UFC 118 Results: Frankie Edgar Defeats BJ Penn and Retains His UFC Lightweight Championship

UFC 118 was an excellent fight card. It was worth paying for some food and a few drinks at the local sports bar. I expected exciting fights and the UFC did not disappoint. This was the topper to a great sports night in the Tampa area. I sold beer at the Rays game. The Rays came back and beat the Red Sox in the 10^th with a walk off homerun. The rain in Tampa was heavy and the drive home was treacherous, but we got her in good shape. Dana White did not disappoint with his fight card for UFC 118.

Frankie Edgar vs. BJ Penn-Frankie Edgar wins another unanimous decision against BJ Penn. BJ Penn did not improve for this fight like I thought he would. The fight was pretty action packed, but it was disappointing. I figured BJ Penn would do something different to get his UFC lightweight championship back from Frankie Edgar. Instead, he fought the same fight when he lost the belt. We can't take anything away from Frankie Edgar. Edgar has BJ's number. He has beaten the former champion two times and he has dominated him. BJ Penn does not have an answer for Frankie Edgar. BJ stuck to the basics. He did his best, but it wasn't good enough. Edgar used his whole arsenal on BJ Penn. He beat BJ in aspect of the fight. The disappointment was there was no decisive knockout or submission. It would be nice to put this competition between Edgar and Penn to bed. They could fight ten times with the same outcome. Frankie Edgar proved he is the best UFC lightweight.

Randy Couture vs. James Toney-This was a fun fight. Randy Couture (Captain America) steps into the round against former boxer James Toney. Toney did not get a chance to throw a flurry of punches at Couture. Couture takes Toney down and mounts him. He lands hard strikes from the top. He maneuvers his way into position and puts on an arm triangle. Toney survives only to find himself into a tighter arm triangle. Toney has to tap out and Randy Couture wins the match at 3:19 of the first round. Randy Couture quickly shows James Toney why the UFC is much tougher than boxing.

Damian Maia vs. Mario Miranda-Damian Maia dominates Mario Miranda for three rounds and wins the unanimous decision. This was a one sided match between the two UFC fighters. Damian Maia outpunches and outworks Mario Miranda through the whole fight. Damian Maia wins with a unanimous decision.

Kenny Florian vs. Gray Maynard-This was a somewhat close fight. The two fighters feel each other out at first. Kenny respects the ground game of Maynard. Maynard respects the standup or Florian. Gray Maynard slams Florian on to the mat in the first round and the fighting begins. Gray Maynard continues to takedown Kenny Florian for most of the fight. Maynard uses his wrestling, strength and ground and pound to pound out a unanimous decision over Kenny Florian.

Nate Diaz vs. Marcus Davis-The first round was pretty exciting. Diaz lands more, but Davis lands the harder punches. Marcus Davis gets a cut over his eye and it begins to bleed. Diaz takes advantage by landing punches. The two punch each other (giving and taking) until the end of the first round. Both fighters land good punches in the second. Surprisingly, Davis gets the only takedown. Diaz finally puts Davis on the ground in the third round. Both fighters are showing wear from the fight. Davis has the cut and Diaz has swelling around his eyes. Diaz gets control of Davis, puts him in a guillotine and puts him to sleep. Diaz wins the fight with a guillotine choke.

Preliminary fights

Joe Lauzon defeats Gabe Ruediger by submission (arm bar)

Nick Lentz defeats Andre Winner via unanimous decision

Dan Miller defeats John Salter with an anaconda choke

Greg Soto defeats Nick Osipczak by unanimous decision

Mike Pierce defeats Amilcar Alves with an arm bar

UFC 118 met up to all the hype. The fights were interesting and exciting. BJ Penn will have to go back to the gym and find a way to beat Frankie Edgar. It sure won't be by fighting the same way he has in the first two fights. Captain America showed James Toney why boxers don't want to fight experienced UFC wrestlers. Gray Maynard outwitted Kenny Florian to victory. Nate Diaz showed us why you need more than a punch to win in the UFC. These were great fights that make one look forward to UFC 119. Will Frank Mir beat Mirko Cro Crop and get another shot at the UFC heavyweight championship.

Source
UFC Pay Per View