UFC 112 Preview – B.J. Penn Vs. Frankie Edgar

UFC 112 comes only two weeks after their biggest show of the year, UFC 111. On paper, UFC 112 has two of the top five UFC stars, but not in fights that seem too special. If this show sells to the fanbase, it’s because people see B.J. Penn and Anderson Silva as megastars. What will make this show good is if their opponents, Frankie Edgar and Demian Maia respectively, fight much better than we think they will.

Also on this card, for nostalgia sakes, is Matt Hughes against Renzo Gracie in a second home town of sorts for Gracie, Abu Dhabi. Hughes whooped Renzo’s cousin Royce several years ago and the easy story to tell is that Renzo has to get revenge for the Gracie name. I’m just not sure how much the Gracie name means in 2010.

The FGB crew, plus Stevie J from AngryMarks.com and my buddy JP have predictions ready. Just wait until you see what Alan is predicting.

Matt Hughes vs. Renzo Gracie

Duan: Hughes by decision
Alan: Hughes by decision
Big D: Hughes by decision
JP: Hughes by 2nd round TKO
Stevie J: Hughes by 3rd round TKO
Cactus Jim: Hughes by decision
GG: Hughes by decision

Duan says:

Hughes is nowhere near the fighter he once was, but Renzo has been inactive for three years now, and that’s going to be too much to overcome at 43. Hughes takes the decision in a bland fight.

Alan says:

Have to go with one “sensible” prediction. I see this being your standard Matt Hughes fight. He’ll take him down and grind him out. Renzo will threaten from the bottom, but Hughes is good enough to stay out of danger.

Big D says:

I’d hate to say it because Renzo is a pretty fun promo guy and if you watch PRIDE – you know about him and Bas’ feud about who is the “most handsome fighter”. Unfortunately that won’t help. Hughes is going to L-N-P for the win.

JP says:

The era of the Gracie’s is over in MMA and this fight will be just another nail in the coffin. Renzo, like the rest of his family tree, is a one dimensional submission artist. Unfortunately Matt Hughes is one of the best wrestlers to ever step inside an octagon and is adapt at locking opponents down from the top. He will take Renzo down at will, and proceed to ground and pound him until the ref has mercy on Renzo.

Stevie J says:

As noted on Thursday Night AMP with GG, this is the fight on UFC 112 that I am excited about the most. Neither guy would be that formidable at welterweight against the young up-and-coming fighters of today, but each are recognized as veterans and pioneers in their sport. Hughes is one of the most dominant champions of all time, Renzo has trained many of the greatest champions of all time, and the rub is that Renzo has an axe to grind given that Hughes defeated Royce Gracie at UFC 60 – one of the most memorable PPV events I’ve ever watched. Oddly enough though I see the result going largely the same as that fight – Hughes outwrestles him and finishes him with strikes, only I think it will go much longer this time. Hughes TKO R3 but look for Gracie to put him in danger at least once or twice before the end – he’ll give as good as he gets and do well in the fight.

Cactus Jim says:

I think Hughes will try to keep this on the feet and only use his wrestling if he has to. Neither guy will do much, I’ll go refresh my drink, and if by chance any actually does happen I’ll watch it in the highlight replay between rounds.

GG says:

Renzo is a wild card because we don’t know what he has left at 43, but we’re pretty sure what Matt Hughes can do. He hasn’t fared well of late, though he did beat Matt Serra in a lackluster decision. I have a feeling that Matt Hughes is going to be well-prepared for this one because he doesn’t want to lose to Renzo after beating Royce.

Anderson Silva vs. Demian Maia

Duan: Silva by 2nd round TKO
Alan: Maia by 1st round submission
Big D: Silva by 2nd round TKO
JP: Silva by 1st round TKO
Stevie J: Silva by 2nd round TKO
Cactus Jim: Silva by 2nd round TKO
GG: Silva by 1st round TKO

Duan says:

This main event has been unfairly criticized. Maia got demolished by Marquardt. So what? These things happen in MMA. He’s still an excellent fighter and styles make fights. A submission wizard such as Maia has a better shot than most do of beating Silva. With that being said, Anderson is the most talented athlete in UFC and I just can’t imagine any middleweight beating him for the foreseeable future.

Alan says:

Ok, I’ll be honest. I’m doubtful that BOTH Edgar and Maia win, but I’m certain that one will. I just don’t know which, so I’m picking both. There IS logic in there somewhere, trust me. Maia will face a bit of danger early but he’s gonna pull off something special to get Silva on the ground, and when he gets a man on the ground, he DOES NOT waste any time trying to submit him. Anderson will be hard to catch, but Maia CAN catch him. I think he will. Maia by arm triangle in 3:08 of the 1st.

Big D says:

Maia dies… Silva flies

JP says:

I pray this is not another Thales Leites fight and after watching Maia stand up with Dan Miller, I don’t think it will be. But even the slightest confidence in his stand up game spells doom for Maia. His only hope is to use his throws or some wrestling to put Silva on his back, but that will require Demian to walk right into the Spider’s web. I don’t think Silva will toy with Maia long and will finish him as soon as Demian comes in close looking to take it to the floor. Like the Marquardt fight, the first punch thrown by Silva could end this.

Stevie J says:

In terms of sheer dominance as a champion and consecutive wins with no losses, there may be no man greater in the whole of MMA than Anderson Silva. In terms of always delivering an exciting fight that makes you want to see the champion defend his title his record is far more spotty. Given Maia’s outstanding record as a submission specialist (getting UFC’s Submission of the Night in 4 out of 5 fights in a row speaks for itself) he has an excellent chance to challenge Silva on the ground, which creates an interesting problem for Silva – he can’t be on cruise control in this fight and risk getting taken down. He’s got to beat Maia before Maia gets the chance to beat him, which leads me to believe Silva will take the chance he wouldn’t against Thales Leites, pull the trigger, and finish him early.

Cactus Jim says:

The last guy I can recall giving Silva any trouble was BJJ whiz Travis Lutter. If Maia can get Anderson on the ground he has a chance. I think he’ll have a really hard time getting Anderson down and even if he does it will be no cakewalk. Until Silva gets exposed, I’ll have a hard time picking against him.

GG says:

Maia and Silva can’t have a stinker, especially after the last show where you had a few long and boring fights. Thus, I think both guys will be more anxious to put on a good fight. And if that’s the case, it will probably end quickly. Maia’s best shot is to catch him, but when Anderson’s on, when has he ever been caught? Instead, it will be Maia who gets caught late in the first round.

B.J. Penn vs. Frankie Edgar

Duan: Penn by 3rd round submission
Alan: Edgar by way of 3rd round TKO
Big D: Penn by 2nd round submission
JP: Penn by 4th round submission
Stevie J: Penn by 4th round submission
Cactus Jim: Penn by 2nd round submission
GG: Penn by 3rd round TKO

Duan says:

Penn wins this fight because well…he’s a much better fighter.

Alan says:

Frankie Edgar shows up and fights the fight of his life. He shows up inspired. He shows up and he OVERWHELMS Penn. He’s not gonna be tentative like Florian and Sherk. He’s not gonna be sloppy and out of control like Sanchez. He will be relentless with his takedowns and he will be as good as he’s ever been on the feet. I see him continuously mounting the pressure until finally half way through the third he gets in a great position on the ground and starts laying into BJ and the ref stops it.

Big D says:

Another annihilation. This is the PPV of squash matches. Edgar has literally no chance here. Penn will choke him out to death.

JP says:

Like his previous fights, B.J. will be willing to stand and trade with Edgar while it entertains him. Edgar will put up a spirited effort but he really has nothing to threaten B.J. with. Once Penn tires of playing the cat to the poor little Edgar mouse, he will take the fight down to the mat, and then it is only a matter of time until The Prodigy makes The Answer tap out or pass out. Then B.J. can do the whole lick his hands thing, and I just hope there is no blood on them this time.

Stevie J says:

An exciting but lopsided fight. Penn gets a submission victory in R4 after three straight 10-9 (and possibly one 10-8) rouds of whooping Edgar. Edgar will be game, but not game enough to defeat a dominant Penn in his prime as a fighter.

Cactus Jim says:

Edgar should consider it a victory if he makes it to Round 2. Outclassed, outgunned, out of action with a popped elbow before it’s all finished. Sucks to be him.

GG says:

I think Edgar has a great chance to stay competitive here. He has good enough boxing to where B.J. won’t blitz him initially like he did Diego. And he’s a good enough wrestler to where B.J. won’t be able to take him down and will probably be taken down. But he doesn’t do anything great enough to match B.J.’s greatness. I think we’ll see a fight closer to the fight with Sanchez (survival) than Florian (quick submission).

There you have it. Alan chooses both Maia and Edgar to win. Is he crazy? Find out tomorrow. We’ll have play by play early in the afternoon so if you don’t plan on watching until the evening, be careful. We’ll have spoilers up.

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