The rivalry between Georges St. Pierre (GSP) and Josh Koscheck is one of the most compelling in the history of the welterweight division. Their contrasting styles, personalities, and the stakes involved made their encounters unforgettable. As it currently stands, this Saturday could be the last fight of Georges St. Pierre's welterweight career that is even remotely compelling in nature. Sure, Jake Shields, Jon Fitch, and maybe one or two others could make worthy opponents, but Josh Koscheck's active wrestling game and even more active voice box give this one an edge that no other matchup would seem to possess.
For those of you who weren’t surfing the MMA tidal wave until recently, St. Pierre faced Koscheck back in August 2007, winning via unanimous decision. And if you figure that history will repeat and the champion will dismantle the challenger, let it be known that Koscheck is the last man to win a round from St. Pierre, taking the first round in their bout. Koscheck showed he can hang with St. Pierre, but three years later at UFC 124, can he can go all the way?
Eight years ago today, Georges St-Pierre woke up from what likely was an after-party deep into the night in his home city and probably wondered who would be next. St-Pierre headlined UFC 124 at Bell Centre in his home city of Montreal on Dec. 11, 2010. He beat Josh Koscheck in the main event with a scorecard sweep and a trio of 50-45 tallies from the judges. The win was the eighth straight for St-Pierre and was a rematch against Koscheck, whom he beat by unanimous decision at UFC 74 in 2007 in his first fight back after losing the welterweight title in a shocking upset to Matt Serra. That first bout with Koscheck wound up being the last non-title fight St-Pierre was part of. So after beating Koscheck, St-Pierre had to have been wondering just who might emerge as his next challenger.
Photo credit: Scott Peterson/MMA Weekly
The First Encounter: UFC 74
Rising welterweight star St-Pierre defeated the long-time champion Matt Hughes to capture the welterweight (170lbs) title. St. Pierre was ready for redemption in the form of a rematch with welterweight champion Matt Serra. In an unprecedented clash of divisional champions, St-Pierre squared off with the then-lightweight (and former welterweight) champion BJ Penn for a second time, having beaten him via a close split decision earlier in his career.
In August 2007, St-Pierre and Koscheck first clashed at UFC 74, with St-Pierre emerging victorious via unanimous decision. Despite Koscheck's wrestling credentials, St-Pierre managed to control the fight, showcasing his superior striking and takedown defense.
The Ultimate Fighter: Team GSP vs. Team Koscheck
The Ultimate Fighter | Season 12 | Best Moments
The rivalry intensified when they were chosen as coaches for The Ultimate Fighter 12. This season provided fans with an inside look at their personalities and coaching styles. The tension boiled over at the pre-fight weigh-ins, where Sanchez lost his temper and shoved Kos during the staredown.
The Ultimate Fighter 12 is being shown in HD on Sky Sports 2 from 21st September 2010. Look out for 'Iron' Mike Tyson who's appearing in the third episode. Is he going to be the next boxer to test himself in the Octagon? Tune in to find out.
UFC 124: The Rematch
The rematch took place at UFC 124 in December 2010 in Montreal, St-Pierre's hometown. Koscheck entered the fight with a significant amount of trash talk, trying to goad St. Pierre into a messy fight. Despite Koscheck’s years as an NCAA All-American, St. Pierre applies wrestling better in the MMA game. St. Pierre won the fight via unanimous decision, dominating Koscheck with his striking and wrestling. Koscheck suffered a broken orbital bone during the fight, a testament to St-Pierre's striking power.
Eight years after the world woke up to yet another dominant St-Pierre victory, take a look back at his win over Koscheck, which left the challenger's face battered with a broken orbital that required surgery.
Keys to the Fight
Probably the biggest key to the fight will be wrestling, and it works in both directions. St. Pierre has become a wrestling machine over the last few years, successful on 84 percent of his takedown attempts (46 out of 55) over his last 13 bouts. With mixed martial arts judges clearly influenced by takedowns and topside control, St. Pierre’s game plans have given him a ready-made formula for victory even when he can’t finish an opponent. In fact, he’s won 25 straight rounds dating back to August 2007.
For St. Pierre, he’s going to have to keep doing what he does best, and that’s transition back and forth between combinations and takedowns. On his feet, he is dynamic and varied in his combinations, but he’s also quick enough to expose any opponent who over-commits to an exchange, and that man is likely to find himself on his back. But he must be on guard for Koscheck turning the tables on him.
Fighter Analysis
Let's break down each fighter's strengths and weaknesses.
Georges St. Pierre
St. Pierre (20-2) gets a bad rap as a fighter who is overly reliant on his wrestling (47 percent of his fights are spent in the standup position, 53 percent on the ground), and lately, he’s also been criticized as a non-finisher (he’s finished three of his last six fights). Those splits may not be up to the level of excitement demanded by many fans, but they do show St. Pierre’s versatility; he’s equally comfortable everywhere, and he’s capable of winning any kind of fight.
- Strengths: Versatile skillset, excellent wrestling, dynamic striking, strategic game-planning.
- Weaknesses: Perceived as a non-finisher by some fans, sometimes criticized for conservative game plans.
Josh Koscheck
It’s certainly going to be an uphill battle for Koscheck (15-4), an orthodox fighter with a collegiate wrestling pedigree and an ever-present chip on his shoulder. Koscheck is one of those who has called St. Pierre out as boring for what he believes is conservative game-planning and execution. But Koscheck conveniently leaves out the fact that when he faced Paul Daley in the contenders’ bout that got him his current title shot, he took Daley down four times and spent 12 of the fight’s 15 minutes on the ground, well aware of the advantage he held there against Daley. So regardless of what he says, he understands that sometimes you have to do what’s best, instead of what’s most exciting.
- Strengths: Strong wrestling background, knockout power in his hands, durable.
- Weaknesses: Less accurate striking, can be predictable, struggles against elite wrestlers.
Detailed Comparison
Here's a detailed comparison of their attributes:
1. Size
Here's how they stack up in the Tale of the Tape:
- Georges St. Pierre:
- Age: 29
- Weight: 175 lbs
- Height: 5' 10"
- Reach: 76 inches
- Josh Koscheck:
- Age: 33
- Weight: 170 lbs
- Height: 5' 10"
- Reach: 73 inches
Advantage: St. Pierre
2. Wrestling
Koscheck was a D-1 national champion in college, but has seemed to focus lately on other aspects of his game. Still, it goes without saying that the challenger is very dangerous on the mat, where his ground-and-pound is every bit as vicious as the champ's. As a youth in Quebec, St. Pierre didn't have access to America's scholastic wrestling infrastructure. But when he took it up, it was ducks to water, and he is now so advanced that the idea of training for the Canadian Olympic freestyle wrestling team is at least a plausible goal. In recent fights, he has taken down opponents with incredible ease. Yes, Koscheck took St. Pierre down in their first fight, and yes, it's a feat that (unless I am wrong) has not been duplicated since.
Advantage: St. Pierre
3. Striking
St. Pierre has a clear edge in accuracy and technique, but Koscheck has demonstrated knockout power in his hands that GSP simply has not. When standing up, St. Pierre has more ways to attack than Koscheck; his karate and Muay Thai make him comfortable throwing kicks, knees, and other blows that are relatively exotic compared with Koscheck's meat-and-potatoes overhand right. St. Pierre's superior technique also means he is more accurate.
Advantage: Koscheck
4. Submissions
Georges St. Pierre and Josh Koscheck each have three UFC wins by submission. Koscheck is a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. St. Pierre is a black belt. Both have worked hard to improve this aspect of their games.
Advantage: Push
5. Stamina
Koscheck has a reputation for being in great cardiovascular shape when he enters the cage. GSP has experience in rounds four and five-the "championship rounds."
Advantage: Slight to GSP
6. Intangibles
The Greg Jackson training camp might have a reputation for boring fighters, but it still gives GSP a great edge here. Koscheck works with the highly respected American Kickboxing Academy, but hasn't shown the same drive or attention to detail-both inside and outside the cage-as the studious St. Pierre. Furthermore, Kos has worked hard to be the heel, but it just doesn't seem to be authentic.
Advantage: St. Pierre
7. Final Verdict
St. Pierre was already a complete fighter. He's just become a better complete fighter. Thus, the gap hasn't really narrowed since St. Pierre-Koscheck I, and that's why part II will have a similar outcome.
| Attribute | Georges St-Pierre | Josh Koscheck |
|---|---|---|
| Size | Advantage | - |
| Wrestling | Advantage | - |
| Striking | - | Advantage |
| Submissions | Push | Push |
| Stamina | Slight Advantage | - |
| Intangibles | Advantage | - |
Aftermath and Legacy
St-Pierre went on to defend the welterweight belt four more times before vacating it to retire. Four years later, in November 2017, he returned and won the middleweight title to become a two-division champion. He vacated that belt, as well, for medical reasons - but continues to tease a potential return.
Koscheck won two fights after losing to St-Pierre, but then dropped his final six - five by stoppage. After exiting the UFC on a five-fight skid, he signed with Bellator and lost his lone fight there before officially retiring earlier this year.