UFC 112 marked the entry of UFC into yet another foreign territory: this time the event took place in Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates). Unlike some of the European cards, 112 was stacked with two title bouts: BJ Penn defending the lightweight title against Frank Edgar, and the middleweight champion Anderson Silva taking on Demian Maia (stepping in for Vitor Belfort, who was forced to give up his title shot due to a shoulder injury). The featured matchups were rounded out by a battle between two legends: former welterweight champion Matt Hughes taking on Renzo Gracie in Renzo’s UFC debut.
Kendall Grove vs. Mark Munoz (185 lbs)
Round 1: Grove wants to strike but Munoz scores a takedown quickly. Grove right back to his feet, eating a couple of punches as he gets up. Munoz goes for another takedown but is rocked with a big uppercut coming in. Munoz is on his knees, holding on to Grove’s leg as Kendall pounds away at Mark’s head. Munoz looks almost out but somehow keeps trying to secure a takedown. Grove is warned about holding the fence. Eventually the referee breaks up the fighters. Munoz goes for another takedown and gets it but Grove counters with a guillotine attempt. Munoz escapes and Grove gets up; Munoz takes him down again and is caught in another tight guillotine. Munoz survives and is free of the choke as the round ends. Round 10-8 Grove
Round 2: Both fighters come out swinging. Munoz lands a hook that knocks Grove’s mouthpiece out, but Grove seems unfazed and responds with a knee that drops Munoz. Grove takes Mark’s back and looks for a choke, then an armbar. Munoz escapes and ends up in Grove’s guard. Munoz punches from the top. Grove keeps him away with leg kicks. Munoz lands a big punch that stuns Grove, then follows up with a series of punches until Grove rolls over and covers up, causing the referee to stop the bout.
Aftermath: Mark Munoz has now won three straight since dropping down to middleweight after his loss to Matt Hamill. He should next take on Jorge Rivera or Yushin Okami. Kendall Grove proves to be an inconsistent and chinny fighter as usual, and next on his plate should be Nate Quarry or a rematch with Ed Herman.
Ranking Impact: Mark Munoz moves up 32 spots to #28 MW. Kendall Grove falls 20 spots to #50 MW.
Fight Grade: 4/5
Phil Davis vs. Alexander Gustafsson (205 lbs)
Round 1: Davis tries to negate Gustafsson’s height and striking advantage by attempting to bring the fight to the ground early. Davis defends well, and the fighters clinch against the cage with neither able to get an advantage. Davis knees Gustafsson’s legs from the clinch. Gustafsson tries to make space and land punches. Davis is relentless with takedown attempts and finally gets Gustafsson to the ground. Davis attempts to pass but is stuck in half-guard. Gustafsson eventually gets back to his knees and Davis instantly locks in an anaconda choke, forcing Gustafsson to tap out with less than ten seconds left in the round.
Aftermath: Phil Davis made short work of strikes in both of his UFC bouts. He should next face fellow wrestler – Vladimir Matyushenko or Matt Hamill come to mind.
Gustafsson falls to 1-1 in the Octagon. He should work on his submission defense and take on Kyle Kingsbury or Brian Stann in his next fight.
Ranking Impact: Phil Davis moves up 5 spots to #24 LHW. Alexander Gustafsson falls 21 spots to #52 LHW.
Fight Grade: 3/5
Terry Etim vs. Rafael dos Anjos (155 lbs)
Round 1: Etim starts the fight by alternating head and body kicks. Most miss and Anjos shoots for a takedown but Etim catches him in a guillotine as they go down. Etim holds on to the choke for a long time but is not able to finish, and Anjos pops his head out and passes into side mount. Anjos throws knees and elbows to the body. Referee Marc Goddard warns dos Anjos for kneeing the spine – first time I’ve seen this rule enforced. Ref calls for a standup. Etim looking to strike; Anjos drops down for a heel hook but Etim escapes and works some ground-and-pound from top guard. Round 10-9 Etim
Round 2: The fighters trade leg kicks. Etim lands the harder strikes. Etim catches dos Anjos with a knee to the head. Anjos catches a leg kicks and throws Etim down. Anjos works patiently on the ground, passing into side control, then mount, then north-south. Anjos looks for a kimura then transitions to an armbar, and Etim taps out.
Aftermath: On a three fight win streak after losing his first two in the UFC, Rafael dos Anjos is becoming a solid prospect. His next test should be Evan Dunham. Terry Etim’s four-fight streak is broken – look for him to fight fellow countryman Paul Kelly in a future UK UFC event.
Ranking Impact: Rafael dos Anjos moves up 54 spots to #33 LW. Terry Etim falls 26 spots to #57 LW.
Fight Grade: 4/5
Matt Hughes vs. Renzo Gracie (170 lbs)
Round 1: Both grapplers are looking to strike in the first round. Gracie lands a punch combination, backing Hughes up. Hughes with a leg kick. Hughes pushes Gracie up against the fence in a clinch. Gracie puts distance between them and throws wide punches. Hughes works the jab. Very little action, with Gracie landing a few more shots. Round 10-9 Gracie
Round 2: Gracie lands a couple of punches. Hughes answers with two leg kicks that wobble Renzo. Hughes takes Gracie down briefly; Gracie scrambles back up. Gracie throws hands but mostly misses. Hughes alternates jabs and leg kicks. Gracie with an unsuccessful takedown attempt. Gracie doesn’t defend the leg kicks and they are starting to take their toll. Round 10-9 Hughes
Round 3: Hughes keeps laying on the leg kicks. Gracie lands a good punch to the body; Hughes responds with one of his own. Hughes is now letting his hands go. Hughes lands a superman punch but backs off instead of following up with more strikes. They clinch and Hughes is hurting Gracie with low kick & uppercut combinations. Hughes stuns Gracie with punches then drops him with another leg kick. Gracie extends his hand, asking Hughes to help him up. Hughes obliges then drops him with another leg kick. This time Gracie is on his back for a while; looks like he may not be able to get up. Hughes backs off and Renzo is finally up. Hughes lands more uppercuts and kicks and down goes Gracie again. Hughes lets him back up and unloads with uppercuts against the cage; Gracie goes back down and this time referee Herb Dean steps in to stop the fight.
Aftermath: I would have never thought I’d see Matt Hughes drop an opponent with kicks, let alone finish a fight with a standing TKO. Hughes should next take on Renzo’s student Ricardo Almeida, or rematch Matt Serra.
Renzo Gracie’s UFC debut has been a bust, and hopefully a one-and-done outing.
Ranking Impact: Matt Hughes remains #10 WW, Renzo Gracie remains unranked.
Fight Grade: 3/5
Champion B.J. Penn vs. Frankie Edgar (155 lbs title bout)
Round 1: Penn takes the center of the Octagon while Edgar dances around BJ, darting in and out of striking distance. They exchange jabs and leg kicks. Higher strike output and a lot of movement from Edgar; Penn remains mostly stationary, trying to catch Edgar coming in. Edgar attempts a takedown and gets punished with punches. Both fighters show slight facial damage by the end of an uneventful round. Round 10-9 Penn
Round 2: Penn working the jab. Edgar keeps moving in and out. Penn catching Edgard with jabs and hooks. Edgar with a quick takedown but Penn is up instantly. Another boring round. Round 10-9 Penn
Round 3: Penn lands a combination to begin the round. Edgar continues moving about. Edgar is starting to land more as the round goes on; Penn might be slowing down as he is no longer able to time Edgar’s movement. Edgar attempts a takedown but gets stuffed. Edgar is beginning to out-land BJ in striking exchanges, edging out the round. Round 10-9 Edgar
Round 4: Edgar is as quick as he was in the first round, while Penn is starting to show signs of exhaustion. Edgar alternates punches, kicks, and takedown attempts. Penn is on the defensive, mainly landing jabs. Round 10-9 Edgar
Round 5: More of the same in the final round as the quicker and fresher Edgar darts in and out of range, landing punches and kicks. Penn lands a big hook but Edgard counters with a nice takedown. Penn back to his feet. Edgar is looking to finish strong, landing superman punches and flying knees. The fight is over and Edgar walks away with his hands raised – he may have stolen the final three rounds of this unspectacular fight. Round 10-9 Edgar
Frank Edgar defeats BJ Penn by unanimous decision, with the scores of 50-45, 48-47, 49-46. Edgar is the new UFC lightweight champion.
Aftermath: This was a very close fight that could have gone either way. In my opinion, Edgar edged out the latter three rounds – just barely. The score of 50-45 from judge Douglas Crosby is downright inexplicable. Despite the controversial decision, a new champion injects some life into a division that was running out of challengers for BJ Penn. While an immediate rematch would be justified given the controversy, I hope that UFC avoids this scenario and instead have Edgar rematch the undefeated Gray Maynard in Edgar’s first title defense. In the meanwhile, BJ Penn can work his way back to the title by taking on Tyson Griffin or Jim Miller.
Of course, no discussion of the UFC’s lightweight title picture can be complete without mentioning the perennial contender Kenny Florian. Should the UFC matchmakers decide to give BJ Penn an immediate rematch, Florian needs to fight Maynard for the next title shot.
Ranking Impact: Frankie Edgar moves up 6 spots to #1 LW and debuts at #7 in the Division Dominance list. BJ Penn falls 1 spot to #2 LW and drops out of the Division Dominance top 10.
Fight Grade: 2 1/5 1 point deduction for the 50-45 score
Champion Anderson Silva vs. Demian Maia (185 lbs title bout)
Round 1: The fighters circle and dance around each other. Silva begins landing leg and body kicks on Maia. Maia is very passive. Silva dances around Maia, shuffles his feet, switches stances, even drops to one knee trying to entice Maia to come in. Silva lands a punch and Maia tries to pull guard but Silva is not having any of it. Back to the feet and Silva drops Maia with a flying knee. Maia is not out, and Silva kicks at his legs for a bit. Round is over and no offense yet from Maia. Round 10-8 Silva
Round 2: Silva with more dancing and stance-switching. Silva lands a series of punches, then knocks Maia off his feet with a leg kick. Silva throws dangerous kicks in Maia’s direction, that barely miss his head. Maia back to his feet; Silva stuffs a takedown attempt. Silva is taunting Maia, standing still with his hands at his sides, screaming and slapping the Octagon canvas. Still Maia refuses to engage. Round 10-9 Silva
Round 3: Maia’s nose is bleeding. Silva lands a jab to the face, making it bleed more. Silva dances around, humiliating Maia and landing an occasional punch or kick. Maia connects with an overhand punch that forces Silva back a step – Maia’s first significant offense of the night. Round 10-9 Silva
Round 4: Maia’s face is showing quite a bit of damage now. Silva is doing nothing but dancing and running around Demian. Maia is now starting to engage a bit, throwing punches and shooting for takedown. Silva easily evades everything Maia throws at him, but doesn’t respond save for an occasional half-hearted kick. Round 10-9 Silva
Round 5: Maia’s face is a complete mess, with one eye swollen shut. Silva lands a punch and a glancing head kick then resumes his dancing routine. Maia is now swinging for the fences and catches Silva with a few solid punches. Maia shoots for a takedown and Silva throws him off. Maia swinging from his knees and actually lands punches. Silva keeps dancing and running around, and the referee Dan Miragliotta pauses the fight to give Silva a stern warning to engage. Anderson doesn’t heed the warning, continuing to do nothing for the remainder of the round. Round 10-9 Maia
Anderson Silva defeats Demian Maia by unanimous decision, to retail the middleweight title. Judges’ scores were not announced.
Aftermath: Anderson Silva now holds the undisputed record for most consecutive wins in the UFC (eleven) as well as most consecutive title defenses (six). While these accomplishments may qualify him as the greatest UFC fighter of all time, Anderson’s performance in his last three title defenses shows a complete lack of interest in fighting. Silva’s opponents to date have not been able to capitalize on his clowning, taunts, and lack of aggression, and there’s no reason to believe that top contenders Vitor Belfort and Chael Sonnen will fare any better. No-one wants to see another fight like Silva-Maia or Silva-Leites. The best solution for all parties would be for Silva to vacate the middleweight belt and move up to light-heavyweight or even heavyweight division, where he presumably would face more of a challenge.
Demian Maia was able to somewhat salvage his reputation by engaging in the latter rounds after doing nothing in the first half of the fight. For the time being he is out of the immediate title picture, and once his injuries heal he should take on fellow submission expert Rousimar Palhares.
Ranking Impact: Anderson Silva remains #1 MW and #2 on Division Dominance list. Demian Maia remains #8 MW.
Fight Grade: 1/5
While the undercard started out well enough, the three featured matchups lasted for over an hour of Octagon time, most of which was spent with the opponents slow-dancing around each other. At best, there was maybe five minutes of significant action in the both title fights and the Hughes-Gracie bouts combined! One word best describes UFC 112: Bizarre.