Want more wrestling news, rumors, and results? Be sure to visit PWInsider.com and PWInsiderXtra.com.
Round One: “What will they say when I beat you again?â€
That quote of was of the things said in the commercials airing prior to the pay-per-view and now that question can be answered. In my answer to the question, I say that people now will be saying that Frankie Edgar is the true UFC Lightweight Champion. What truly amazed me during the twenty five minute fight was how BJ Penn went from favored challenger to non-existent threat to the champion. Frankie Edgar, now has an opportunity to avenge his lone MMA loss when he faces top contender Gray Maynard at a future UFC event.
Next Round For Frankie Edgar: Looking for revenge against Gray Maynard.
Next Round For BJ Penn: Kenny Florian again or Takanori Gomi
Round Two: MMA 1 - Boxing 0
Ever since MMA rose to prominence after the first season of the UFC Ultimate Fighter, many people in the boxing world said that any boxer could defeat any MMA fighter. Multi-time boxing champion James Toney stepped up to the plate and was easily tapped out by UFC Hall Of Fame member Randy Couture, which at this time, proves MMA’s dominance over boxing. Whether he looked good or bad in the fight, credit must be given to James Toney, who was the first true boxing star to step up to the plate and enter the world famous octagon. Randy Couture, continued to prove that he is MMA’s gatekeeper, as he successfully defended his sport against the boxing naysayer’s.
Next Round For Randy Couture: Shane Carwin, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira or Ben Rothwell
Next Round For James Toney: Buy a GPS and find the furthest spot from an MMA cage and live there.
Round Three: The Next Top Contender Is…
Gray Maynard, who soundly defeated Kenny Florian on route to a well earned unanimous decision victory on Saturday Night. Gray Maynard now gets himself a long awaited UFC Lightweight Title opportunity, which some believe, he should have gotten following his victory over Nate Diaz earlier this year. Gray Maynard already holds a victory over current UFC Lightweight Champion Frankie Edgar, which happed at UFC Ultimate Fight Night 13. As for Kenny Florian, he now must rebuild himself to get his third potential opportunity at the UFC Lightweight Title.
Next Round For Gray Maynard: Frankie Edgar
Next Round For Kenny Florian: BJ Penn, Tyson Griffin or Evan Dunham
Round Four: Nate Diaz Detonates “The Irish Hand Grenadeâ€
Nate Diaz continued his evolution as a rising contender in the UFC Welterweight Division when he defeated UFC veteran Marcus Davis via submission on Saturday Night. Nate Diaz tore a gash near the eye of Marcus Davis early in the fight, which by round three, left a mouse that was growing on the side of Marcus Davis’s head. If Nate Diaz were to capture the UFC Welterweight Title in the future, he could join his brother Nick Diaz, as the first brother combination to hold welterweight titles at the same time. Marcus Davis will now have to go back to the drawing board, most notably a need to improve on his ground game, which was pretty weak at UFC 118.
Next Round For Nate Diaz: Thiago Alves, Jon Fitch or Paulo Thiago
Next Round For Marcus Davis: Matt Hughes, Matt Serra or Chris Lytle
Round Five: A Tale Of Two Prelims
Prior to UFC 118 going live on pay-per-view, there was two preliminary fights that aired on Spike TV, they were Andre Winner vs. Nik Lentz and Joe Lauzon vs. Gabe Ruediger. The first fight of the special was Andre Winner vs. Nik Lentz, which could be considered a very uneventful fight with minimal action. The second fight of the special, Joe Lauzon vs. Gabe Ruediger, was a fast paced battle that featured some of the loudest crowd interaction of the whole event. My point is, if the “UFC Prelims On Spike†are supposed to sell more pay-per-views, then the UFC must take the chance and put on fights that have a better opportunity to be action packed instead of snooze-fests.
Next Round For Joe Lauzon: Jeremy Stephens, Matt Wiman and Mac Danzig
Next Round For Gabe Ruediger: A UFC release
Next Round For Nike Lentz: Tyson Griffin or Matt Veach
Next Round For Andre Winner: Mark Bocek or Matt Veach
You can contact David Tees at bigtees360@yahoo.com
