The calls were heard loud and clear prior to the rematch between Frankie Edgar and B.J. Penn at UFC 118: Edgar got a friendly decision from the judges in their last fight and would not be so lucky this time around. We couldn’t have been more wrong.
Edgar came out of the gates in round one setting the same frenetic pace he established in the prior meeting between the men. While Penn appeared unmotivated and listless, Edgar recorded two takedowns in an impressive first round. More content to stand in the Octagon and box, Penn lacked any sort of aggression and strictly reacted to whatever Frankie did to him. B.J. was so inactive it appeared as if his gameplan was to let Edgar tire himself out in the first few rounds and then to finally try and take advantage later in the fight.
Frankie set the pace the entire way, got some key takedowns, and defended himself well in the fourth round when Penn finally decided to go for the kill. Edgar dominated every single facet of the fight and truly appeared to have Penn’s number. He dropped B.J. with a leg sweep late in the fight and jumped on top to hammer Penn with several blows to the head.
If any judge awarded B.J. more than one round in the fight then his scores were off. About the only thing he did well was defend some of Edgar’s punches that looked good to the judges and fans but really didn’t hit. That’s not saying much for someone who’s supposed to be one of the stars in the sport.
As for Frankie Edgar, there’s no denying his talent now; he’s high-energy, aggressive, versatile, and most of all, a truly deserving champion. His upcoming title defense against Gray Maynard should be a good one.
