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By Wade Keller, MMATorch editor
KELLER'S UFC 118 BLOG
AUGUST 28, 2010
BOSTON, MASS.
AIRED LIVE ON PAY-PER-VIEW
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-Was B.J. Penn in the middle of a yawn when they cut backstage to show him on the pre-show on Spike, or was he just exercising his jaw?
-Nice of James Toney to flash the crowd his plumber's crack during weigh-ins. That didn't look like an accident.
-The heavyweights have an accessory advantage. Randy Couture got to wear jewelry during weigh-ins while the lighter weight wrestlers are scraping out ear wax to make weight.
-Quite the contrast in fighters in weigh-ins. Penn looked gaunt and drained from cutting weight, and Edgar looked like he was ready to fight then and there.
PAY-PER-VIEW EVENT
1 -- MARCUS DAVIS vs. NATE DIAZ
ROUND ONE: Joe Rogan says he's happy to see Diaz back at 170 so he doesn't have such a tough time cutting weight... Really fun start. Marcus clearly bothered by the bleeding above his right eye. Diaz brought the energy and his usual ability to absorb blows and sell none of it... The pro-Davis crowd chanted "Diaz sucks" during the round... It can't be encouraging for a fighter like Davis to hear the crowd gasp at the close-up on the big screen of his cut before the start of the second... When the second round was about to begin, the local doctor checked on Davis, which caused Rogan to groan. Yves Lavign told the ref he's okay to fight. The doc let it go...
ROUND TWO: More of the same in round two... Diaz goes for a decisive point late in the round with a takedown. Davis actually ends up on top near the very end, but Diaz leverages himself on top. Interesting call for the judges there... Davis's corner implores him not to think about the cut as he dishes out strategy... Diaz raises his arms at the start of the third round. Davis's right eye is badly swollen. Lavign tells Davis to protect that eye. Rogan says he's ever seen a ref tell a fighter something like that before a round...
ROUND THREE: Davis seemed slowed at the start of the third round. Diaz continued to pelt him and go for a takedown. Davis resisted well. Rogan said Davis "looks slower than normal"... It's a small thing, but when Mike Goldberg calls this the "first fight of the night" when two prelim fights aired on Spike and others were unaired, it does sound bad. It's so easy to just say "first fight of the main card"... At 3:20 Diaz takes Davis to the mat. Davis's eye is just a swollen mess... Diaz successfully choked out Davis. The ref checked for a dropped arm a few times. Rogan said Yves didn't want to "make the Mac Danzig mistake." Goldberg said Davis didn't want to tap in his hometown...
RESULT: Diaz at 4:02 of round three by submission.
STAR RATING (**+)
POST-FIGHT: Diaz says he think he broke his hand in the second round... Diaz said he'd like to drop back to 155 and beat those "wanna be hotshots." There's no post-fight interviews quite like the Diaz brothers. They never seem "quite there." Could UFC have worked harder to keep Nate Diaz off camera during all of that?
-They cut to "Shogun" Rua at ringside.
-The commercial for UFC 119 hypes five fights. They never go that deep in hyping a card, which shows they're reaching deep for people to care about this card with that top level singular main event or co-main events with either big draws or titles on the line.
2 -- GRAY MAYNARD vs. KENNY FLORIAN -- Top Contender Fight
ROUND ONE: Loud "Kenny! Kenny!" chant from the crowd early... Very tentative start, both waiting for the other to move first and create an opening. Kenny lands a high kick early and a thrust kick seconds later which didn't do damage but helps give him credit for being the "aggressor" on scorecards if nothing else happened the rest of the round. Maynard swung big and missed at 1:45... Maybard shot in at 3:45 and worked to get Florian down 20 seconds later. Florian defended with full guard. Rogan wondered if Florian could attack from underneath. Maynard didn't do much until a couple punches in the final seconds. Is that enough to solidify the round for him? Maynard throws a borderline post-horn punch, drawing some boos... Florian's corner tells him that he's taking him down late in the round to play to the judges... They cut away from between-round insight from the corners to show us Tim Brennen and Ken Casey, the Dropkick Murphys. Lame...
ROUND TWO: Not that Diaz and Davis don't have fight strategies, but Florian's fights are fascinatingly different because so much thought and reasoning goes into everything he does... The crowd grew restless as the second round was only slightly faster-paced than the first. Rogan noted that Maynard was being very selective with the punches he threw... Florian landed a nice body kick worth the judges' consideration... The pace picked up mid-round. Maynard went for a takedown and tried to power Florian down against the cage, but Florian resisted effectively for a while until Maynard swept him backward to the mat. Maynard went for side mount and got it. Rogan noted that Florian hasn't tapped anyone off of his back in UFC... At 4:00 Maynard landed some rights from on top. Florian bled pretty heavy at this point near his left eye... Rogan gave Maynard both the first and the second rounds... As he walked to his corner, Florian looked like he understood his position in this fight going into the third... Maybe UFC can stick with the corner analysis this time and not cut to fringe celebrities... Maynard's corner told him he thinks they won both rounds, but fight like it's 1-1...
ROUND THREE: At 1:45 Maynard took Florian down again after a stalemate standing. Florian went for an up kick and some punches from underneath, but Maynard controled him through mid-round... As soon as the crowd booed, ref Mario Yamazaki threatened to stand them up. It was probably premature to threaten that as Maynard was hardly resting for long if at all in that position, but him checking the clock second earlier maybe justifies the ref making the threat... At 3:45 Florian got back to his feet, but Maybe muscled him back to the mat. Florian went for an arm submission underneath, but Maynard was patient and popped out. Florian again went for another arm submission on his back and it looked better for Florian than it was as Maynard agai popped out... They stood for the final 15 seconds, but Florian wasn't able to land any punches because he didn't throw any... After the horn, Florian didn't even put on a show for the judges. He reacted with dismay and disappointment. Rogan said Florian needs to add an attack from his back - a "really lethal guard" - and he thinks he will after this fight...
RESULTS: Maynard via 30-27, 30-27, and 29-28.
STAR RATING (**): Decent fight, but Florian seemed "solved" by Maynard and there wasn't much for the hometown crowd to cheer.
POST-FIGHT: Maynard said it's great to talk to Rogan again and moved in for a hug. Rogan said Maynard now faces the winner of the main event. Maynard said he's going to watch the main event from ringside with a beer and popcorn.
IN THE CROWD: They showed Wes Welker of the New England Patriots. They also showed Chuck Liddell smiling in the crowd. Good to see him smiling again.
PLUGS: Goldberg plugs the start of The Ultimate Fighter on Sept. 15 and the UFC 119 PPV card with prelims on Spike on Sept. 25... Also, Oct. 15 and 16 UFC Fan Expo in the U.K... Then UFC on Spike featuring Michael Bisping vs. Akiyama, Carlos Condit vs. Dan Hardy, and Mike Pyle vs. John Hathaway...
3 -- DEMIAN MAIA vs. MARIO MIRANDA
ROUND ONE: Anderson Silva is in Miranda's corner... Maia takes Miranda down 30 seconds into the fight. Rogan is surprised as Maia's takedown since Miranda is an accomplished wrestler... At 1;30 Maia got Miranda's back. At exactly 3;00 Miranda broke free and they returned to stand up... They spent the final two minutes in a virtual staredown other than a few swings and misses by both... Miranda almost seemed to concede the round... Maia's corner told him he had a great first round and he should just score more points in the second... Anderson Silva's distinctive voice gave Miranda strategy in his corner...
ROUND TWO: Miranda avoided an early takedown attempt, but Maia got him down by 45 seconds... Mid-round Rogan said Miranda was beginning to wilt since he wasn't fighting off the mount by Maia with enough energy or sense of urgency... Rogan had to interrupt a Goldberg plug for the next UFC PPV just as Maia was applying a potential finishing armbar. These mid-fight plugs for UFC PPVs have to go. There's just no purpose to them and it diminishes the respect for the fact that the fight can end at any second... Miranda slipped out of a Maia submission attempt wth 20 seconds left and then ate up most of the final few seconds standing and kicking at Maia who remained on his back...
ROUND THREE: Early takedown by Maia again, but mid-round Miranda slipped out and ended up on top. Maia showed real signs of fatigue. He was very slow to get up. Silva yelled at ringside, wanting his guy to make a comeback similar to his own. Rogan said Miranda shouldbe throwing kicks like Pele at this point, but it was clear he didn't have enough gas in the tank, either.... Maia thoroughly dominated the fight, but the fact that he was so exhausted mid-third round works against him a bit... Goldberg barely got a word in edgewise in this one as Rogan called the jiu jitsu enthusiastically non-stop throughout the fight... Maia went for another late submission, but Miranda impressively escaped again and ended on the offensive at the end, but it didn't matter. Both fighters looked totally spent after the fight...
DECISION: Maia via unanimous decision 30-27, 30-27, 30-27.
STAR RATING (**)
IN THE CROWD: Micky Ward, retired pro boxer, and Glen Davis of the Boston Celtics. Goldberg said he wants to be a "cage fighter."
4 -- RANDY COUTURE vs. JAMES TONEY
PRE-FIGHT: Rogan called Toney the most skilled boxer by far to ever try MMA... Couture says there are serious holes in his game and his job is to exploit them. He said he is mistaken if he thinks he can walk in with just boxing skills... Rogan notes that Couture faced fast boxing before from Vitor Belfort, who wasn't effective against him... Rogan said the key is whether he can stop a takedown long enough to even attempt a punch, plus if the fight goes long enough will his arm strength hold up if he wrestles at all with Couture... Toney is booed as he entered the Octagon... Rogan said Toney is an all-time great boxer, but is he in good enough shape to give himself a chance at age 42. Rogan said Couture at age 47 is in tremendous shape as a relentless trainer... Rogan said, "This is fun. I just hope more boxers start to do this." Goldberg congratulated Toney for being the first...
ROUND ONE: This went according to pretty much the exact script you'd have predicted if your life was on the line and knew anything about MMA. Couture shot in, easily took Toney down, punched him and smothered him and totally controlled him. Toney survived Couture's punches, of course, but Couture shoved Toney into the fence and shifted into an arm triangle. Toney survived, so Couture let go, threw a few more punches, and then locked on another arm triangle and this time Toney was going out, so he tapped. The crowd loudly chanted "UFC! UFC!" 90 seconds in. Rogan and Goldberg loved it. Rogan said Toney didn't show any ground defense skills and he wished he put up more of a fight. Couture was elated with the win. The weight of the MMA community was on his shoulders, so that had to a relief no matter how confident he was. Does this wipe out any tinge of significance of what happened to Tim Sylvia (a fight UFC didn't acknowledge).
DECISION: Couture via tapout at 3:19 of round one.
STAR RATING: (****): The criteria for our (admittedly subjective) star rating system is ranking fights in three areas: technique, historical significance, and excitement level. This wasn't exciting for very long and it wasn't competitive, but in terms of Couture's technique and historical significance, it's hard to top. I could totally understand someone giving this a one-star rating due to the obvious mismatch aspect of it, but I disagree due to the historical significance and the technique Couture showed.
POST-FIGHT: Rogan interviewed Couture, who began by saying Boston is awesome. He was running in place with excitement. He said that was exactly what he trained to do. He said he knew with a boxing stance, the low single takedown would work even though nobody does it in MMA. He said he worked on that arm triangle for over a year. Rogan asked if Toney was surprised he didn't know how to defend any position. Couture said training nine months isn't enough time. He said he's a boxing fan and credited Toney for stepping up. He said hopefully more boxers learn to love MMA. Rogan congratulated him on his movie success, too. Couture said it was a hell of a month for him. Rogan then interviewed Toney. He congratulated him for being the first boxer to enter MMA. The crowd booed. Toney said he caught him and didn't expect him to be able to move in so aggressively at first. He said he'll be back, he's no quitter. Rogan asked if he'll try more MMA bouts. Toney said Couture is a great fighter and he's a great fighter in boxing.
IN THE CROWD: Shaquille O'Neal, a Celtic this year. Also Tom Brady of the New England Patriots.
5 -- FRANKIE EDGAR vs. B.J. PENN -- Lightweight Championship Fight
PRE-FIGHT: Goldberg noted that it's been a long time since he walked out first. Well, there was that GSP fight not that long ago... Rogan said a win here cements his legacy. Lots of talk coming into this about how close and controversial the decision was in favor of Edgar last time... Penn walked out looking like he crawled out of bed with the flu to go to the bathroom. Edgar danced to the Octagon... Same lack of expression from Penn at during ring intros and the staredown...
ROUND ONE: Edgar took Penn down 20 seconds in after Penn was aggressive in stand-up at the start. He went for an armbar. Penn escaped. Edgar remained on top. The crowd chanted "B.J.! B.J.!" early. Rogan noted how good Penn is working from his back... At 1:40 they ended up back on their feet... Mid-round the crowd chanted "Frankie! Frankie!"... Frankie moved so quickly Penn didn't land much on target. Edgar took Penn down again against the fence. "Unbelievable!" exclaimed Rogan. Penn used the big screen to get a sense of what was happening. Back to their feet at 3:30. A loud pro-B.J. chant in the final minute... Edgar out-quicked Penn by a wide, wide margin... Round easily to Edgar with two takedowns and nothing by Penn...
ROUND TWO: Penn was already huffing and puffing at the start of round two... Rogan said Penn has to land something to slow Edgar down... Penn went for some leg kicks and landed a left hook. Edgar didn't seem fazed... Rogan said Edgar looks much improved over the last Penn fight, and also more confident. Definitely true... Rogan said styles make fights, and Edgar's style puzzles Penn, who has never faced someone faster than him before... Edgar took Penn down a third time. Rogan called it unbelievable, noting that he's already taken Penn down more than in the entirety of his previous lightweight career... More of the same on stand-up to close the round. No real damage by either, other than Edgar draining more of Penn's always-questionable endurance... Penn's corner told him he's "so much stronger than this guy"... Rogan said Penn looked concerned. He's looked concerned since weigh-ins, so maybe something else is going on with his health...
ROUND THREE: Penn went for a high head kick early, but just hit Edgar's hand. More of the same stand-up... Penn stuffed a takedown attempt at 3:30... Goldberg said Edgar's confidence has sky-rocketed. Rogan said Edgar has improved and Penn hasn't. Rogan said, "This is incredible." Rogan said he is very curious what Penn's corner has to say... Rogan said what he doesn't like is how Penn seems to be "accepting" losing... Edgar landed the better shots including a hard left hook and a hard elbow against the fence... Penn's corner told him: "F--- that speed. Go after that little c--- sucker"... Rogan noted he heard technical instruction in Edgar's corner, but just confusion in Penn's corner...
ROUND FOUR: At 0:15 Penn took Edgar down. Rogan said now things get interesting. "This is B.J. Penn's world," he said. Edgar defended nicely from his back, though, and hardly looked outclassed there. The "B.J." chants returned briefly. Edgar got back to his feet at 1:10, impressively... Edgar landed a solid right to Penn's chin... Edgar went for what looked like a Superman punch; Penn lifted his left leg, but Edgar closed in on him and then swept his support leg. Penn landed with a thud and Edgar pounced... Edgar stood, leaned down, and landed a big left on Penn on his back... Edgar respected Penn's upkick potential and backed off. Rogan said Penn seemed to be wilting, but he could still win... The round ended with some stand-up. More of the same other than Penn clipping Edgar near the end. That was easily Edgar's round, though... Edgar's corner implored him to not give Penn a round and give him nothing to talk about afterward...
ROUND FIVE: Rogan said he really wasn't impressed with the advice Penn's corner was giving him. He said he'd be screaming at him to take him down. Seconds later Penn went for a takedown and got it, but Edgar went for a guillotine from underneath immediately. Penn slipped out and tried to keep Edgar down. Edgar tried to slip out, but Pen got his back. Edgar slipped out again and ended up on top; Penn settled into full guard... Rogan said it's not surprising that Edgar is winning again, but what's surprising is how he is doing it... Goldberg noted that Penn hasn't lost to anyone other than Edgar since 2002 at 155... Edgar looked fresh. Rogan noted that's in part because he doesn't cut weight. That was apparent at weigh-ins, which I'm surprised hasn't been mentioned because I've never see two fighters look further apart in energy level and, frankly, overall health than at that weigh-in... Penn could barely make eye contact after the fight, but did send his version of props and respect to Edgar afterward. Penn was understandably dejected afterward. He looked borderline despondent during the announcement, then applauded the announcement of Edgar as the winner...
DECISION: Edgar via unanimous decision 50-35 by all three judges to retain his Lightweight Title.
STAR RATING (**+): Disappointingly one-sided fight. Penn just didn't bring it. Historically significant changing of the guard at 155, but by the end you didn't even feel any excitement at the stand-up since the outcome seemed a foregone conclusion.
POST-FIGHT: Rogan interviewed Edgar afterward, who clutched his belt and shined his belt. Edgar said he feels like he can walk on water. He said prepping for Penn for eight months brought out the best in him. He gave out a ton of thanks. Edgar said it was close the first time and he wanted to make a point this time. Rogan neglected to ask Edgar about facing Gray Maynard next... Rogan interviewed Penn, who said Edgar fought a great fight and is tough. "What can you say?" he said. "I guess he looked like the same kind of fight as the last time, but he got off good. Much respect." Rogan asked him if he'll go back to welterweight or think on it. Penn said he has to think on it before he makes any decisions. He was humbled. None of that b.s. "visit my website to hear my thoughts" that cost him a lot of goodwill with paying customers over the years. Penn makes up for a lot of that, though, by being classy enough not to pull the lame "I was hurt/sick" line so many losers offer after fights...
A -- JOE LAUZON vs. GABE RUEDIGER
ROUND ONE: This was also featured live on Spike earlier... Lauzon dominated from the start, took Ruediger down, and got his back. He seemed to be twice as strong and twice as fast. He landed some elbows and then passed guard, landed some punches, German suplexed him, landed more punches, and submitted him with an armbar. About as dominant a win as you'll see. Ruediger didn't accept a Lauzon handshake offer afterward. Lauzon was perfectly willing to just celebrate instead. "That wasn't just winning, that was demolishment." Demolishment, I'm surprised to find out, is an actual word... Lauzon worked the crowd into a frenzy.
WINNER: Lauzon via tapout at 2:01.
POST-FIGHT: Lauzon thanked the crowd. He said winning in Boston was a dream come true. He said he wanted to take his heart and then take his arm, and that's exactly what he did. Rogan touted it as the best performance of his UFC career...
OFFICIAL TAPOUT OF THE NIGHT: Lauzon.
-Rogan and Goldberg talked about Couture's win as they showed Couture celebrating with his wife backstage earlier. Rogan said he's not sure if Toney will fight in MMA again... They shifted to talking about Maynard's previous win over Edgar. He said styles make fights, and Maynard bullied him in their first fight. Rogan, though, noted correctly that this is a very different Edgar. "It's a different animal we're dealing with, which makes the rematch very exciting"... Rogan suggested Penn might try a different camp. He said he's always been open to change and suggestions, including bringing in better cardio trainers in the past...
-Goldberg hyped upcoming events and then threw a plug out to ESPN2's "MMA Live" coming up right after the PPV.
FINAL THOUGHTS: After some off-the-charts UFC events, this was just an average solid UFC show. There's not enough to the Couture-Toney fight to make it worth ordering the replay to see if weren't the type to go out of your way to watch it live in the first place. Nothing else hit the three-star level, much less four-stars, so a skippable show or wait for the DVD.
Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
STAFF COLUMNISTS: Shawn Ennis - Jason Amadi
Frank Hyden - Rich Hansen
Chris Park - Matt Pelkey
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