UFC 118 Results: James Toney Flops in MMA Debut, Frankie Edgar Dominates BJ Penn

While UFC 118 may not have been the best MMA card of 2010, it certainly was one of the most interesting. And even if it doesn’t take the top spot for “MMA Event of the Year”, I’d say that it easily makes Top 10, perhaps even Top 5. Some of the preliminary matches were outright boring, but then you had Joe Lauzon put on the performance of his life while Nate Diaz took one giant step forward towards getting out of the shadow of his brother Nick. Then of course you had the shocking main event fights: Gray Maynard lived up to his nickname “The Bully” by dominating Kenny Florian in a way that few other men were ever able to do, James Toney was sent packing back to pro boxing via an Arm Triangle Choke by UFC Legend Randy Couture, and in the main event, Frank Edgar solidified his position as the best Lightweight in the world by putting on an absolute clinic against BJ Penn. Here are the official results for UFC 118: “Edgar vs. Penn 2”, as well as my analysis of several of the major fights.

Frankie Edgar defeats BJ Penn via Unanimous Decision to retain the UFC Lightweight Championship. Randy Couture defeats James Toney via Submission (Arm Triangle Choke) at 3:19 of Round 1. Gray Maynard defeats Kenny Florian via Unanimous Decision. Demian Maia defeats Mario Miranda via Unanimous Decision. Nate Diaz defeats Marcus Davis via Submission (Guillotine Choke) at 4:02 of Round 3. Joe Lauzon defeats Gabe Ruediger via Submission (Armbar) at 2:01 of Round 1. Nik Lentz defeats Andre Winner via Unanimous Decision. Dan Miller defeats John Salter via Submission (Ninja Choke) at 1:53 of Round 2. Greg Soto defeats Nick Osipczak via Unanimous Decision. Mike Pierce defeats Amilcar Alves via Submission (Armbar) at 3:11 of Round 3.

And here’s what I thought of the event itself.

I was right that Nate Diaz vs. Marcus Davis had a good shot at stealing the show. It was certainly the best fight of the night up to that point. As much as I used to hate the Diaz brothers, it’s plain to see that their “punches in bunches” style has finally found its niche. Diaz just completely dominated Davis in the striking, even though Davis had Diaz in a lot of trouble early in the fight. I think that brush with disaster calmed Nate down and brought the killer out in him. I see big things in store for Nate Diaz.

It killed me to see “KenFlo” so thoroughly dominated. I’m a huge fan of Kenny Florian, but he just doesn’t know what to do when he’s not in complete control of a fight. Gray Maynard vs. Frankie Edgar should be a lot of fun even though people are already predicting that it’s going to be boring. Based on how good both men looked at UFC 118, I’m going to give that fight the benefit of the doubt.

For those wanting my opinion on Couture/Toney, you can read all about it here.

In regards to the main event, Frankie Edgar proved once and for all that he’s the best Lightweight in the world right now. Penn honestly looked lost in the later rounds. Frankie Edgar’s cardio is amazing, his punching is so crisp and fast, and his takedowns look more unstoppable by the minute. Frankie Edgar put the world on notice in this fight: he’s no fluke champion, and that belt belongs around his waist. I have a lot of respect for Frankie Edgar, I respected Edgar even before he beat Penn the first time, but now you can officially call me a fan of the man. We’re entering a whole new chapter in the UFC’s Lightweight division, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds.

And how about you, fans and friends? What do you think of UFC 118, and as far as “Event of the Year” goes, where does it rank with you?