Frank Edgar
vs
BJ Penn
UFC 118
Fight Review and Commentary
Frank Edgar vs BJ Penn by Vincent Cooper
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In the buildup to this rematch between defending champion Frank Edgar and former champion BJ Penn the difference in the mentality of the two warriors was always apparent. Edgar came across as humble, eager to learn and improve and willing to put the hours into his training and preparation to improve on his previous performance. Penn seemed wounded and disbelieving that he had lost the first fight, as if it were some freak event that would soon be righted as long as he turned up to UFC 118 and fought, pretty much, as he had done in the prior encounter. Penn never seemed urgent in his evaluation of his failed performance at UFC 112 or eager to correct what had gone wrong for him. Penn's natural talent hadn't been enough against Georges St-Pierre and it wasn't clear that it be enough now against the hard-working, sharp Frank Edgar. As soon as I saw BJ Penn enter the arena I had mixed feelings. Frankly, he looked too relaxed but I hoped it was a warrior's calm before the torment of battle. He didn't look keyed up to fight and nor did his team of trainers. This contrasted dramatically with Frank Edgar who came bounding into the hall, full of energy and seemingly alight with adrenaline and a desire to start mixing it up. I can't say that Penn looked defeated but he looked way too casual for a fighter who had already lost once to the opponent he now faced.
Frank Edgar vs BJ Penn
Round One: Frank Edgar vs BJ Penn Within 20 seconds of the round starting the fighters were on the ground. Significantly, although Frank Edgar never looked like he was going to trouble BJ Penn, Penn himself didn't look like he was able to outclass Edgar. Given that Penn is the man with the black belt in BJJ and a former world champion within that sport, you would think he would enjoy an advantage here. Edgar's long experience in wrestling though (augmented with a purple belt in BJJ) were equal to BJ's groundwork and neither fighter seemed to enjoy a clear advantage here. After rising from the ground both fighters settled into a pattern that would persist for the rest of the fight. BJ Penn occupied a commanding position in the center of the Octagon while Frank Edgar used good footwork to move around him. The differences between the two fighters - already apparent halfway into the first round - were first Edgar's work rate. For every punch or kick Penn threw, Edgar was probably averaging at least two and probably three. Edgar was also putting his techniques together in combinations. Not all of them were scoring, let alone causing damage, but he was giving BJ something to think about and defend against, as opposed to Penn's (usually) single techniques that were easy for Frank to deal with. Finally, Edgar's hand speed was far superior to that of Penn's. Edgar looked more of a threat and certainly looked to be in better condition and more eager for the win. Round Two: Frank Edgar vs BJ Penn The first half of this round continued the emerging pattern from round one. Frank Edgar was sharper, delivered many more shots that BJ and was consistently using combinations to trouble Penn, as compared to BJ Penn's reliance on slow, single techniques that even when they did connect were not rattling the smaller Edgar. Around the halfway mark, Edgar again took Penn to the ground. Neither fighter gained any advantage and within thirty seconds they were back on their feet in stand up. Frank Edgar continued to outwork, outfight and outscore BJ Penn until the end of the round.
Frank Edgar vs BJ Penn
Round Three: Frank Edgar vs BJ Penn Round three was fought almost entirely in stand up, more a boxing match than anything else. Between rounds Edgar's corner advised him to feint more and for the first half of the round he did so to good effect. Edgar wasn't always landing punches and he continued to come up short a lot of the time owing to the height / reach difference between the two fighters but he kept Penn on the defensive. BJ offered very little this round and a couple of time Frank was confident staying within Penn's range in order to launch his own techniques. With a minute left of the round the fighters clinched and Edgar landed a solid shot as they broke away from one another. Towards the bell the crowd were starting to boo. Frank Edgar again took the round on points and Penn was now 3-0 behind and needed a KO to regain his title. Round Four: Frank Edgar vs BJ Penn Between rounds Penn's trainer was telling the former champ that he was doing good. This wasn't the case at all and BJ needed to be energized and told to go in for the kill. A points victory wasn't an option for him any longer after three dismal rounds. At the beginning of the round Penn was able to take Edgar down and gain an advantage while also getting the crowd back into the fight. BJ was unable to make the most of his chance though and Edgar escaped. Next it was Edgar's turn to put Penn on the ground as the defending champ kicked away BJ's supporting leg and followed up onto the ground. Grappling was inconclusive and Edgar instead started to pound on Penn, scoring more points but not being able to land a knock out blow. The fighters returned to stand up and BJ spent the rest of the round looking tired and an easy target for Frank's attacks. Round Five: Frank Edgar vs BJ Penn From what I heard there was still no sense of urgency in Penn's corner. That said, Penn went out at the beginning of the round and took Edgar down, but Frank ended up in the dominant position and was able to land more unanswered shots. Penn was looking more and more tired now and never looked likely to turn things around and gain the submission he needed to win the fight. After returning to stand up BJ spent the final 90 seconds or so with his arms around his waist with no chance of getting the stoppage he needed. Edgar was still working up until the bell and took the fight with a unanimous decision 50-45.
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