Wrapping up the greatness that was UFC 74

By now, the news of Randy Couture's defeat of a younger Gabriel Gonzaga has been widespread -- but in case you missed the PPV special, here's my recap of all the top stories you need to know.

"The Natural" Does It Again

Angered by being called "a mentally weak fighter," Georges St. Pierre earned a three-round win over Josh Koscheck. AP

Father Time may yet catch up with Randy Couture. But he will have to wait for another night. At 44, Couture retained his UFC heavyweight championship by defeating Gabriel Gonzaga via third round TKO. Couture dominated from the clinch, busting open Gonzaga's nose and landing hard punches in the first and second rounds. In the third round, he took Gonzaga down and finished him with rapid punches.

What a "Rush"

Georges "Rush" St. Pierre's ascension through the ranks culminated in a victory over Matt Hughes to capture the UFC welterweight title in November of 2006. But everything came crashing down when St. Pierre was knocked out by heavy underdog Matt Serra in his first title defense.

UFC did not give St. Pierre an easy opponent in his first fight back: 11-1 standout wrestler Josh Koscheck. Koscheck was coming off a victory over previously undefeated Diego Sanchez, and called St. Pierre "a mentally weak fighter." St. Pierre proved him wrong with a dominating performance and unanimous decision victory.

St. Pierre took down Koscheck in the first and second rounds, and nearly pulled off a Kimura submission hold in the second round. In the third round, St. Pierre got the better of the standup. He blocked a Koscheck takedown attempt, ended up on top, and closed the fight with hard elbows. Eating his words after the fight, Koscheck congratulated St. Pierre and called him "a true champion".

Stevenson Moves Closer to Title Shot

Joe Stevenson topped Kurt Pellegrino, bringing Stevenson one step closer to a lightweight title shot. Stevenson, a strong submission wrestler, engaged Pellegrino standing and on the ground. Both landed strong blows, scored takedowns, and went for submissions.

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Stevenson was slightly better, and closed out the fight in control. That earned him a unanimous decision victory.

Frank Mir Rebounds

Frank Mir won the UFC heavyweight championship in 2004 by breaking Tim Sylvia's arm. Unfortunately for Mir, he never had the chance to defend his title. Mir was seriously injured in a motorcycle accident, and forced to vacate the title.

Mir's return to UFC was unimpressive, as he compiled a 1-2 record prior to UFC 74. On Saturday he quickly took down and submitted opponent Antoni Hardonk with a first round Kimura. In spite of Mir's impressive performance, questions remain if Hardonk was an ideal matchup for him: a one-dimensional striker with questionable takedown defense and inferior jiu jitsu. Mir will have the chance to prove himself against tougher opposition, but for one night the old Frank Mir appeared to be back.

Bad Sportsmanship from Sobral

Renato "Babalu" Sobral impressed fans with his skills, but enraged them with his lack of sportsmanship. Sobral, a top light heavyweight, had words with opponent David Heath at Friday's weigh-in. That bad blood carried through to the fight, which Sobral dominated with a brutal ground and pound attack that badly bloodied Heath.

The conclusion of the fight was controversial. Sobral sunk in a second-round choke, and Heath tapped. Sobral refused to break the hold and continued to apply the choke for an additional three to five seconds. After the fight, Sobral admitted that he held the choke on long, saying, "I just thought that I needed to teach him respect after he showed me so much disrespect."

He had $25,000 of his purse withheld for his actions.

Wanderlei Silva in the House

When Dana White signed Wanderlei Silva to a contract last week, he said that it was the highlight of his time as UFC president. Given all of White's success the past couple years, the statement speaks volumes about how highly he thinks of Silva, one of the most explosive standup fighters in the world. His UFC return will likely take place in December.