MONTREAL — It was a fight that was personal from the beginning, the stakes rising and the rivalry growing in intensity with the six weeks Georges St. Pierre and Josh Koscheck spent together taping The Ultimate Fighter reality show in Las Vegas. By the time it rolled around, the usually underspoken St. Pierre was uncharacteristically promising a whipping for his longtime antagonist.
True to his word, St. Pierre bullied the bully at UFC 124, dismantling Koscheck in a five-round unanimous decision before a North American MMA record attendance of 23,152 at the Bell Centre.
Eschewing the takedown and control game that his critics decry as overly safe, St. Pierre easily outstruck Koscheck in a largely standup fight, much to the delight of the capacity crowd that exploded at every punch, elbow and kick.
Still, GSP felt the performance fell short of his perfectionist’s tastes, as he failed to finish Koscheck as he predicted.