UFC 124: St-Pierre Dominates Koscheck in Montreal Rematch

UFC 124: St-Pierre vs. Koscheck 2 took place on December 11, 2010, at Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Georges St-Pierre retained the welterweight championship with a five-round unanimous decision over Josh Koscheck. Stefan Struve, Jim Miller and Mac Danzig scored first-round finishes on the main card, while Thiago Alves defeated John Howard by decision. Eleven bouts completed the UFC’s final event of 2010.

Video: the UFC’s official pre-fight Josh Koscheck interview. It presents the challenger’s expectations before the rematch, rather than footage of the completed title fight.

St-Pierre controls the rematch with his jab

St-Pierre used a sharp jab to control the distance and repeatedly interrupt Koscheck’s attacks. The champion damaged the challenger’s right eye early, then maintained a varied offense without losing the structure of his approach. All three judges scored every round for St-Pierre, producing identical 50–45 cards after twenty-five minutes.

The performance was a fifth consecutive successful defense of the championship St-Pierre had regained in 2008. Koscheck’s wrestling credentials made the matchup an important test, but St-Pierre’s ability to manage exchanges on the feet became its defining feature. He mixed other strikes and takedowns into his work while returning consistently to the jab.

Their first meeting at UFC 74 had also ended in a St-Pierre decision, though that bout did not carry the same championship stakes. Before the Montreal rematch, they had coached opposite teams on The Ultimate Fighter 12. The rivalry supplied the build-up, but the five-round result came from the champion’s sustained technical advantage. A clear decision, rather than a knockout, settled it.

St-Pierre had previously defended against Dan Hardy at UFC 111. Koscheck earned his opportunity by beating Paul Daley at UFC 113. UFC 124 joined those paths in Montreal and preserved the division’s champion. The scorecards were comprehensive without changing the fact that Koscheck remained in the contest until the final horn.

Struve reverses McCorkle’s strong start

Sean McCorkle took Stefan Struve down and threatened with a kimura in the heavyweight co-main event. Struve escaped, continued working from the bottom and eventually reversed position. Once on top, his unanswered punches brought a TKO at 3:55 of the first round. Another difficult start ended with Struve finding the decisive adjustment.

McCorkle had submitted Mark Hunt in his UFC debut at UFC 119. Against Struve, the early arm-lock threat did not produce a second quick submission. Struve’s recovery instead gave McCorkle his first professional loss and supplied a contrasting finish to the main event’s full-distance title defense.

Miller submits Oliveira; Danzig catches Stevenson

Jim Miller handed Charles Oliveira his first professional defeat with a kneebar at 1:59 of round one. Oliveira entered unbeaten and with two submission wins in the UFC, making Miller’s successful attack an important lightweight result. Miller’s ground experience allowed him to handle Oliveira’s threats and find the leg-lock opportunity.

Mac Danzig knocked out Joe Stevenson with a counter left hook at 1:54 of the opening round. The matchup paired former Ultimate Fighter winners, and Danzig’s finish restored momentum after a difficult stretch. Thiago Alves completed the main-card winners with a unanimous decision over John Howard. Alves’s striking helped him take all three rounds after consecutive defeats to St-Pierre and Jon Fitch.

The six preliminary bouts

Dan Miller edged Joe Doerksen by split decision, giving both Miller brothers victories on the same event. Mark Bocek submitted Dustin Hazelett with a first-round triangle choke. Rafael Natal and Jesse Bongfeldt fought to a majority draw; neither man received a win. Sean Pierson, Ricardo Almeida and John Makdessi each earned unanimous decisions. The event’s submission awards went to Jim Miller and Bocek, while Danzig received Knockout of the Night. The championship bout received the fan-selected Fight of the Night award.

Complete UFC 124 results

Main card

• Georges St-Pierre def. Josh Koscheck — unanimous decision (50–45, 50–45, 50–45), round 5, 5:00; retained the welterweight title.
• Stefan Struve def. Sean McCorkle — TKO (punches), round 1, 3:55.
• Jim Miller def. Charles Oliveira — submission (kneebar), round 1, 1:59.
• Mac Danzig def. Joe Stevenson — KO (punch), round 1, 1:54.
• Thiago Alves def. John Howard — unanimous decision, round 3, 5:00.

Preliminary card

• Dan Miller def. Joe Doerksen — split decision, round 3, 5:00.
• Mark Bocek def. Dustin Hazelett — submission (triangle choke), round 1, 2:33.
• Rafael Natal vs. Jesse Bongfeldt — majority draw, round 3, 5:00.
• Sean Pierson def. Matt Riddle — unanimous decision, round 3, 5:00.
• Ricardo Almeida def. T.J. Grant — unanimous decision, round 3, 5:00.
• John Makdessi def. Pat Audinwood — unanimous decision, round 3, 5:00.

Sources

• UFC the St-Pierre and Jim Miller.
• UFC: remaining main-card results.
• UFC: preliminary results.
• UFC: official bonus awards.
• UFC: venue and complete lineup.
• Sherdog: all eleven results.

Article Tags

UFC 124, Georges St-Pierre, Josh Koscheck, Stefan Struve, UFC Results