Baran's Breakdown: UFC 118 - Post Fight Wrap-Up

(Photos courtesy of UFC.com)

Lightning has struck twice in the UFC Octagon.  Lightweight Champion, Frankie “The Answer” Edgar used a flawless game plan to once again come away victorious against “The Prodigy” BJ Penn.  Penn was never able to figure out Edgar’s timing and seemed frustrated at times.  Penn was able to secure a few takedowns, but could not generate much offense from there before Edgar was able to escape and get back to his feet.  There would be no judging controversies or excuses Saturday night. 

Edgar’s footwork and movements kept Penn guessing for all five rounds.  Stinging jabs and combinations of punches, kicks, and knees caught BJ almost every time and Penn had no answer to the riddle.  Frankie’s conditioning was Energizer Bunny-like and kept Penn stalking him.  Frankie did a great job of keeping the fight on the feet and scoring takedowns seemingly at will.  Edgar dictated the pace of the entire fight and made BJ come to him.  Penn was out of his element and was outclassed for five rounds. 

All three judges scored the fight 50-45 and rightfully so.  Edgar silenced any and all critics completely tonight and nobody can dispute Frankie Edgar’s claim as the top lightweight in the world.  Edgar has beaten Penn twice and in ways that nobody ever has before; in dominating fashion and with a superior skill set.  Penn’s corner men seemed as confused as he was.  In between rounds they offered pep talks rather than strategy.  It almost seemed that Penn and his team gave up Saturday night.   

Next up for Penn is re-evaluating his career and deciding where to go from here.  Edgar, on the other hand, gets a rematch against Gray Maynard.  “The Bully” is the only person to defeat Edgar and stylistically, is a bad match-up for the Toms River, NJ native.  However, Edgar is a far better fighter than he was back then.   Edgar would more than likely love to get some revenge for that loss.  For now though, Edgar will savor this perfect victory and bring the UFC Lightweight Championship BACK to NJ.

Randy Couture welcomed James Toney to MMA Saturday night.  In what was being billed as a “Boxing versus MMA” contest, turned out to be anything but competitive.  Randy Couture did what we all expected him to do, shoot for the takedown immediately and find and opening for a submission.  Randy shot for Toney’s legs and Toney instantly went to the mat.  From there, “The Natural” was able to gain the full mount and deliver some crisp punches and elbows to Toney’s helpless cranium. 

Couture then moved into position with a head and arm choke and sealed the deal once he stepped over to the side and applied the necessary pressure to get Toney to swallow his Boxing pride and tap out.  Toney seemed humble in defeat praising Couture’s efforts and his aggression.  “Lights Out” also claims he will be back to fight again another day.  I am sure any heavyweight in the division will welcome Toney with open arms.

Demian Maia moved a step closer to regaining the top contender spot of the middleweight division against a game Mario Miranda.  Many thought Maia would put Miranda away early on in the fight, but Miranda hung in there and made Maia earn his unanimous decision victory.  Maia dominated the fight from start to finish taking Miranda down and controlled the action.

Maia displayed some excellent Jiu-Jitsu throughout the fight, but was unable to finish Miranda despite several brilliant transitions to arm bar attempts.  Each time, Miranda was able to escape and make Maia start over again.  Three rounds were in the books and Maia’s dominant performance helped him earn a much needed victory.

The winner of the next bout earns a lightweight title shot.  That was more than enough incentive for both Kenny Florian and Gray Maynard.  The undefeated Maynard seems to be a tough match-up for anyone in his division.  Tonight was no exception.  Florian had trouble getting any type of offense going and found himself on the receiving end of some vicious takedowns and some brutal ground and pound.   

Maynard outwrestled Florian and controlled him on the ground.  Florian was frustrated and could not stop Maynard from taking him down, transitioning to side control, and dropping some leather on him.  Florian was never in the fight and Maynard took all three rounds to gain the unanimous decision victory and earns a shot at Frankie Edgar, the man he has already defeated.     

Opening the pay per view broadcast was a slugfest between Nate Diaz and Marcus Davis.  These two went toe to toe for three rounds and it earned them the “Fight of the Night” award.  Diaz pressed the fight the majority of the time despite eating a solid punch from Davis early on that rocked the returning welterweight.  Diaz took over after that and utilized his significant reach advantage to do some serious damage to the eye of the “Irish Hand Grenade”.  Davis was a bloody mess, but never gave up.

The first two rounds were all Diaz, despite Davis putting forth a good effort in front of his hometown crowd.  Diaz’s reach advantage was just too much for Davis to overcome and in the third round, Diaz secured a takedown and was able to get a hold of Davis’ neck.  From there, Diaz cinched in a tight Guillotine choke that put Davis to sleep and forced the referee to stop the fight and award the victory to Diaz. 

There was a real championship feel in the air with several stars from New England’s favorite sports teams, The Patriots and The Celtics.  Frankie Edgar was in good company Saturday night under the same roof as Tom Brady, Wes Welker, and Shaquille O’Neil.  The main card fights were very one-sided for the most part, but the Boston crowd was very receptive and seemed to enjoy the action.  Between the Fan Expo and UFC 118, I would say the UFC’s first trip to Boston was a successful one.

(Photos courtesy of UFC.com)