Winner and STILL Champion
Frankie Edgar walked into Boston as the UFC lightweight champion, and he's heading back to Jersey as the UFC lightweight champion. In his four day stay in Beantown, all Edgar did was answer every question the critics had for him in resounding fashion. There is no controversy and no room for excuses from Camp Penn; Edgar smashed "The Prodigy" for five rounds, pitching a shutout and solidifying himself as the top lightweight in the sport today. While other have angles on making the same claim, when you beat the man widely considered to be the greatest lightweight ever back-to-back, you've earned the honor in my books.
While the gameplan was similar to their first meeting, this was a super-charged version of Frankie Edgar, mixing his strikes better, adding more umph to his takedowns, and showing that he has grown defensively on the ground as well, scrambling to his feet well each time Penn took him down. From the opening bell, you could see that Edgar had a point to prove, and his did so emphatically last night.
What Now for B.J. Penn?
Joe Rogan asked the beaten former champion where he goes from here following the bout and Penn admitted that it is going to be something he needs to think long and hard about. Personally, I don't think there should be that much to think about.
Penn is an other-worldly talent who has spent his entire career believing everything positive that has been said about him, ignoring the negatives and making excuses for his shortcomings. He is surrounded by people who want to tell him how great he is and that is not a recipe for success anywhere, and definitely not inside the cage. There are two things "The Prodigy" needs to do and do quickly, before he becomes the poster child for unfulfilled promise:
(1) Move to welterweight
His weight-cut apparently didn't go all that well, and given time to properly move up in class, Penn could be a very challenging opponent for just about anyone at 170. He'd be a bit undersized, but his talents would transcend his stature.
(2) Leave Hilo and train with a real camp
Life is comfortable for Penn in his hometown, and no one who works with him in Hilo is going to push him the way he needs to be pushed. We saw it last night when his corner had nothing to offer in the championship rounds when it mattered the most. There are a number of quality gyms out there with plenty of people willing to help hone his gifts and motivate him to be the fighter he has been and could continue to be.
No More Freak Shows
Pointless. That is the only word I can use to describe James Toney's appearance inside the Octagon last night.
While it brought in the mainstream media and he made for quality entertainment leading up to the bout, when the cage door closed, what transpired was exactly what everyone of sound mind and body knew was going to go down: takedown, beating, game over. As my friend Brent said last night, "Randy shouldn't even count that as a win." Toney stood no chance and it honestly was a little embarrassing.
If I can step up onto my soapbox for a minute, this sport is wildly popular and successful without inexperience interlopers coming in and making a mockery of things. We've now seen two MMA neophytes deliver embarrassing performances on back-to-back weekends (Lashley, Toney) and it should signal to the MMA power brokers that the big name (and big money) rookies aren't the fighters they should be focusing on. Stop showcasing the highly-marketable, poorly-prepared curiosities and build the sport around the guys (and girls) who are actual mixed martial artists, not athletes looking for some fast money.
Maynard Rolls, Florian Freezes
Gray Maynard has got to be a happy, happy man right about now.
Last night, the unbeaten lightweight earned himself a shot at the title by handling Kenny Florian for three rounds. Maynard's wrestling was the difference - as always - with his smothering top game leaving Florian with no options off his back. Additionally, the two-time title contender looked like a deer in the headlights for the full fifteen minutes, prompting more questions about his performance in big fights.
Florian is 0-2 in title fights and showed the same hesitation he showed in those bouts last night. In less prominent bouts, Florian lets his hands and feet fly, aiming to finish and inflict damage, but none of that was there against Maynard. He stood in front of a guy with heavier hands and who has superior wrestling, and simply got steamrolled. In getting dominated last night, Florian lost his chance to ever contend for a title again, and will now fill a role as a 155-pound gatekeeper.
Nathan Diaz Looks Good at 170
I'm eating a little crow on this one because when Nathan Diaz moved to welterweight to start, I didn't think we would see all that much difference between the lightweight who went 1-3 in his final four fights at 155. So far, he's proved me very, very wrong.
Diaz picked apart Marcus Davis from the word go, using his length to repeated paw at "The Irish Hand Grenade" in space, making his right eye look like a softball by the time the bout was over. The brash California native finished the fight on the floor, choking Davis out and showing that beyond the cocky exterior there are impressive tools very similar to those his brother Nick utilizes inside the cage. For those that don't know, the elder Diaz is the Strikeforce welterweight champion, and riding a seven-fight winning streak.
Nathan went a little overboard in the post-fight press conference, asking for a top three contender at either lightweight or welterweight before soliciting a rematch with Gray Maynard that was immediately shot down, but he's certainly climbing the ladder at 170 and needs to stay focused on that endeavor. He's got a good name from his time on TUF (and his swagger) and should be looking at someone in the Mike Pierce / Mike Swick range next.
