After quite a long layoff, MMA fans are going to “get their fix” again this weekend when UFC 74: Respect takes place in Las Vegas. UFC 74 has some excellent matchups both on the main card and the undercard, so let’s get started and dive right in.
Main Card
Randy Couture vs Gabriel Gonzaga - The main event of UFC 74 features the heavyweight title fight between current champion Randy Couture and rising star Gabriel Gonzaga. This fight also just happens to be the toughest fight of the night to call, in my opinion. Randy Couture’s history and career are widely known and I don’t really need to do much analysis on Randy’s game. We all know that Randy will be ready and prepared with an excellent gameplan to attack Gonzaga. Whether that plan will be to roll with Gabriel on the ground or stand with Gonzaga as he did against Sylvia really is unknown. Whatever the method of attack I’m sure it will be well executed.
Gabriel Gonzaga became an overnight star with his brutal upset win KO against Mirko Filipovic at UFC 70 in England. Gabriel was considered a strong fighter in the division, but wasn’t expected to get past Cro Cop; much less dominate him that way he did. Now, no one is sleeping on Gonzaga and he has garnered much respect since his abysmal UFC debut against Kevin Jordan at UFC 56. A dominating ground fighter, as evidenced in his easy first round victory over Carmelo Marrero, Gonzaga also showed that he can hang in the standup game against Cro Cop.
In the end, I think Gonzaga takes this fight in the fourth or fight round by ground-and-pound. I think Gonzaga will try to work his BJJ game against Randy and will wear Couture down physically as the fight proceeds into the later rounds. But, then again, Couture proved he can go strong through a five-round title fight against Tim Syliva. I think Gonzaga will bring more to the table and be able to press Randy a lot more than Sylvia was able to and that will be the difference in this fight. Tim Sylvia fights not to lose; Gabriel Gonzaga fights to win. While I’ll be pulling for Couture to win, my head is telling me to go with Gonzaga. Winner: Gabriel Gonzaga
Josh Koscheck vs Georges St Pierre - Most MMA fans I talk to are looking forward more to this fight than the main event. Josh Koscheck vs Georges St Pierre will hopefully turn out to be the fight we all expected Josh Koscheck vs Diego Sanchez to be.
GSP is coming of his devastating loss to Matt Serra at UFC 69 while Koscheck is coming off his emotional victory over Sanchez the same night. People have questioned St. Pierre’s mental state, his chin and will training schedule since his loss. GSP isn’t mentall strong… GSP doesn’t train seriously… GSP is too nice… Blah, blah, blah. St. Pierre loss to Matt Serra, end of story. He admitted he didn’t train properly for that fight and didn’t take Matt Serra seriously enough. That ISN’T an excuse; it’s the honest truth. GSP isn’t bad-mouthing Serra or making excuses. He is telling you why he lost and what he did incorrectly while preparing for that fight. I’m sure after his Saturday we won’t be hearing those same criticisms.
Josh Koscheck, like it or not, is not in the short list of UFC welterweight contenders since he defeated Sanchez. I’m not saying the welterweight division only has a small number of contenders; I’m saying out of that large group, Koscheck is not on the UFC’s “short list” of contenders. If Koscheck defeats GSP he most certainly will be next in line for a title shot against either Matt Hughes or Matt Serra. However, since Koscheck won’t defeate GSP, a more likely scenario is Koscheck facing the loser of the Matt Hughes-Matt Serra fight and then having a rematch with Diego Sanchez if he happens to get past Hughes/Serra. Winner: Georges St Pierre
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(via MMA HQ - Mixed Martial Arts News and Analysis)