UFC 118: Edgar vs. Penn 2 - First Thoughts

by Matthew DiRienzo on Aug 22, 2010 2:00 PM EDT

With Strikeforce: Houston and WEC 50 in our rearview mirror and UFC 118: Edgar vs. Penn 2 less than a week away, I figured it would be a good time to share some first thoughts on the UFC's first event in Boston:

Frankie Edgar - Cinderella or the real deal? Edgar is a good fighter. A very good fighter in fact, but no one expected him to dethrone BJ Penn at UFC 112. Edgar has the chance to shut up all the critics in Boston and prove that his win against Penn in Abu Dhabi was no fluke. The big difference this time around is that he is going to be facing a pissed off BJ Penn who knows this fight could determine his legacy in the sport. Can Edgar climb the mountain again or will his glass slipper fall off come fight night?

Boxing vs. MMA - No, Randy Couture vs. James Toney isn't going to settle with boxing vs. MMA debate no matter who wins. All this fight is going to prove is that Toney has big balls for stepping into the cage against Couture after only a few months of MMA training. Many boxers have talked a lot of smack when it comes to MMA but Toney is the first elite boxer to try and back it up. Much respect.

A new Demian Maia? After getting his face turned into a pureed by Anderson Silva for three rounds at UFC 112, a different Maia emerged at the start of the fourth round. He was aggressive and went right at the long time Middleweight champ, clipping him a few times as Silva danced away. Hopefully, the two last rounds against Silva instilled a new confidence and aggressiveness in Maia from knowing that he can hang in there with the best pound for pound fighter in the world.

More first thoughts after the jump...

Déjà vu in the Lightweight division - There is a very good probability that the next Lightweight title bout after UFC 118 is going to be another rematch. Chances are the winner of Kenny Florian vs. Gray Maynard is going to be the next number one contender in the UFC 155 pound division and depending on who wins between Edgar and Penn, we could very well see Penn vs. Florian 2 or Edgar vs. Maynard 2 by the end of the year.

West Coast vs. East Coast: Yeah, this battle isn't just limited to the rap game. New England's own Marcus Davis will be kicking off the main card against Stockton, California native Nate Diaz. I am hoping that Davis walks out Biggie Smalls and Diaz walks out to Tupac which should start of the night of right.

First UFC event in Boston: Being born and raised in the Boston area, I was super excited when this event got announced. Boston has always been known as a fighting town with a rich history of producing great fighters (Rocky Marciano, Marvin Hagler, Micky Ward). It should come as a surprise when I say Boston is also known for having some of the best sports fans in the world. Add in our love of a stiff drink and I expect the crowd in Boston to be one of the best crowds the UFC and its fighters have ever fought in front of. Sidenote: if you are from Boston and are attending UFC 118, you better prove me right and not make me look like a liar.

What are you first thoughts on UFC 118? Leave them below.

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I fear that BJ might just be looking to takedown Edgar, cause as a Frankie Edgar fan, I admit that no BJJ training can get you BJ’s level in 4-5 months.

"Dawson was NOT a hype job. Dude schooled Adamek, beat Tarver twice (neither competitive), beat Johnson twice (once close, once a wipeout) and even beat Harding when Harding was still good. That is not hype. Those are results. I love how people see a guy lose once and all of a sudden nothing they ever did means anything. You are dead wrong."
- Dan Rafael

by KidGre on Aug 22, 2010 3:01 PM EDT reply actions

Edgar constantly outperforms his physical tools.

That said, if BJ is motivated there shouldn’t be a clear path to victory for Frankie. Penn is just too dominant in BJJ, like you said, and his striking game is more than enough to deal with Edgar IF BJ uses it offensively, rather than simply waiting around for the beautiful counter-KO.

If I was a hungry man with a gun in my hand and some promises to keep...

by misterjonez on Aug 22, 2010 3:19 PM EDT up reply actions

Do you watch boxing?

It seemed like Penn was trying to KO Edgar in the same fashion Donaire KO’d Vic Darchinyan, timing a left hook counter.

by KidGre on Aug 22, 2010 3:41 PM EDT up reply actions

I remember thinking he was sitting on the hook, yeah.

I honestly don’t remember right or left, but left makes sense since he’s orthodox.

And after Edgar proved to him that it wasn’t going to materialize, BJ had nothing. It was like he didn’t train for the fight at all. I’m sure he showed up at the gym and did the workouts, sparred and hit the bags, all that stuff. But there was no coherent strategy outside of 1. Avoid the takedown and 2. Time the counter hook.

Mental laziness, lack of preparedness, I don’t know what you call it, but that’s been the knock on Penn his entire career. When he’s motivated, he comes in a savage killer. When he’s not, it’s like he belongs two rungs down the ladder at least.

If I was a hungry man with a gun in my hand and some promises to keep...

by misterjonez on Aug 22, 2010 3:46 PM EDT up reply actions

It's very frustrating cause I thought he learned his lesson from the GSP fight on training

but in the 4th and especially the 5th round, BJ looked lethargic and as you said clueless as in what he should do. Though I thought Edgar was more than a competent striker, I always figured BJ has more power, a solid chin, and faster. After the fight, I would say Edgar maybe has a little bit of handspeed advantage, and he himself showed off a great chin, cause he got hit by some of those left hooks right on the chin, the same left hook that knocked down Diego in the opening minutes of his fight with BJ. Edgar looked like Dominic Cruz, just moving around, was extremely light on his feet and was landing some decent punches and kicks. The takedowns he got impressed me too, he’s got a very quick shot.

by KidGre on Aug 22, 2010 10:35 PM EDT up reply actions

People bitch and moan about GSP saying every fight is his hardest yet,

but most people who complain about that don’t understand just how motivated you have to be in order to put forth the kind of effort he does during training, and how hard it is to maintain focus effectively enough to stay in absolute top shape.

Penn is more like a normal person this way. He doesn’t believe that every fight is his hardest, and he prepares accordingly. He does get motivated from time to time, but it seems like it’s generally motivated by pride more than anything else.

Also, if Edgar wins this fight, I think you have to include him in the periphery of the p4p rankings in MMA. The guy is obviously an under-sized LW, competing at the highest level and even beating a champion who could legitimately compete at WW. If the 145lb division were included in the UFC, there’s not much doubt in my mind that Edgar would be a two-weight-class champion.

If I was a hungry man with a gun in my hand and some promises to keep...

by misterjonez on Aug 23, 2010 10:15 AM EDT up reply actions

Saying if Edgar wins this fight is a pretty bold statement, BJ, when motivated is undoubtably a top 5 P4P guy. Frankie Edgar is really a top 5 LW. And I assume that you are saying that if the ufc added 145 Edgar would be the champ until Jose Aldo came to the division.

by Kidroll on Aug 24, 2010 12:06 AM EDT up reply actions

I'm not saying Edgar is invincible, or that he'd steamroll Aldo,

but never underestimate the little scrappy wrestler types. Especially when they have repeatedly proven that they’re capable of out-performing their physique and/or skillset, like Edgar has done. To be clear, I was considering Aldo when making the above statement.

Aldo’s a beast. He’s also far from an invincible figure in MMA. I’m not suggesting that Edgar is unbeatable, but I am saying that guys with his makeup/skillset are the ones who can put together an approach which drastically limits the strengths of an opponent. To me, the ‘net overvalues guys like him and Cigano because of the exciting finishes. Eventually though, the wrestler types end up negating the abilities of guys like this, at least to this point in the sport’s history.

I agree in general with your assessment of a ‘motivated’ BJ’s place in the p4p rankings. Problem is, it seems like half the time he’s not motivated.

If I was a hungry man with a gun in my hand and some promises to keep...

by misterjonez on Aug 24, 2010 10:49 AM EDT up reply actions