UFC 118 in Review: Frankie Edgar Is for Real, Gray Maynard Is Coming for Him

but if he doesnt id love to see edgar take on jose aldo

Not…..Neither of these guys could finish a slice of pizza if they tried.

Thanks for giving Frankie his credits.

The kid is awesome and I’m a fan!

Maynard definately decisively beat Edgar the first time, but I think Edgar has evolved quite a bit since then. Since neither guy is a real active finisher, many fans feel it appropriate to shit all over them, but the hell with them. I’m actually very interested to see if Edgar can avenge his only loss in what might still be a difficult style clash for him.

Thanks for giving Frankie his due, I’m worried about his fight with Maynard too. Here’s hoping Frankie has improved as much as it seems he has since their first scrap.

My problem with Frankie Edgar, and the reason I wanted Penn to win the first fight and against in the rematch is that while, hypothetically, Edgar might ten out of ten fights against Penn, I don’t think he could finish any of them. I don’t like fighters who play the game to a decision or for whatever reason don’t have the tools to end the contest.

Penn early didn’t look like he’d learned a thing since the first fight. He still faded visibly and resigned himself to counter-punching (again) for most of the fight. His luck turned a bit when he came into Edgar’s space and took him down but that was too little too late.

I’d pick Maynard to take the belt from Frankie though. Penn makes Edgar look small, Edgar will make Maynard look like The Hulk.

I appear to be in the minority here, but I don’t see Maynard beating Frankie again. A lot has changed since the first fight. Frankie is, imo, currently the fastest LW and has improved since the first fight.

Can he catch and hold Frankie for five rounds? I don’t think so.

I like Maynard, he’s a good solid fighter, but despite his win over Edgar, he doesn’t have the wrestling advantage over Edgar that he did over Florian. And in fact, in my opinion, Edgar is the superior wrestler and he’s much quicker putting his moves together. Edgar just seems to be getting better and better each time out and I think Maynard will go down next time. Boring post I know, lol but thats all I can come up with..

Has GSP faced every style yet?…..I imagine Fitch/Alves/Penn would have the big three covered.

Overeem, certainly hasn’t faced any strong wrestlers.

Fedor has certainly faced every style, with perhaps the exception of huge (265 lb+) fast wrestlers.

Brock showed a weakness to monster punching power although one fight can’t show a pattern.

Silva has a hard time dealing with big agressive wrestlers….at 185 anyways.

Has Aldo faced every style yet?

While Edgar has fought extremely well and better than many thought he was able to. I don’t buy the theory that he is Penn’s kryptonite and that it is because of his world class performance that he won. I remember long ago a famous MMA trainer once said that BJ Penn will go as far as he wants to, and the only person that could beat him was himself.

It is no secret that BJ has had a fluctuating mental strength and will for as long as he has been active in martial arts. And these last 2 fights with Edgar was clear proof. It the 1st fight it was clear from the beginning that Penn was not fighting with the aggression, speed or urgency that he displayed in his previous fights with Sanchez, Florian, Sherk and Stevenson. There were subtle indications before this fight that he would do no better the 2nd time, if not worse because he admitted himself that he was tired of training, and in so many words he was telling us that he did not train as much as he did in previous fights. And this showed in the fight last night as well. While he was able to get down to 155 easily, he did not look at all solid and downright lethargic almost all fight long. It wasn’t that Edgars movement and speed was so much greater, it was that Penn’s was so much worse.

Today I watched his fight with Florian on the same screen with the fight last night with Edgar(Simultaneously). I would invite anyone to do the same and tell me that Penn was fighting anywhere near the same. It is clearly never been a case of talent and ability with Penn. He is just at another crossroads in his life with a new wife and kids playing in a nice big house by the beach.

But I don’t think many here will say that Edgar would be able to have the same success against say a Diego Sanchez or Kenny Florian, and most will be betting that he will again lose to Maynard, who appears on the horizon as the next dominant(albeit boring) lightweight king.