UFC 124: JABBING HIS WAY TO VICTORY

Aaaand STILL Welterweight champion of the world! That's right, folks, GSP comes out smiling again, at UFC 124, as I predicted. The fight went the distance and he wins it via unanimous decision.

GSP controlled the entire fight by utilizing his strikes extremely well, primarily his jab. GSP showed true mastery of the technique by controlling the distance the entire time, and landing almost a hundred percent of the time. By the third round, Koscheck's right eye had swollen so badly that, at one point, the fight doctor even seriously considered stopping the match because Kos couldn't see anymore. Herb Dean, thankfully, let the fight go on. Kos is no Daredevil, though, so there was really no way he could have won that fight blind, unless a miracle would occur.

MIXING THINGS UP

GSP controlled much of the fight with the masterful use of his left jab

GSP's brilliance didn't end with the jab, though. He mixed everything up very nicely by changing levels constantly. Whenever Kos became too bothered by the jabs and tightened his guard up high, GSP would throw leg kicks to reduce Kos' mobility. And, when Kos rushed in with his knockout blows, GSP would counter with takedowns.

KOSCHECK'S NO JOKE

Despite being completely outmatched by the champ for 5 whole rounds, though, Koscheck is no joke. He stuffed many of GSP's takedowns and immediately got back up every time he was taken down. He also has a tremendous chin. GSP was hitting him with some fierce hooks much of the fight, but Koscheck never went down. GSP actually, and very humbly, apologized for not being able to finish Kos despite trying his best (and he clearly did), during the post-fight interview.

GSP FRUSTRATED?

Josh Koscheck couldn't see out of one eye in the latter half of the fight

It must be incredibly frustrating for GSP at this point to not be able to finish, since this is the cause of a lot of the negative criticism directed at him. All of his opponents have been genuine top contenders, though, so finishing them off via knockout or submission is easier said than done.

WHO'S NEXT?

Joe Rogan's right, though: who's next for GSP? Koscheck was by far the best fighter in the division outside of the champ, so who's worthy enough to step up to the plate? Jake Shields is the promised next contender, but after his recent showing against Martin Kampmann, I'm not very enthusiastic about it. Shields promised that he wouldn't cut weight so drastically again, though, so he could very well be an honest to goodness threat to GSP if he's fighting close to a hundred percent all five rounds. Whether that fight will be exciting is another matter altogether.

WHO ELSE?

Who's after Shields, though? No matter who wins that match, the UFC has got to be looking at the next top contender in the division. Matt Hughes was riding high on his way to another shot at the belt (I would have really wanted to see a rematch between these two legends, even though I know that GSP would outmatch Hughes), until BJ Penn very recently derailed him. Jon Fitch is another genuine contender, but he's lost to GSP before, and I really don't want to see him fight too much again. Despite continuous criticisms from all sides, he really hasn't shown any initiative to freshen up that boring wrestling game of his. Effective or not, he's a boring fighter, and I really can't root for him being the next top contender.

You know who I'd want to get the next top contender spot? Carlos Condit. That recent knockout of Dan Hardy was spectacular and I'd love to see him face off against GSP (or Shields).

Check out more amazing photos of UFC 124 at the official UFC website!