Penick's Take
PENICK: Frankie Edgar had "The Answer" for a disappointing B.J. Penn at UFC 118
Aug 29, 2010 - 12:01:32 PM PENICK: Frankie Edgar had "The Answer" for a disappointing B.J. Penn at UFC 118

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

While much of the talk about last night's UFC 118 main event between Frankie Edgar and B.J. Penn will center around yet another disappointing showing from Penn, what happened in that fight should be credited to the Lightweight Champion.

In their first fight, Edgar was the first lightweight to frustrate Penn in years. Penn had gone through so many challengers with seeming ease that the natural reaction to their UFC 112 bout was that something was off with Penn.

Then, in the weeks leading into last night's event at the TD Garden in Boston, Mass., Penn sounded like a motivated man ready to take his title back from a man who didn't decisively beat him the first time.

But that's not what happened.

Edgar's gameplan was quite similar to the first fight, but he implemented it much more effectively and was even more successful than in their first fight. In this fight the numbers partially told the story.

According to the FightMetric report of the fight, Edgar outlanded Penn 142-56 in strikes, including 94-36 in "significant strikes." In addition to the much more active striking of Edgar, he utilized his takedowns and defense on the ground in impressive fashion.

Edgar's strength was very much underrated heading into this one. Widely considered very small at lightweight, Edgar proved that it's not necessarily a factor for him. He took Penn down multiple times, including a slam after lifting Penn up. It was a huge part of that fight, and when Penn took him down in the fourth and fifth rounds, Edgar was able to reverse and get to his feet before Penn could get anything done on the ground.

It was a masterful performance from Edgar, and he deserves every ounce of credit for figuring out how to solve the riddle of B.J. Penn at lightweight. I'll always contend that he lost their first meeting, but Edgar left no doubt about how this one would be scored.

Now, Edgar needs to be as good if not better in his next title defense, as he'll be taking on the only man to truly bully him around in Gray Maynard. Maynard defeated Kenny Florian to earn his shot at the title, and as he's the only fighter to have beaten Edgar before, he may have an advantage on him in the rematch. For Edgar, however, he has improved immensely, and he showcased on Saturday night that he's the Champion for a reason. That fact can't be lost in the aftermath of this event.