UFC 112 Review

Hey MMA Nation:
Ok so here is my recap of the 3 main fights which took place yesterday in Abu Dhabi.
UFC 112 was a pretty historic event when you consider these 2 facts:

- It's the first outdoor UFC event under the Zuffa management. The previous owners, SEG,had a very forgettable outdoor event back in the day.

- As the company continues to expand it's brand dominance, it's the first event in Abu Dhabi.

Overall, I must say that I was not impressed with the card. Here's a little breakdown as to why:

RENZO GRACIE v. MATT HUGHES
Background:This is a match between 2 MMA legends. Matt Hughes is a former welterweight champion. Basically, he was GSP before GSP destroyed him to take his title a few years back. He was dominant and looked to be unstoppable in his time, but with all great fighters eventually someone finds a way to beat you.

Renzo Gracie is part of MMA royalty. As you may have guessed, he is a part of the legendary Gracie family, who are responsible for starting the UFC and the growth of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in the US.

This had the makings of being a decent matchup considering the history between the two camps. Hughes had beaten Renzo's cousin Royce about 5 years ago as well as Renzo's student Matt Serra.

Recap: Snoozefest. Once again the Gracies fail to deliver in the UFC since it's early days. The fight was fairly inactive till about the last round where Hughes really went to town on Renzo's leg with low kicks. Gracie looked tired, old and ineffective throughout the match, which was mainly on the feet. This really annoyed me since these 2 were supposed to be know for their ground games. FIGHT RATING: 1/5


BJ "The Prodigy" PENN v. FRANKIE "The Answer" EDGAR(UFC Lightweight Championship)

Background: BJ Penn is the greatest Lightweight in MMA history period. He has talent in spades, but until his fight with GSP for the 170# title last January, he never really focused on training hard. After the GSP loss, he realized that he needed to start training better and incorporating a strength & conditioning program.

The changes really started to take effect as he destroyed both Kenny Florian and Diego Sanchez with relative ease. He seemed unbeatable and Frankie Edgar just looked like another stop on Penn's path to greatness. Everyone thought so but Frankie Edgar.

In many ways, Edgar actually mirrors Penn. Scrappy, strong stand up skills, and fearless.

Recap: Upset. Edgar was quicker and more explosive than many thought he would be including BJ Penn. Although Penn landed good clean punches. Edgar in my opinion was more active, had good head movement, and managed to get a few takedowns on a guy who is damn near impossible to bring down. After 5 rounds, it went to the judges decision, and Edgar shocked the world by becoming the new Lightweight Champion. FIGHT RATING: 3.5/5


ANDERSON "The Spider" Silva v. DAMIAN MAIA (UFC Middleweight Championship)

Background: Anderson Silva is what many consider the Pound 4 Pound greatest fighter on the planet. His striking is incredible, his ground game (if the fight ever gets that far) is solid and he's fast as hell. This was his first fight since last August when he humiliated former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Forrest Griffen in a "Superfight"(Silva moved up to 205 to fight him). It should have been a no brainer that Maia would be just another victim, but then again maybe that's the problem. As predicted, Maia was no challenge to Silva at all. It actually got to the point that Silva began to clown Maia because he really couldn't touch him in anyway.

Recap: Letdown. At first it was amusing to see Silva toy with his opponent in such a way, it really showed how good Anderson really is. However, at some point in the match it got to the point that Silva just got bored with the whole fight and just became a bit of a douche. He showed poor sportsmanship in not really trying to finish his opponent instead trying to blame Maia for not running headfirst into a knockout. Silva won via decision, but it was a bit annoying to watch.

FIGHT RATING: 2/5

In my opinion, Dana White needs to start forcing these guys into tougher fights. If the UFC wants to start cementing themselves as a top draw worldwide, they need to make a better showing than this.