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FIGHTHYPE PREVIEW: UFC 118 EDGAR VS. PENN 2

By Stuart Warren Dansby | August 28, 2010
FIGHTHYPE PREVIEW: UFC 118 EDGAR VS. PENN 2

UFC 118 Gets underway tonight and one might say there is a classic and a comic matchup. For the classic, we have the rematch between the new lightweight champion, Frankie Edgar, and the greatest lightweight ever, BJ Penn. Depending who you favor, some would say that the former either stole, took, or won the title from the latter, but either way, this rematch should set the record straight. And for the comic, or circus act, we have the ageless and classic MMA icon Randy "The Natural" Couture taking on former world champion boxer James "Lights Out" Toney. Sound a little odd? Well, like we say here at FightHype..."a fight is a fight"...because being in the cage or ring with any of these guys ain't that funny. Let's take a closer look!

Frankie "The Answer" Edgar (12-1) VS. "The Prodigy" BJ Penn (15-6-01)

No matter what you think....whether you think BJ was robbed, whether you think BJ was the champion and that you have to really beat the champion to take the title, which Frankie didn't do, or whether you think Frankie was faster, landed more punches and was more aggressive, earning the title...you can debate it all day, but two things are fact. 1) Frankie Edgar is the champion and he won that fight because the judges said so. So there! He's got the belt right now and BJ has to take it away to be a champion again. And 2) BJ physically looked out of shape and (dare I say it) a little flabitized (yes, it's a real word) for this last fight. If you've ever watched him fight, then you know what I'm talking about. His physique against Kenny Florian and Diego Sanchez in his last two title defenses (both dominating victories against tough top-level opponents), looked amazingly different. So what decides this fight?  BJ's motivation.  Frankie is the bomb. He's an easy fighter to like and respect. What 's really stunning is how much he improves from fight to fight.  This is a guy who, a few years ago, was "only a wrestler" and in his last fight, went toe-to-toe with perhaps the best boxer in MMA (which was BJ, until James Toney decided to try his hand at the sport). I take nothing away from this man.  BJ, however, is the prodigy and like many highly-talented people at times, because of their talent, they lack inspiration.  So if BJ is in shape, has truly trained his ass off and is a little bit pissed off, then he wins.  It's going to be close, for sure, but "The Prodigy" returns to his championship ways.

Randy "The Natural" Couture (18-10-0) VS. James "Lights Out" Toney (72-3-2 as a boxer )

What the fuck kind of fight is this?  I'll tell you what it is. It's time for the trash talking between boxing and MMA to come to a real test. But it's only 1 test, so it doesn't decide the argument of which sport is tougher. In this case, it's simple. Boxers don't fight 5-minute rounds. Boxers don't know how to kick, submit, wrestle or defend any of the aforementioned. Then again, Randy can't punch as hard or accurately as Toney.  Toney's on the downside of his career though and now, he's in a foreign environment.  Toney's only chance of winning is to keep "The Natural" away from him long enough to land several hard and accurate punches.  The longer the fight goes, the less chance he has. In fact, if "Lights Out" doesn't knock out Couture in the first round, well, let's just say boxing fans will have to start talking about Pacquiao versus Mayweather again.  Couture is too smart and too experienced to step into a Toney punch or three. He wins this one by submission.

Kenny "Ken Flo" Florian (16-4-0) VS. Gray "The Bully" Maynard (10-0-1)

This may be the toughest and closest fight of the night to call. Maynard is an excellent wrestler as he proved in handing Frankie Edgar his first and only loss back at UFC Fight Night 13. He also has excellent knockout power. Ken Flo has it all. Ju Jitsu, very good Muay Thai (note the elbows), and maybe most importantly great experience in big fights.  Witness his TUF finale fight against Diego Sanchez, and his recent title fight against BJ Penn. Both losses, yes, but each time Florian has come back as a better fighter.  So here's the logic, if BJ beat Florian (badly) and Gray beat Frankie (handily), then shouldn't Gray be able to beat Florian? Not so fast. Fights at this level are a matchup of styles. Can one man get another's timing? Can one man out-think his opponent when he's hurt and has to alter his game plan? Can one man find a weapon or a weakness that his opponent didn't know about? These are the difference-makers with world-class fighters and in this matchup, everything points to Ken Flo answering those questions best. He should win this, right?  One last question…you ever have a gut feeling? I'm going with Maynard on this one in the upset.

Okay, and then there's the fight between Demian Maia and Mario Miranda. You are probably waiting for that pick, right? Come on, man! It's a wrestler versus a Jiu Jitsu guy. This fights is going to go to the mat and then stay there. While you are sleeping, Maia submits Miranda in the most tactical and….yawn…umm, not so exciting fight of the night.

Thanks for reading and supporting.

Have a powerful day!

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