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Edgar finds the answer to end the era of BJ Penn
ESPN staff
April 10, 2010
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Frankie Edgar is the first lightweight to take BJ Penn down in over six years
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Frankie Edgar is the new UFC lightweight champion after he beat BJ Penn by unanimous decision to end "The Prodigy's" eight-and-a-half-year undefeated run in the 155lb division at UFC 112 in Abu Dhabi.
Edgar outfoxed Penn with his rapid footwork and superior variety of strikes, taking a 50-45, 48-47, 49-46 decision to shock the MMA world. The challenger had been an 8/1 underdog going into the fight.
Not since January 11 2002, when Jens Pulver claimed a majority decision at UFC 35, had Penn lost at 155lbs. Never in the last six years had a lightweight taken Penn down, but Edgar managed it twice courtesy of his excellent variety.
Edgar's movement was exceptional, dancing around the champion like a wasp to stay out of range of Penn's laser-like hands, and he even cut the Hawaiian in the opening round. Penn's hands always appeared heavier, but he only really landed the occasional bout of uppercuts as Edgar frustrated him for 25 minutes.
A trip takedown by Edgar signalled his no-fear approach to the fight in the second stanza, and Penn became visibly bothered by Edgar's feints and takedown/punch combinations. By round four Penn's corner told him to take the fight to the mat, an order he completely ignored, and Edgar undoubtedly took the final two rounds to set up a shock decision victory.
"This is it," said the new champion. "BJ's the best lightweight champion ever and I beat him. I just hope I can be half the champion he is."
Renzo Gracie admitted he "hits like a girl" in the build-up to UFC 112, yet it did not stop him entering into a baffling stand-up war that was only ever going to end one way against Matt Hughes in the welterweight division. Crippled by leg kicks and rocked by uppercuts, Gracie's legs finally gave way at 4.43 in the final round as Hughes claimed a TKO victory.
Neither man gave the crowd what they had come to see in a bout between two MMA warriors. Hughes is legendary for his wrestling, Gracie for his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, yet both men engaged in a sub-standard exhibition of striking.
Crucially, Hughes's plan of attack included a leg kick that chopped away at Gracie's lead leg time and again, but the whistles from the crowd showed the fans weren't happy with what they were seeing. Not once did Gracie look for a takedown, and the cumulative punishment from Hughes took its toll as the 43-year-old hit the mat several times in the final round, barely balancing on one leg. Hughes finally ended the fight with a series of uppercuts, but the outcome told us little about the effectivity of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu in today's MMA.
"I was pretty happy," stated Hughes, who now counts the names of Royce and Renzo Gracie on his 45-7 MMA record. "I tried to stay tight and do things simple. I was fighting a Gracie, I had to put the odds on my side."
Terry Etim became the victim of a textbook lesson in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu as Rafael Dos Anjos claimed a second round triumph by armbar in the lightweight division.
Etim is one of British MMA's great hopes for the future, with UK UFC president Marshall Zelaznik recently revealing victory over Dos Anjos might have taken the 24-year-old within one more fight of a title shot. However, the Team Kaobon fighter still has improvements to make in his takedown defence and grappling, which were both ruthlessly exposed by Dos Anjos.
Etim started calmly enough, securing an early guillotine which arguably gassed the Liverpudlian. By the end of the round Dos Anjos had taken Etim down twice, working knees to the back that earned him a warning from referee Marc Goddard for targeting the spine.
In round two Dos Anjos again secured the takedown, and this time he clinically moved in for the submission, softening Etim up with a series of elbows before moving into mount. North/South position followed, where Dos Anjos ripped out an armbar for the first stoppage of Etim's career. The Brazilian improves to 14-4 with victory.
The main card could not have got off to a better start in Abu Dhabi after a pulsating TKO stoppage victory for Mark Munoz against Kendall Grove in a definite Fight of the Night contender. Munoz took an absolute battering during round one, but his trademark vicious ground-and-pound forced the stoppage at 2.50 of the second round.
Grove dropped Munoz with a huge uppercut during the opening stanza, following it up with a flurry of hammer fists that threatened to end the contest. Desperately clutching onto a leg, Munoz then fell into multiple guillotine and armbar attempts before the bell finally came to his rescue.
Grove began the second round in similar vein, smashing a big knee into the head of his opponent, but then Munoz showed why he is called the "Filipino Wrecking Machine", dropping a series of frightful bombs from standing guard to end the fight. Victory improves Munoz to 14-6-1.
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