UFC 112 Aftermath: Lightweight Division Opened Up by Frankie Edgar

On Saturday night at UFC 112, Frankie “The Answer” Edgar found the solution to the question that BJ Penn posed to all lightweights who dared challenge his reign atop the UFC’s 155-pound division.

For all the talk of Penn being one of the planet’s best pound-for-pound fighters and the greatest lightweight ever to put on a pair of MMA gloves, it was Edgar who came in and fought with the confidence and aggression of a champion.

From the outset, Penn appeared out of sorts as Edgar swiftly moved in-and-out and side-to-side to keep the Hawaiian on his heels.

At one point, Edgar’s quickness irritated Penn’s corner so much they advised him to take the wrestler to the mat.

After the scorecards were read and Bruce Buffer had announced there was a new UFC lightweight champion, you could almost hear a collective sigh of relief coming from the rest of the division’s challengers.

Penn was easily making his way through the weight class since returning to it three years ago. He even had potential foes like Gray Maynard questioning if they should be mentioned in the same sentence as Penn, let alone the same Octagon.

Leave it to one of the smallest fighters in the division to make the biggest splash. His unanimous decision victory left Penn visibly beaten, with matching welts under both eyes.

Now that there’s a new king on the throne, the UFC’s 155-pound division has added some much-needed intrigue. With a newly minted title holder, the possibilities for potential challengers are growing by the day.

Obvious choices for next dibs would be Maynard (the only man to hold a win over Edgar) and former two-time top contender Kenny Florian.

A potential rematch with Penn could be in the cards, as well.

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