Press Release
The Ultimate Fighting Championship® once again heads to Montreal to bring a sensational night of fights north of the border. Two-time UFC® welterweight champion and Montreal native Georges St. Pierre goes home to once again face his most heated rival and No. 1 contender Josh Koscheck at UFC 124: ST-PIERRE VS. KOSCHECK, presented by Affliction and live from the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada on Saturday, December 11, 2010. The UFC proudly confirms the remaining bouts on this stellar card, including Stefan Struve vs. Sean McCorkle, Jim Miller vs. Charles Oliveira, Joe Stevenson vs. Mac Danzig, Thiago Alves vs. John Howard, Mark Bocek vs. Dustin Hazelett, Jesse Bongfeldt vs. Rafael Natal, Matt Riddle vs. Sean Pierson, Joe Doerksen vs. Dan Miller, TJ Grant vs. Ricardo Almeida and Pat Audinwood vs. John Makdessi.
Tickets for UFC 124 are still available and are at the Bell Centre box office, by phone at (514) 790-2525 / 1-877-668-8269 or at www.evenko.ca.
UFC 124 will be available live on Pay-Per-View on iN DEMAND, DIRECTV, DISH Network, TVN, BellTV, Shaw Communications, Sasktel, and Viewer’s Choice Canada for a suggested retail price of $44.99 US/$49.99 CAN for standard definition or high-definition broadcasts (where available). UFC 124 will also be available on Pay-Per-View in Spanish in the United States.
A rising star who is starting to come into his own, Stefan Struve (fighting out of Beverwijk, the Netherlands / 24-4) hopes to continue moving himself up the heavyweight ranks. The 22-year-old is a threat wherever the fight goes, holding 14 career wins by submission and four by knockout, including a Knockout of the Night win over Christian Morecraft and Submission of the Night award over Chase Gormley. “Skyscraper” will take on Sean McCorkle (fighting out of Indianapolis, Ind. / 10-0). After winning his UFC debut via armbar over Mark Hunt barely a minute into the fight, McCorkle plans to establish a name for himself against Struve. McCorkle has only been to a decision once, winning four fights by knockout and five more by submission.
Regarded as one of the most underrated fighters in the UFC, Jim Miller (fighting out of Whippany, N.J. / 18-2) has only lost to Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard, who will battle for the UFC lightweight title at UFC 125. Miller has won five straight and 12 of his last 13 fights, including one Fight of the Night and another Submission of the Night. Standing in his way is the undefeated Charles Oliveira (fighting out of Houston, Texas / 14-0). “Do Bronx” has achieved Submission of the Night honors in both of his UFC fights and a win over Miller would be his fifth of 2010 and could elevate him to contender status.
In a lightweight matchup, longtime UFC veteran Joe Stevenson (fighting out of Albuquerque, N.M. by way of Victorville, Calif. / 36-11) will be competing in his 14th fight in the Octagon. “Joe Daddy” is known for his consistently thrilling fights, and he has received Fight of the Night awards in three of his last four bouts. The winner of The Ultimate Fighter Season 2 will battle Mac Danzig (fighting out of Los Angeles, Calif. / 20-8-1), the Season 7 TUF winner. With 11 wins by submission, the grappling specialist hopes to get back on track in the lightweight division against Stevenson.
After a rapid ascent up the welterweight division that included TKOs of UFC Hall of Famer Matt Hughes, Chris Lytle and Karo Parisyan and a unanimous decision win over Josh Koscheck, Thiago Alves (fighting out of Coconut Creek, Fla. / 22-6) looks to rebound after dropping decisions to current welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre and fellow contender Jon Fitch. An impressive striker, “Pitbull” has notched five of his last six wins via knockout. In the opposite corner will be John Howard (fighting out of Boston, Mass. / 14-5). “Doomsday” has won seven of his last eight bouts, including four out of five in the UFC. Holding knockout victories over Dennis Hallman and Daniel Roberts in the UFC, Howard is a definite threat to Alves’ comeback.
In a battle of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belts, Mark Bocek (fighting out of Woodbridge, Ontario, Canada / 8-3) takes on fellow UFC veteran Dustin Hazelett (fighting out of Cincinnati, Ohio / 14-6). Bocek has already fought six times in the UFC, and has notched five overall wins by rear naked choke. Hazelett is a submission specialist, himself, as four of his five wins in the Octagon have come via tap out, including two that won him Submission of the Night honors.
Jesse Bongfeldt (fighting out of Kenora, Ontario, Canada / 15-4) is set to make his UFC debut after putting together an impressive professional fighting resume. With seven straight wins and victories over UFC veterans TJ Grant and Sean Pierson, Bongfeldt is set to make the jump to the UFC in the middleweight division. Never having been to a decision (nine submission wins, six knockout wins), he will debut against Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Rafael Natal (fighting out of New York, N.Y. / 12-3). A student of the legendary Renzo Gracie, “Sapo” holds seven wins by submission and three by knockout, and will look to pick up his first UFC win against Bongfeldt.
With all six of his professional fights coming in the UFC, Matthew Riddle (fighting out of Las Vegas, Nev. / 5-1) continues to gain valuable experience in the Octagon. A veteran of The Ultimate Fighter Season 7, Riddle looks to pick up his third straight win against UFC newcomer Sean Pierson (fighting out of Toronto, Ontario, Canada / 10-4). The welterweight has put together five straight first-round victories by finishing fights with kicks and punches, and is set to make the jump to the UFC.
Known for his world class experience, Joe Doerksen (fighting out of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada / 46-13) is set to compete in his 60th professional MMA bout. “El Dirte” holds victories over names like Tom Lawlor and Patrick Cote in the UFC, and the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt is always a threat to score a submission. Fighting opposite of Doerksen will be Dan Miller (fighting out of Whippany, N.J. / 12-4, 1 NC). As Jim Miller’s older brother, Dan looks to set the stage for his brother in this fight. A Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt himself, Miller has recorded three of his four UFC victories via submission.
As a very well-rounded fighter, TJ Grant (fighting out of Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia, Canada / 16-4) is dangerous in any aspect of his game. Not only has Grant recorded 12 of his wins via submission, but he also has a Knockout of the Night award to his name. Grant will face another world-class grappler in Ricardo Almeida (fighting out of Hamilton, N.J. / 12-4). “Big Dog” is a third-degree Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt under Renzo Gracie and has submitted Nate Marquardt and Matt Brown in his career. Against Grant, Almeida hopes to pick up his second win in the UFC welterweight division.
Looking to score his first UFC win on December 11th, Pat Audinwood (fighting out of Big Flats, N.Y. / 9-1-1) will take on John Makdessi (fighting out of Montreal, Quebec, Canada / 7-0), who is making his UFC debut. “The Bull” is undefeated in seven fights, having won six of his fights via knockout, and he is ready to make an immediate impact during his first trip into the Octagon.
*UFC Fans can book rooms through the Novotel Montreal Centre reservation center at 514-871-2138 and mention the UFC 124 Fan Block.
For more information, or current UFC fight news, visit UFC.com. All bouts live and subject to change.
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