UFC 124 provided further evidence that MMA is gaining traction in its quest for mainstream acceptance.
By Fergus Ryan
A North American attendance record for MMA of 23,152 paying spectators turned out for the highly successful Montreal event.
The action kicked off with Stefan Struve and Dan Miller rubber stamping their contender status in their respective divisions with emphatic first round victories. Miller shared the Submission of the Night bonus with local hero Mark Bocek, both scoring subs over highly touted Brazilian Jiu Jitsu practitioners.
Fight of the Night bonus went to main eventers Georges St. Pierre and Josh Koscheck, much to the disdain of UFC president Dana White. In the promotion’s ever evolving fan interaction policy, the UFC allowed fans to vote online for the Fight of the Night.
“They blew it,†said White, feeling Matt Riddle and Sean Pierson’s back and forth three rounder was more deserving of the $100,000 additional purse for each fighter. He had a point considering both GSP and Koscheck will have been well paid for their nights’ work on top of earnings from The Ultimate Fighter show.
In addition to missing out on a six-figure bonus, Riddle can also feel he was the victim of this events wayward judging decision. He did decidedly better than the unanimous 30-27 scorecards (in favour of Pierson) would suggest with some going as far as saying he may have won the fight.
Don’t call it a comeback
Mac Danzig finally lived up to the reputation he created for himself in winning The Ultimate Fighter Series 5 with a devastating first round knockout of Joe Stevenson. Danzig was possibly the most dominant TUF winner ever, stopping all three opponents during the show. However, he had previously failed to reproduce that kind of form in the big show – until Saturday night.
With a clutch of quality WEC fighters joining the lightweight division, Danzig is going to have to keep producing this level performance to stay relevant in one of the more competitive weight classes.
No-one ever doubted Thiago Alves could fight but many began to wonder if he could beat the scales. Having missed weight against Matt Hughes and Jon Fitch, Alves was threatened by White with a move to middleweight or another promotion. Using the Dolce Diet to make the 170 welterweight limit comfortably, this spring-boarded him to an impressive three round decision over fellow banger John Howard. Notching his first win since a CAT scan discovered a brain abnormality, Alves could be one or two quality wins away from another title shot after losing to GSP at UFC 100.
More questions than answers
GSP cemented his status as an MMA pound for pound great with another bulldozing victory in the much anticipated grudge match against fellow TUF judge Josh Koscheck. It means the French Canadian now has went undefeated in his last 30 rounds in the Octagon.
Some of GSP’s best bits to date:
Is Jake Shields the only challenge left before GSP has cleaned every viable opponent out of the welterweight division? The nature of his victory, however, does raise questions – dominant as he is, why can’t GSP finish fights? Did the Matt Serra KO at UFC 69 make him a better or more cautious fighter? Is the move to middleweight the only challenge left after Shields?
Also, why is Anderson Silva already being talked about as GSP’s first opponent at middleweight when it may not happen for over a year? We would love to hear your take on the GSP riddle – feel free to use the comment box below.
UFC 124 results round-up
John Makdessi defeated Pat Audinwood via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26).
Ricardo Almeida defeated TJ Grant via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).
Sean Pierson defeated Matt Riddle via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).
Jesse Bongfeldt and Rafael Natal fought to a majority draw (28-28, 28-28, 28-29).
Mark Bocek defeated Dustin Hazelett via submission (triangle choke) at 2:33 of round 1.
Dan Miller defeated Joe Doerksen via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28).
Thiago Alves defeated John Howard via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).
Mac Danzig defeated Joe Stevenson via KO (punch) at 1:54 of round 1.
Jim Miller defeated Charles Oliveira via submission (kneebar) at 1:59 of round 1.
Stefan Struve defeated Sean McCorkle via TKO (punches) at 3:55 of round 1.
Georges St-Pierre defeated Josh Koscheck via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45) to retain the UFC Welterweight Championship.
Bonus Awards ($100,000 each fighter)
Fight of the Night: Georges St-Pierre vs. Josh Koscheck
Knockout of the Night: Mac Danzig
Submission of the Night: Mark Bocek and Jim Miller (Split, $50,000 each)
