UFC 118 Post-Mortem: The Frankie Edgar Era Begins

Frankie Edgar Defeats B.J. Penn By Unanimous Decision

What Happened

This bout was marred by déjà vu. Edgar utilized a lot of footwork and angles to keep Penn guessing on the feet. The blend of solid striking and strong takedowns proved that Edgar belongs at the top of the Lightweight hierarchy. Penn put forth more offensive effort this time out. He even scored a few takedowns himself. Edgar showed great scrambling abilities as he continued to fight out of bad situations.

At one point, Penn was close to positioning himself in full mount. Edgar proved defiant as he somehow managed to scramble free from one of the best BJJ artists in the sport. Penn completely broke in the third round. As Edgar imposed his will, Penn seemed disinterested in the fact that he was behind. There was never any urgency as he dropped another unanimous decision.

Next for Edgar

A rematch with Gray Maynard lies in the not so distant future for Edgar. Many see Maynard as Edgar’s kryptonite. We’ll soon see if Edgar can overcome the bigger, stronger wrestler that dominated him in April 2008.

Next for Penn

This is the biggest question of all. If there has ever been a question about B.J. Penn, it’s always been his heart. Is B.J. motivated? How bad does he want this? There has always been an inescapable aura surrounding him. He never had to go out of his way. He’s B.J. Penn! He can beat anybody.

Every pound for pound great has shown an ability to overcome the odds. Georges St. Pierre overcame a broken nose and damaged eye in his bout with Penn at UFC 58. Penn dominated St. Pierre in the first round. St. Pierre came back with a vengeance and took the second and third rounds.

At UFC 117, Anderson Silva was taken down repeatedly and effortlessly murked on by Chael Sonnen. In the final round, Silva managed to catch Sonnen with a fight-ending triangle choke.

Fedor Emelianenko has had plenty of scraps. At Pride 26, he was completely rocked during an exchange with Kazuyuki Fujita. Emelianenko survived and ended the bout with a rear naked choke

Penn has never truly had that moment. He is either dominating or losing. St. Pierre once talked about Penn’s weakness as being an inability to look within himself for problems. He always wants to blame everybody else. During the UFC 118 interviews, Penn talked about Edgar dancing for the judges to "steal the decision" at UFC 112. What about his own lack of aggressiveness? What about him losing on a lot of exchanges?

To be better, you have to make yourself better first.

Penn really needs to take time to piece everything together in his head. He could choose to retire. If not, it would be great to see a motivated B.J. Penn back in the fold. It could prove beneficial for Penn to train with more emphasis on his grappling. Can you imagine Penn training with Georges St. Pierre and Rashad Evans to work on some offensive wrestling?

That may be an option for him to seek. Antonio Banuelos is not going to prepare him for an elite level Lightweight like Edgar.

As for future fights, a rubber match with Matt Hughes still lingers out there.

Randy Couture Submits James Toney By Round 1 Arm Triangle

What Happened

In the night’s circus bout, James Toney was a prime example of the consequences for competing against elite level opposition in a foreign sport. Couture didn’t even have to work for the single leg. Toney immediately tumbled once his leg was raised two inches from the ground. On top, Couture blasted Toney’s cranium with unanswered punches before ending the bout with an arm triangle at 3:19 in the first round.

Next for Couture

This will hopefully be the last of the "freak" fights for Couture. I don’t want to wake up one morning and see that Couture is fighting Shaquille O’Neal at UFC 125: When Worlds Collide. Couture should get back on track to more serious business. The winner of Tito Ortiz and Matt Hamill at UFC 121 could be his next opponent.

Next for Toney

Toney deserves some respect for actually stepping into the octagon. That’s more than I can say for other loudmouth Boxers trashing MMA. This was a great ride for Toney. Under the spotlight, he was actually relevant again. Unfortunately for him, the ride is over. It’s time for Toney to return back to his own sport.

Demian Maia Defeats Mario Miranda By Unanimous Decision

What Happened

Demian Maia showcased superior grappling and improved ground and pound in his lopsided bout with Mario Miranda. Many thought Miranda would be done for once Maia took the fight to the ground. Maia is considered by many as the most dangerous BJJ artist in the sport. Miranda showed tremendous resilience as he avoided countless submission attempts throughout the fight…too bad he didn’t have the same resilience towards defending takedowns…

Maia was able to snag takedowns at will. Miranda’s only offense was resilience as he remained helplessly on his back for all three rounds.

Next for Maia

With this win, Maia proves that he still has a place amongst the Middleweight elite. A bout against the winner of Nate Marquardt/Rousimar Palhares or Alan Belcher could be next. Maia was originally scheduled to fight Belcher at UFC Fight Night on September 15. Belcher had to pull out due to an eye injury. The fight was moved up and Miranda stepped in as a replacement.

Next for Miranda

Miranda definitely deserves another shot after stepping up to fight Maia on short notice. Chris Leben, John Salter, Mark Munoz and Kendall Grove are all available candidates.

Gray Maynard Defeats Kenny Florian By Unanimous Decision

What Happened

For years, fans have questioned Florian’s ability to defend the takedown. The answer remained a resounding no at UFC 118. Gray Maynard bullied Florian around for three rounds with constant takedowns and unyielding top control. This fight really brought back memories of Florian’s decision loss in his championship showdown with Sean Sherk at UFC 64.

The problem didn’t fall completely on Florian’s inability to stop the shot. Florian was hesitant on the feet and helpless from his back. The first three minutes in the bout resembled a staring contest. Neither fighter wanted to be the first to engage. Even when Florian was clearly behind on the scorecards, he remained hesitant in pushing the pace and showing any form of urgency.

From his back, Florian was ineffective in setting up sweeps, submissions, or opportunities to scramble. Maynard was able to control him and ride out the unanimous decision.

Next for Florian

Florian really needs to work on his wrestling and guard game. Despite being a BJJ black belt, Florian has never shown a significant guard. This will have to change if he ever wishes to brandish UFC gold. It’s back to the drawing board as Florian hopes to rebound from this upset. Tyson Griffin and George Sotiropoulos both make for interesting opponents.

Next for Maynard

Finally, Gray Maynard will cash in on a much deserved Lightweight title shot. Frankie Edgar has improved, but you have to like Maynard’s chances considering his dominant win over Edgar at UFC Fight Night 13.

Nate Diaz Submits Marcus Davis By Round 3 Guillotine Choke

What Happened

Marcus Davis demonstrated little to no head movement in his third round submission loss to Nate Diaz. For three rounds, Diaz used Davis’s head for target practice. It wasn’t a pretty sight afterwards. Davis’s face looked like it had just gone through a meat grinder.

Next for Diaz

Diaz has made it known that he’s interested in dropping back down to Lightweight. This could be a good decision. In his losses to Gray Maynard, Joe Stevenson, and Clay Guida, Diaz has shown problems in the past when dealing with strong wrestlers. With fighters like Georges St. Pierre, Jon Fitch, and Josh Koscheck running the Welterweight division, Diaz may want to keep trying his luck at Lightweight.

Next for Davis

Davis has to really improve his head movement, footwork, and offensive/defensive Boxing techniques. How many times do you have to get punched in the face before you start blocking and moving your head? At 37 years old, the window of opportunity is closing fast for Davis. The UFC could either release him or continue feeding him to younger talent.