Tag: Georges St. Pierre

Josh Koscheck Returns at UFC 139 in San Jose, May Jump to Middleweight

Filed under: UFC, NewsAfter a lengthy layoff following his title shot against Georges St-Pierre, Josh Koscheck is finally ready to return.

Koscheck said on his Twitter feed Sunday night that he is the latest addition to the UFC 139 card that takes pla…

Filed under: ,

After a lengthy layoff following his title shot against Georges St-Pierre, Josh Koscheck is finally ready to return.

Koscheck said on his Twitter feed Sunday night that he is the latest addition to the UFC 139 card that takes place in San Jose on Nov. 19 – in the heart of his training ground.

But perhaps more interesting is Koscheck saying the fight, against a yet-unnamed opponent, is likely to be at middleweight, moving him up from 170 pounds for the first time since 2005. “My next fight is in San Jose …,” Koscheck said. “Good chance fighting at 185lbs. Should know real soon who.”

After a three-fight win streak – a KO of Frank Trigg, a submission of Anthony Johnson and a decision over Paul Daley that got the Brit booted from the UFC for a post-fight sucker punch – Koscheck got a Season 12 coaching spot on “The Ultimate Fighter” opposite St. Pierre.

In their welterweight title fight at UFC 124 last December, St-Pierre peppered Koscheck (15-5, 13-5 UFC) with jabs throughout the bout and broke his right orbital bone. The subsequent surgery has kept Koscheck on the shelf, and his Nov. 19 return will mean a layoff of nearly a year.

Koscheck fought at middleweight on Season 1 of TUF, but dropped from 185 to welterweight after his win over Chris Sanford on the TUF 1 Finale in April 2005. His 18 fights in the UFC make him one of the promotion’s longest-standing veterans. His five losses include two to St-Pierre and one to former title challenger Thiago Alves in a fight he took on short notice.

Koscheck is the second fighter to get a “home” fight on the UFC 139 card. Cain Velasquez, his training partner at the American Kickboxing Academy, located in San Jose, headlines the card to defend his heavyweight title for the first time against Junior dos Santos.

Koscheck’s move to middleweight is one he has talked about in the last several months. He has said often he will not fight his AKA teammates, and Jon Fitch is one of just a few welterweights that would make sense for Koscheck to fight who don’t already have a match booked.

But the move up also gets him one weight class closer to Stephan Bonnar, one of his housemates on TUF 1. Bonnar and Koscheck have been trading barbs on Twitter and in the media after Bonnar’s Trash Talkin’ Kids t-shirt line made an “Osh Kosh B’Gosh’ shirt mimicking Koscheck. Though other fighters, including St-Pierre, Roy Nelson and Brock Lesnar, took the playful shirts in good humor, Koscheck threatened a lawsuit, obtaining former UFC fighter Christian Wellisch as his legal representation. Earlier this year, Bonnar’s company, NGauge Inc., shut the shirts down entirely and started a new line called Punch Buddies in its place.

But a fight between Koscheck and Bonnar would mean Bonnar would have to move down from light heavyweight – or that Koscheck would have to move up even more to light heavyweight, or to an agreed-upon catchweight fight. Bonnar has not fought since last December, and had to pull out of a scheduled fight against Karlos Vemola at UFC on Versus 5 earlier this month with a knee injury.

UFC 139 will be the company’s first fight in San Jose, the former home base of one-time rival Strikeforce before its purchase by Zuffa earlier this year. Though not yet made official, it will take place at the HP Pavilion. Aside from Koscheck’s return to middleweight and the heavyweight title bout between Velasquez and dos Santos, UFC 139 will feature a bantamweight contenders bout between former champions Brian Bowles and Urijah Faber, plus a welterweight bout between Martin Kampmann and Rick Story.

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Cesar Gracie on GSP: This Is ‘Ultimate Fighting’ Not ‘Ultimate Stalling’

A few months after Jake Shields suffered his first loss in six years, the Cesar Gracie camp is preparing for a second crack at UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre. Former Strikeforce champion Nick Diaz will be standing opposite the French-Canad…

A few months after Jake Shields suffered his first loss in six years, the Cesar Gracie camp is preparing for a second crack at UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre.

Former Strikeforce champion Nick Diaz will be standing opposite the French-Canadian phenom this time around, and Gracie is every bit of as confident in the controversial Stockton native as he was in Shields.

“It should be a really good fight,” Gracie said in an interview with Full Contact Fighter. “Nick is really going to press the action. He’s going to force GSP to fight. I was just really happy that Nick is going to get the opportunity to show just how good he is now.”

Diaz has seen significant strides in his overall game since his last UFC appearance in November 2006. While his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu has always been considered the most dangerous aspect of his game, Diaz’s improved boxing could rival his grappling base.

Training with WBA and WBC World Boxing Champion Luisito Espinosa and Olympic Boxing Gold Medalist Andre Ward, Diaz has quickly become one of the best boxers in the entire 170-pound division.

Will it all make any difference against St-Pierre, arguably the best wrestler in MMA?

“Georges is a great athlete and pretty smart fighter,” said Gracie. “His athleticism often lets him dictate where the fight is going to go, and if he’s comfortable where he can take the finish, without taking too many risks, he will.”

St-Pierre, who hasn’t finished a fight in over two years, has often been criticized for utilizing “safe” tactics to coast to decisions.

From a purely coaching perspective, St-Pierre’s way of fighting doesn’t faze Gracie. He is only worried about guys on his own team.

When he looks at things from a fan’s perspective, Gracie has a much different opinion of the champ.

“The thing is, it’s really not my business how he fights. He’s not on my team, so, I truly don’t care how he fights,” Gracie said. “Now if you’re asking me as a fan, yeah, that style is not what I like to watch. I like to watch guys that just completely go for it, take chances, and give crowds what they want, which is ‘Ultimate Fighting,’ not ‘ultimate stalling’ or anything like that.”

It may not be Gracie’s business how St-Pierre fights, but it is his business in making sure Diaz is fully prepared come fight night. Perhaps the most well-rounded fighter in the world, St-Pierre is a tough guy to plan for.

When looking at past bouts, Gracie sees similarities between Diaz and former two-division champion B.J. Penn. Like “The Prodigy,” Diaz is a world class boxer with a flexible guard, which allows him to seamlessly flow through sweeps and submission attempts.

“I think [GSP] is going to approach this fight somewhat like the B.J. Penn fight,” Gracie stated. “I think he’ll try to fight Nick the same way, where he’ll tie up with him, try to keep him up against the cage, do a little dirty boxing and try to get him arm weary, maybe get some takedowns and see how that goes. He’ll probably be cautious from the top position but try to inflict damage depending on how it’s going.”

St-Pierre and Diaz are expected to headline a stacked UFC 137 card on October 29 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.

While Diaz looks to win his first ever UFC title, St-Pierre seeks his seventh successful welterweight title defense, which would tie the record of MMA legend and UFC Hall of Famer Matt Hughes.

 

Follow me on Twitter @ JordyMcElroy

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Chris Lytle Submitted Dan Hardy, Ergo, Lytle’s Better Than GSP…Geez

They must be joking, but seriously driving home a point.Them Georges St-Pierre bashers who’ll grab every opportunity to smite on GSP and what they think he stands for now in MMA: decision wins, lay and pray, fighting safely and just plain boredom….

They must be joking, but seriously driving home a point.

Them Georges St-Pierre bashers who’ll grab every opportunity to smite on GSP and what they think he stands for now in MMA: decision wins, lay and pray, fighting safely and just plain boredom.

But they shouldn’t exploit Chris Lytle’s guillotine choke win over Dan Hardy to advance their cause; that’s getting way too far ahead of themselves.

There’s such a concept called “case-to-case basis.”

Did Hardy have the temerity to attempt a double-leg takedown against GSP and consequently expose his neck for a “guillo?” No.

It is regrettable that GSP played with Hardy like a cat to a mouse, letting his prey last the whole five rounds as his idea of fun.

Or just another daily workout routine.

So what does Tito Ortiz submitting Ryan Bader in the first round—while Jon Jones did it to the latter only in the second round—really mean?

Or that of Nate Marquardt’s KO of Demian Maia whereas Anderson Silva danced away from the submission specialist into a decision win?

I’m not sure exactly, but I believe their meaning lies somewhere between “not much” and “nothing at all.”

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Carlos Condit Talks Penn, Title Shot, and GSP vs. Diaz

Carlos Condit is in a great place right now. Outside of former Strikeforce champion Nick Diaz, Condit is the hottest welterweight contender in the world. He is coming off a string of devastating KO and TKO wins over Rory MacDonald, Dan Hardy and Dong H…

Carlos Condit is in a great place right now.

Outside of former Strikeforce champion Nick Diaz, Condit is the hottest welterweight contender in the world.

He is coming off a string of devastating KO and TKO wins over Rory MacDonald, Dan Hardy and Dong Hyun Kim.

The wins have been more than enough to put Condit over as the next contender for Georges St-Pierre’s UFC title, but the promotion has instead opted for a superfight between the French Canadian and Diaz at UFC 137.

Despite being passed up for a title shot, Condit’s work hasn’t gone unnoticed.  He is expected to serve in the co-main event of the UFC 137 main card against MMA legend and former two-division champion B.J. Penn.

A win over Penn would add a major name to Condit’s résumé

While Condit is more focused on his bout with Penn, he will also be eyeing the St-Pierre and Diaz fight. St-Pierre is a teammate of Condit’s at Greg Jackson’s MMA, but the former WEC champion has already stated that the two have no qualms about facing off in the center of the octagon for a world title.

In the video above, Condit goes into detail about Penn and a possible title shot.  He also gives his early prediction for St-Pierre versus Diaz.

and likely thrust him into title contention.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 137: Does a Win over Nick Diaz Mean GSP Has Cleaned out the Division?

While many have been claiming that Georges St-Pierre has cleaned out the UFC’s welterweight division, there is still a surprising list of credible challengers to his title. First, however, GSP must take care of former Strikeforce Welterweight Champion …

While many have been claiming that Georges St-Pierre has cleaned out the UFC’s welterweight division, there is still a surprising list of credible challengers to his title. First, however, GSP must take care of former Strikeforce Welterweight Champion Nick Diaz.

Diaz presents a good deal of problems for the current champ. He has great boxing, great jiu-jitsu, a good chin and has never had stamina issues. Assuming, however, that St-Pierre gets past him, who is potentially next in line?

The next big welterweight matchup takes place September 17 at UFC Fight Night: Shields vs. Ellenberger as Jake Shields is coming off his first loss in 15 fights in failing to dethrone GSP. Jake Ellenberger meanwhile, has won eight of his last nine; his only loss coming via split decision to Carlos Condit.

While a win for Shields most likely wouldn’t put him in line for an immediate title shot, a victory for Ellenberger—particularly by stoppage—would do a lot to put him in line for the winner of GSP-Nick Diaz.

Following that fight, at UFC 135: Jones vs. Rampage on September 24, Diego Sanchez is set to take on Matt Hughes. A win for Hughes isn’t going to give him a fourth fight with St-Pierre—especially after his knockout loss to B.J. Penn—but a convincing win for Sanchez could put him “in the mix.”

On October 1, the UFC will return to Versus for UFC Live: Cruz vs. Johnson. Outside the championship matchup between Dominick Cruz and Demetrious Johnson, that card will feature a bout between Charlie Brenneman and Anthony Johnson.

Despite a TKO loss to Johny Hendricks at UFC 117, Brenneman has rebounded with two wins—his last an impressive upset victory versus Rick Story.

Meanwhile, following a long lay-off after his loss to Josh Koscheck, Johnson returned with a decision win over Dan Hardy.

Neither of them are going to be challenging for the title with a win, but they’re both still impressive guys to watch for, as they have the wrestling credentials to hang with GSP.

Finally, at UFC 137: St-Pierre vs. Diaz on October 29, B.J. Penn will be taking on Carlos Condit. Penn, despite a 1-2-1 record in his last four fights, is still one of the top fighters in the division, which he proved by his knockout of Matt Hughes and draw with Jon Fitch.

Carlos Condit, however, has been tearing up the division, winning 12 of his last 13. Perhaps most importantly, he’s only won once by decision, and the UFC loves exciting finishers.

A win for Condit all but ensures a title shot. However, for Penn, it may be difficult for the UFC to sell a third fight with GSP after already losing the first two.

While it may appear that St-Pierre has cleaned out the division, Carlos Condit and Jake Ellenberger are making their way to the top of the welterweight ladder, while Anthony Johnson, Charlie Brenneman, Diego Sanchez and B.J. Penn may not be far behind. Be on the lookout for Jon Fitch, Martin Kampmann, Rory MacDonald and Brian Ebersole as well.

As much as a tempting thought the super-fight with Anderson Silva is, Georges St-Pierre has plenty of unfinished business at 170.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

MMA: Is Now the Best Time to Be a Fan of Mixed Martial Arts?

The sport of mixed martial arts has come a long way from the days of belching commentators, fighters carrying the crucifix and “human cockfighting.” Fans who began to watch the sport within the last year or so are fortunate; now is perhaps the best tim…

The sport of mixed martial arts has come a long way from the days of belching commentators, fighters carrying the crucifix and “human cockfighting.” Fans who began to watch the sport within the last year or so are fortunate; now is perhaps the best time to be a fan of mixed martial arts.

Fans of the modern incarnation of mixed martial arts enjoy a newer, better form of the sport that has better athletes, better fights and is more popular.

While the fans of the old days certainly got to enjoy the amazing characters and “freakshow” type quality of the early events, the level of skill wasn’t extraordinary and there weren’t as many cards.

The sport eventually evolved from that low point and included athletes who cross-trained in several disciplines but were only masters of one aspect of fighting. Even with better competition and slightly more events, the sport was still on the fringes of society.

The sport underwent another change after this era with the rise of The Ultimate Fighter reality show. The UFC’s targeted demographic was enamored with the show and it helped to make the UFC a household name, not for negative reasons, but for positive ones.

As the show went on, the next generation of legends began to rise.

The sport continually evolved and grew more popular and that finally led us to the modern day. The UFC is a global company that has just signed a deal with the Fox network.

The stars have aligned for the sport of mixed martial arts, the UFC, and the fans; people who became fans within the last year or two don’t know how fortunate they were to have joined at this crucial juncture.

First, fans who have been watching recent events (and either just started watching MMA recently or have been watching all along) got to see the current generation of legends such as UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre and UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva perform at their peaks; they will remember them as the greats that they are.

Second, fans will not be forced to bear the weight of ideological baggage from the Pride vs. UFC debates of old. With only one clearly superior organization, debates such as that are over.

Third, fans have seen and will continue to see the rise of the next generation of fighters such as UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones and UFC welterweight prospect Rory MacDonald.

Fourth, the fans will see the sport they love grow to unparalleled heights due to the recent deal with Fox.

Thus, if there was any time in the history of mixed martial arts to become a fan of the sport, it is unquestionably now. The sport is becoming not only a major sport, but something more…something that may shake the very foundations of the international sports world.

 

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com