Dana White on UFC 118. Find out what he thought about Couture’s win over Toney….

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Randy Couture discusses his win over James Toney at UFC 118. Find out the secret to victory….

Frankie Edgar proved to the world on Saturday night that his shocking upset win over BJ Penn in Abu Dhabi was not a fluke.  There was no controversy this time around.  No room for excuses.  None of that.  Edgar outclassed Penn in every facet of the game.  I’m not so certain that if the pair fought 10 times that the outcome would be any different.

While nobody expected Edgar to overwhelm the pound-for-pound great, it became very clear early in the first round that Penn was frustrated with his foe’s speed and movement, just like he was in the first fight.  One has to assume that Penn properly prepared for the rematch.  There is no question that he was highly motivated to exact revenge.  So, the question most are probably wondering in the days following the fight is what went wrong?

The answer is nothing went wrong.  Styles make fights, and Penn simply has no answer for a guy with comfortable speed and footwork advantages who makes him chase.  That hole in Penn’s game wasn’t exposed until Edgar came along and blasted a spotlight on it.  Now that we can see it, the results of the two bouts with Edgar make a lot of sense.

In fairness to Penn, all fighters have holes in their game.  Edgar’s hole is dealing with bigger, stronger wrestlers, as we saw when he faced Gray Maynard back in April 2008.  Thus, while a guy like Maynard may be tailor made to make Penn look good, he will likely experience a lot of success against Edgar when the two men fight again.

The fact that Edgar is the prototypical fighter to defeat Penn and Penn is the probably the prototypical fighter to beat Maynard does not, in any way, suggest that Edgar will defeat Maynard.  The fight game doesn’t work that way, which is why it is always so much fun to watch.

WHAT IS NEXT FOR PENN?

Penn said after the loss to Edgar that he was going to take his time and figure out what he wants to do next – “no quick decisions,” was his exact quote.  I have no idea what direction Penn will opt to take his career in from this point forward, but the choice seems pretty obvious to me, at least.  He should stay the course of trying to become the first man to simultaneously hold titles in two UFC weight classes.  And the best way to do that is to remain at lightweight.

A return to welterweight, which is where he won his very first UFC championship, is too rocky of a road when trying to regain his aura as one of the best fighters in the world, pound for pound.  Despite the fact that Penn won his first UFC championship by defeating long-time incumbent welterweight champion Matt Hughes, that remains his only UFC win in the division against three losses.  Sure, I thought that Penn deserved the judges’ decision in his first fight against Georges St-Pierre, but the rematch wasn’t competitive at all.

Four fights against two of the best welterweights in history isn’t exactly a statistically significant sample.  Yet, 1-3 is still 1-3.

It seems to me that a return to welterweight would be filled with far more ups and downs than staying at lightweight.  Sure, guys should challenge themselves.  But Penn would be better served focusing on putting together another dominant run at lightweight with the goal of recapturing the title if and when Edgar gets dethroned by one of the many contenders lining up to face him.  In the meantime, Penn can use bouts against the litany of big name little guys to refine his game, rebuild his aura as a pound-for-pound great and, if a guy who matches up well with Penn happens to win the 170-lb title, he should absolutely try to convince UFC President Dana White for another crack at welterweight glory.

It may make perfect sense for Penn to remain focused on the lightweight division, but it is impossible to predict what the enigma known as “The Prodigy” will do next.

TONEY LEARNS THE HARD WAY

James Toney is one of the best boxers of his generation.  He is not a very good mixed martial artist.

The problem with Toney’s effort against Randy Couture is that he allowed nerves and doubt to get in the way of possible success.  It was clear that Toney was extremely nervous as he walked to the Octagon.  He had that deer in the headlights look that is normally reserved for fight novices, not a legend of fistic combat (oh wait, this wasn’t a boxing match, it was a mixed martial arts bout where Toney is, indeed, a novice).  That look did not change during Couture’s cage walk or when the fighters stood only a few feet apart for the final in-ring instructions.

Toney was completely out of his element on Saturday night, and he knew it.  His mouth had written a whole heap of checks that his rear end could not cash.  Still, one had to think that Toney would come out with guns blazing.  He would surely throw a haymaker the moment Couture stepped within reach.  Landing a lone bomb before Couture changed levels and took the fight to the ground was his only chance at winning.  There were moments where “Lights Out” could have uncorked a bomb – whether it would have landed is a different story.  But he couldn’t pull the trigger.  Toney instead stood frozen in the center of the ring as Couture circled and feinted.  Worse yet, he stood there with most of his weight on his front foot, which made him completely susceptible to being taken down.

Self-doubt and nerves led to indecision.  Indecision led to hesitation.  And he who hesitates inside the Octagon loses more times than not.

Toney, of course, lost on Saturday night.

Now, everyone must let go of this whole “boxing versus MMA” thing.  Couture’s win over Toney doesn’t prove anything.  Had Toney knocked out Couture it would have been a case of catching lightning in a bottle and would have similarly proved nothing.  Boxing is a component of mixed martial arts, no differently than running is a component of professional football, yet nobody expects Usain Bolt to step off the race track straight into an NFL game next Sunday.

Fans should instead tip their collective hats to Toney in acknowledgement of his courage for even attempting the unthinkable.  Maybe we would have something if someone like Kermit Cintron or Miguel Cotto, who are both basically 30 years old, begin cross training now, take a few build up fights over the course of the next two years to further hone their skills and then step into the Octagon.   Better yet, if junior welterweight contender Victor Ortiz, who is only 23 years old, made the switch today, maybe we would really get to see what a high level boxer would do once he had three or four years of training under his belt.  Toney attempting it at 42 years old with less than a full year of training was downright crazy.

But, alas, Toney has always walked to the beat of his own drummer.

MAYNARD FINALLY EARNS HIS SHOT

After eking out wins by the narrowest of margins in his last two fights, Gray Maynard finally gave the fans the no doubt effort that was needed to officially jump him to the front of the 155-lb challenger line.  And he did it against perennial top contender Kenny Florian.

The fact that Maynard-Florian was largely a strategic contest that did not feature much in the way of back-and-forth action is irrelevant.  Maynard knew exactly what he needed to do to bring the ever dangerous Florian out of his comfort zone and score the win, and he did it beautifully.

Maynard knows that he has every opportunity to take the title from Edgar when the two meet later this year.  He knows that because he completely dominated Edgar back on April 2, 2008, when the pair clashed in Denver, Colorado.   Styles make fights, and Maynard’s style is one that gives Edgar fits.  Even though both men have improved a ton in the last two years – Edgar has arguably made much bigger jumps in improving his overall game – it is tough to think that he has figured out a way to prevent a bigger, stronger wrestler from taking him to the mat and keeping him there.  Enough of that for now.  We’ll dive deeply into the breakdown when that fight is officially announced and given a slot on the calendar.

MILLER IS THE FEEL GOOD STORY OF THE NIGHT

I don’t often root for one fighter over another.  Nonetheless, it is difficult to believe that anyone outside of John Salter’s friends and family would have rooted against Dan Miller if they knew the things he had been through over the past 18 months.

Entering the cage on the back of three consecutive defeats, there is little doubt that Miller was fighting for his professional life because few fighters in the history of the UFC can point to a four-fight losing streak without also pointing to a terminated fight contract.

Miller has also been dealing with personal issues when it comes to the health of his son. The New Jersey native is a very private guy who doesn’t like to talk about his family’s problems, so this isn’t the proper place to dive into those details, but Franklin McNeil did an excellent job of delicately writing about that subject back in his May 24th article on ESPN.com.  Needless to say, those problems add the sort of pressure to a fighter that can be completely debilitating.  The fact that Miller has shown the courage and strength to continue fighting – and fighting at a very high level – so that he can continue to provide for his family in the best way possible is nothing short of amazing.  And I, for one, was very happy to see him win on Saturday night.

DIAZ CONTINUES TO SHINE

Nate Diaz is becoming more like his older brother Nick every day.  If I close my eyes and remember back four or five years ago to Nick’s fights and then immediately watch Nate fight, it is tough to tell the pair apart, aside from the obvious differences in physique and hair.

Stylistically, they are virtually identical.  And as Nate continues to mature as a fighter, he is fast becoming the same level of fighter as the brother he so dearly idolizes.  Saturday’s win over Marcus Davis is the perfect case in point.

According to just about everyone outside of Northern California, Diaz went into the matchup facing a serious deficit in standup arena compared to his former professional boxing foe.   Yet, Diaz completely outclassed Davis on the feet.  He peppered him at will with right and left hands, proving that there was a disparity in technique, though he was the one with the superior toolset, not vice versa.

I’m torn when I try to think about whether I prefer Diaz as a lightweight or a welterweight.  He seems to be right in between the two divisions.

Diaz certainly has the height and frame for a successful welterweight career.  In my opinion, though, he still needs to add another 10 lbs of muscle if he wants to compete with dominant wrestlers like GSP, Kos and Fitch.  Similarly, he really needs to add strength and work on his takedowns if he wants to have a shot at beating a monstrous striker like Thiago Alves.

If he opts to return to lightweight, then Diaz needs to figure out a way to maintain his strength and tremendous cardiovascular conditioning while cutting the necessary weight to make the 155-lb limit.  In my opinion, he looks much stronger, more explosive and appears to have a deeper gas tank at welterweight.

Whatever the case, this kid is only 25 years old, so he still has a couple of years before he enters his physical or fighting prime.  He remains a work in progress, and that is pretty amazing considering the fact that he is already one of the best fighters in the UFC.
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“I want to thank BJ, he truly brought the best out of me,” said Edgar, who took the bout via three scores of 50-45.

“Frankie fought a great fight, he’s the man,” said Penn. “Much respect.”

Penn was emotionless as he made his way into battle; conversely, the champion practically ran up the aisle from his locker room to the Octagon, eager for the fight to begin.

At 12:11am local time, he got his wish, and the action got underway immediately, with the two trading punches and Edgar following up with a takedown of the former champ. Penn locked Edgar’s arms up, and with 3:22 remaining, he scrambled to his feet. Edgar soon settled in, getting back to the rhythm of striking and movement that won him the belt in the first place. This time though, he was throwing more wrestling into the mix, as he put Penn on the mat a second time. Penn rose quickly, and there was heat behind his punches, but he was coming up short when it came to landing them.

Better adjusting to Edgar’s speed and head movement, Penn’s strikes began landing with more frequency early in round two, but the champion was undeterred as he stuck to his gameplan while continuing to mix up his strikes. Midway through the round, Edgar got the bout to the mat, but Penn didn’t allow it to stay there for long as he got upright quickly. “The Prodigy” was unable to capitalize though, as it was Edgar’s quick shots and movement continued to baffle Penn.

Penn came out of his corner with more urgency in round three, and while he had some success early on, by the third minute of the frame, it was Edgar back in control, as the crowd chanted his name. In the final 90 seconds, Penn saw some daylight when he stuffed a takedown attempt and landed some strikes, but it was a short-lived rally as Edgar finished the round strong.

Early in round four, Penn switched gears and took Edgar to the canvas, garnering a roar from the crowd. Edgar grabbed Penn and tried to keep him close, but then suddenly broke free in a lull and got back to his feet.  Looking to get even scoring wise, Edgar became the standup aggressor, even kicking Penn’s legs out and sending him to the mat. This time, Penn held Edgar close as he tried to get in position for a submission, but Edgar wasn’t biting. Instead, he postured up to land strikes, with each punch drawing cheers. With 1:30 left, Penn got up, but was unable to cut the Octagon off on Edgar, ending another frustrating frame.

Penn shot for – and got – the takedown again to start round five, and even when Edgar scrambled up, Penn was relentless in getting him back to the mat. But Edgar was just as active, and he turned into Penn’s guard and out of immediate danger. Elbows, punches, and forearms followed from the champion, but Penn remained expressionless, as if all he needed was one shot to turn things around. Edgar wasn’t about to give him that shot though, and his perpetual motion kept Penn from putting together a late rally, even when the two got back to their feet for the final stages of what turned out to be Edgar’s first successful title defense. As for Penn, a former welterweight champion as well, he was non-committal about his future at 155 pounds.

“I’ve really got to go back and think about things,” he said. “No quick decisions.”

With the win, Edgar improves to 13-1; Penn falls to 15-7-1.

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After a few seconds of circling each other, Couture shot in for the takedown and immediately got it as he took Toney down by the ankle. With the crowd chanting “UFC, UFC”, Couture got into the mount position and fired away. Toney held on, hoping to force a standup, but Couture was relentless, bulling his foe into the fence as he looked to sink in an arm triangle choke. Toney gamely resisted and Couture released the hold in order to go back to work with his strikes. But that was only a brief respite for Toney, as Couture sunk in the arm triangle again, this time forcing Toney to verbally tap out at the 3:19 mark.

Toney, 42, who has won major world boxing titles in the middleweight, super middleweight, and cruiserweight divisions, as well as fringe belts in the heavyweight division, falls to 0-1 in mixed martial arts.

Florian vs. Maynard
Unbeaten contender Gray Maynard earned a shot at the UFC lightweight crown as he scored a solid, but fairly uneventful, three round unanimous decision win over Brookline, Massachusetts’ Kenny Florian.

Scores were 30-27 twice and 29-28 for Maynard, who improves to 11-0 with 1 NC; Florian falls to 15-5.

The action was sporadic at best for the first three minutes, with Florian the busier of the two as he shot out quick punches and kicks at his foe. With under 90 seconds left, Maynard finally sprung into action as he shot for – and eventually got – the takedown, and proceeded to bull Florian into the fence, where they stayed until the end of the round.

Maynard’s potshots began to land with more frequency in the second round, allowing him to free up another takedown. This time, Maynard had more speed on his fastball as he began landing strikes on his foe, cutting Florian over the left eye in the process.

Florian’s striking game finally started to pay dividends in the third round, but even though he was scoring more, he wasn’t hurting Maynard, who again took “KenFlo” to the mat. And while Maynard’s methodical attack wasn’t winning him any New England fans, it was effective. In response, Florian kept battling from the bottom, looking for a submission, and with less than 30 seconds left he got to his feet and searched for a haymaker as Maynard ran out the clock. But it was not enough for the local hero to pull out the win.

“I tried to make him chase me,” said Maynard. “He doesn’t chase a lot.”

Maia vs. Miranda
It wasn’t from a lack of effort, but middleweight contender Demian Maia was unable to submit tough up and comer Mario Miranda, and was forced to settle for a three round unanimous decision win in his first bout since his five round championship loss to Anderson Silva in April.

Scores were 30-27 across the board for Maia.

Maia took control of the fight immediately with a takedown and a series of ground strikes, and looked like he was going to finish it quickly as he fished for a submission, but Miranda was able to keep himself out of danger as he battled his way back to his feet. The remainder of the round featured tentative standup from both men, leading the crowd to get restless.

The dominant ground game of Maia again ruled the day in the second round, with only a late, but failed, armbar attempt allowing Miranda to get back to his feet for the final seconds of the stanza.

Despite the pleas and instructions of his cornerman, the aforementioned Silva, Miranda was unable to turn the tide in the third round, and he was quickly taken down by Maia, who took his countryman’s back. Maia then looked to lock up Miranda’s arm, but Miranda escaped, and moments later got to his feet. Fatigue was evident on the faces of both men, and the pace slowed to a crawl, and though Maia made a last charge for a submission, it was not to be, as the bout went to the scorecards.

With the win, Maia improves to 13-2; Miranda falls to 12-2.

Diaz vs. Davis
Nate Diaz was in top form in the main card opener, dominating the standup against former pro boxer and welterweight veteran Marcus Davis before finishing matters via submission in the third round.

Davis calmly stalked Diaz in the early going, responding to the younger fighter’s taunts with punches to the head that quickly got him the respect of the Stockton, California native. As the round progressed, Diaz began to settle into a rhythm, cutting Davis over the right eye as he put together accurate combinations from long range. In the final minute, it was clear that the blood was starting to bother Davis, as he pawed at the cut in between pinpoint shots from Diaz.

Between rounds, the Octagonside physician had a long look at Davis’s cut, but he allowed the fight to continue, and it was far from foreign territory to Maine’s Davis, who has been cut-prone throughout his boxing and MMA careers. Diaz continued to peck away with both hands, landing much more than he was missing as Davis trudged forward, hoping to land the one punch that would turn things around. It didn’t come though, and as the round closed, Davis’ eye had begun to swell as well.

There was no quit in the “Irish Hand Grenade” though, and his punching power meant that he was still only a solid shot away from getting back in the fight. Diaz’ offense and defense were sharp though, and his unorthodox striking was keeping Davis from getting close enough to tag the rising star. And to his credit, Diaz didn’t take his foot off the gas even though he was presumably ahead on the scorecards, and with under two minutes left, he scored a takedown and sunk in a guillotine choke that finished the fight at 4:02 of the third round.

With the win, Diaz – who believes he broke his left hand in the second round - improves to 13-5; Davis falls to 22-8.

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Lauzong vs. Ruediger
Lauzon took the fight to Ruediger at the bell, landing with two quick rights before scoring with a slam to the mat. While on the ground Lauzon got even busier, searching for submissions in between hard strikes to the head. With a little over three minutes left, Ruediger got back to his feet briefly, only to get slammed back to the mat. Moments later, Lauzon ended the bout, sinking in an armbar that produced a tap out at 2:01 of the round.

With the win, Lauzon – who was fighting in Massachusetts for the first time since 2006 -ups his record to 18-5; Ruediger falls to 17-6.

Winner vs. Lentz
Nik Lentz remained unbeaten in the Octagon, scoring an uneventful three round unanimous decision win over Andre Winner in a lightweight bout.

Scores were 30-27 twice and 29-28 for Lentz, who is 3-0-1 in the UFC.

The first five minutes were a war of attrition, with neither man able to impose their gameplans on each other for very long, with Lentz’ ability to control the location of the bout giving him a slight edge. Nothing changed in the second round, and while Winner started letting his hands go in the third, he was locked up shortly thereafter and taken to the mat, where he was pinned for the remainder of the fight, much to the dismay of the Boston fans.

With the win, Lentz improves to 21-3-2; Winner falls to 12-4-1.

Miller vs. Salter
In middleweight action, Dan Miller broke his three fight losing streak with a second round submission win over Alabama’s John Salter.

“It’s been a long time,” an ecstatic Miller told UFC color commentator Joe Rogan after the bout.

Salter and Miller battled it out competitively in the first round, with Miller holding the edge on the feet and Salter controlling matters on the ground.

The fight was playing out the same way in round two, but this time, when Salter shot in for his first takedown of the frame, the New Jersey native was ready – not just with his sprawl, but with an anaconda choke that ended Salter’s night via tap out at the 1:53 mark.

With the win, Miller – whose losing skid came at the hands of Michael Bisping, Demian Maia, and Chael Sonnen - improves to 12-4 with 1 NC; Salter falls to 5-2.

Osipczak vs. Soto
Lightweight prospect Greg Soto looked like a different fighter than the one that debuted in the UFC back in March, as he survived a nasty cut over his left eye to pound out a three round unanimous decision win over Nick Osipczak.

Scores were 29-28 across the board for the New Jersey product, who improves to 8-1; Osipczak falls to 5-3.

Soto came out strong in the opening frame, using solid groundwork to control the first half of the round. But once Osipczak got back to his feet and cut Soto over the left eye, he took over, potshotting his foe until the bell sounded.

After a long look from the Octagonside physician, Soto was allowed out for round two, and his sense of urgency was evident. Osipczak, clearly the better striker, hurt Soto with a knee at close range and began teeing off. Soto, undeterred, bounced back with a takedown and was close to securing a rear naked choke before the England native escaped. Soto did maintain control on the mat for much of the remaining part of the round until a late standup surge from Osipczak just before the bell.

With trainer and lightweight contender Kurt Pellegrino cheering him on, Soto opened the third with another takedown, quickly transitioning into side control. From there, he kept moving and kept making Osipczak’s life miserable with knees, punches, and a choke attempt, securing an impressive first Octagon win.

Pierce vs. Alves
Vancouver, Washington welterweight Mike Pierce made sure that the Octagon debut of Amilcar Alves ended with a loss in the opener, submitting the Brazil native in the third round.

Not surprisingly, Pierce used his wrestling to smother and control Alves throughout the first two rounds, both on the mat and against the fence, keeping his opponent from mounting any offense.

Alves finally got some kicks off early in the third as he tried to turn things around, but after a couple scores, Pierce got his takedown and resumed his methodical attack. This time though, he looked to finish, and at the 3:11 mark he did, forcing his foe to tap out to a cross body armbar.

With the win, Pierce ups his record to 11-3; Alves falls to 11-2.

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Check out all the highlights of UFC 118 from Boston, Massachusetts….

COMPLETE UFC 118 FIGHT CARD RESULTS

Mike Pierce beat Amilcar Alves by Submission (Straight Armbar) in Round 3
Greg Soto beat Nick Osipczak byDecision (Unanimous) in Round 3
Dan Miller beat John Salter by Submission (Anaconda Choke) in Round 2

Nik Lentz beat Andre Winner by Decision (Unanimous) in Round 3
Joe Lauzon beat Gabe Ruediger by Submission (Armbar) in Round 1
Nate Diaz beat Marcus Davis by Technical Submission (Guillotine Choke) in Round 3

Gray Maynard beat Kenny Florian by Decision (Unanimous) in Round 3
Demian Maia beat Mario Miranda by Decision (Unanimous) in Round 3

Randy Couture beat James Toney by Submission (Arm-Triangle Choke) in Round 1
Frankie Edgar beat B.J. Penn Decision (Unanimous) in Round 5

This time around, Frankie Edgar has the extra pressure of defending the lightweight belt. Will he be able to hold off BJ Penn for a second consecutive time and extend his title reign. Don’t miss UFC 118: Edgar vs Penn 2 this Saturday, August 28th at 7pm PT/ 10pm ET - Live on Pay-Per-View….