreal. The two shared a few words, and during the conversation, Koscheck shared his prediction that Georges St. Pierre would refuse to strike with him during their championship fight.

The belief that St. Pierre has become a wrestling-dependent, "safe" fighter has become so widespread that even Koscheck -- before the biggest moment of his life -- felt sure it was his opponent's likeliest course of action. It turned out to be the wrong assumption. The fight spent just 68 seconds on the mat, as St. Pierre kept the action standing, where he out-struck Koscheck over five rounds, bloodying him and breaking his right orbital bone en route to a division record-tying fifth straight title defense.

While statistics don't tell the whole story, they help illuminate the fallacy of many criticisms lobbed against the UFC's welterweight champion.

1. UFC Record Streak

Middleweight champion Anderson Silva has the longest winning streak in UFC history with 12 straight victories, but St. Pierre has a historical UFC streak that's every bit as impressive: he's won 30 straight rounds. (By comparison, during his record run, Silva has dropped six of the 29 rounds he's fought.)

For St. Pierre to do what he's done against the caliber of opponents he's faced is stunning. During that time, he's faced BJ Penn, Matt Hughes, Jon Fitch, Thiago Alves and Koscheck twice, among others. It's a level of domination we've never seen before. To win a fight is one thing, but to win round after round requires preparation, concentration and execution of the highest order.

Of course, winning the fight is the ultimate objective, but winning rounds is significant, and during his 30-round stretch, St. Pierre has out-landed his opponents by a tally of 1,067-367, a mind-boggling gap of 700 strikes. He's not just beating them, he's routing them.

2. Complete Game

The big criticism of St. Pierre going into last Saturday's match is that he's too wrestling reliant. Some had their eyes opened when he and Koscheck spent 23:52 of the 25-minute fight on their feet, but the sentiment was probably wrong to begin with.

Over his last five fights, St. Pierre has had nearly perfect distribution of his strikes, throwing 682 standing strikes, and 696 ground strikes. He's complemented his game with wrestling, successfully taking down his foe on 33 of 43 tries (76.7 percent).

Meanwhile, his own defense has been outstanding. Not only is he extremely difficult to take down (Koscheck's first-round takedown against him on Saturday night was the first time GSP had been taken down in over three years), but he's very difficult to hit. His last five opponents have landed only 169 of 540 standing strikes against him (31.2 percent).

Go back further and it's nearly as impressive. His last eight opponents have landed just 32 percent of standing strikes. His last 13 have landed 38 percent. So he's actually gotten better against better competition.

Finally, over his last 13 fights, he's spent 99:05 standing, and 85:03 on the ground, laying to rest the claim he won't stand with people. The truth is, they just can't hit him.

3. Fighting the Best Competition

Detractors might point out that many historical champions have finished at a higher rate than St. Pierre, but how many have faced tougher competition than him?

Fitch was on a 17-fight unbeaten stretch and hadn't been finished since 2002. Hardy had won 12 of 13, with his only loss coming via DQ. Alves had won 9 of 10, with his only loss coming to the aforementioned Fitch. Penn is a future Hall of Famer. Including Koscheck's 6-2 stretch before facing St. Pierre, his last five opponents were a combined 50-6 just before facing him. That's a combined winning percentage of .893 he's absolutely blown away.

Compare that with Silva. The longest win streak of an opponent about to face him was Rich Franklin, who had won eight in a row prior to their first meeting in 2006. Since the start of 2008, the longest win streak an opponent brought into a match with Silva was five, done by both Patrick Cote and Thales Leites, two guys who were out of the UFC within two years of fighting him. Since 2006, four of Silva's ex-opponents (Cote, Leites, James Irvin and Travis Lutter) have been released by the UFC. Since that time, not a single one of GSP's former opponents has been released. Not one. So who's really fighting the better competition?

So, to recap, GSP:

• Won 30 straight rounds, a UFC record

• Won five straight welterweight title defenses, tying a UFC record for the division

• Has 8 straight wins, tied for the second longest streak in UFC history

• During 30-round streak, out-landed opponents, 1,067-367

• Shutout five opponents who had gone 50-6 before facing him

• Was successful on 33 of last 43 takedown attempts

Style is a matter of personal taste, so in the end, the only real criticism detractors have about St. Pierre is that he's not a classic finisher. His recent stretch of three straight decisions, though, is the longest of his career. That's not exactly a drought. Other contemporaries who are considered "finishers" like BJ Penn, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and even Chuck Liddell have had streaks that long.

Translated, the complaint is that St. Pierre is a finesse fighter in a world of power. But our sport is complex enough that his style should be celebrated instead of denigrated. Football had Barry Sanders, baseball had Greg Maddux, hockey had Wayne Gretzky, MMA has Georges St. Pierre.

Fans craving for violence may not appreciate him, but that doesn't change the fact that in many ways, St. Pierre is the sport's most complete mixed martial artist, and may one day be considered the greatest of all time.

 

[Abrantes]

Great article. Nothing new, but regardless of what Dana says, GSP is the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world in my eyes, and has been for a while.

 

[Pick]

Good article in ESPN Mag on Cain.

 

[Maik Jeaunz]

I can't stand GSP, but I don't see anyone beating him. Jake Shields might have a chance, because he's a pretty big 170, and his strategy seems to be to just lay on top of whoever he is fighting. I would love to see GSP fight Paul Daley, but that would require someone switching organizations.