UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre, left, squares off with challenger Josh Koscheck in Montreal Friday, December 10, 2010 aheard of their fight which takes place in Montreal on Saturday, December 11.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham HughesGraham Hughes/The Canadian Press
It's important to know one's role in life.
And American mixed martial arts fighter Josh Koscheck knows he's supposed to play the comic book villain - so he does, to the hilt.
Sporting a grey hoodie, an arrogant smirk and an intense glare, Koscheck played it up when boos shook the hockey playoff-loud Bell Centre as octagon-side screens showed him entering the building for his championship bout against heavily-favoured native son Georges St-Pierre.
The champion, for his part, drew a rapturous reaction from the crowd of 20,000-plus when he was shown, suited, booted and smiling confidently on the big screen.
The main event is to go shortly after midnight.
On the undercard, 34-year-old Toronto fighter Sean Pierson made the most of his first appearance on MMA's brightest stage, winning a bloody decision over the previously undefeated American Matthew Riddle
Manitoba's Joe Doerksen wasn't as fortunate, coming up on the losing end of a split decision against New Jersey native Dan Miller.
Among the other Canadians on the card: lightweight Mark Bocek submitted Dustin Hazlett in the first round - the latter had won four fights in a row. Nova Scotia welterwight T.J. Grant lost a lop-sided decision to Ricardo Almeida; Quebec-born kickboxer John Makdessi won a unanimous decision over American Pat Audinwood.
Jesse Bongfeldt, the only other Canadian in competition, fought to a draw with Rafael Natal - a rare enough result for MMA to make it noteworthy.