My Take on UFC 112: Overlookin' Edgar
Edgar vs. Penn
I scored it 2, 4, and 5 for Edgar, although I can easily see giving the second to Penn. Frankie Edgar's 7-to-1 underdog upset victory should be the big story coming out of UFC 112. Yet, it isn't.
The last time that there was a long-odds championship upset - Matt Serra's decimation of Georges St. Pierre - the fans and media alike were in an uproar. Even after a decisive TKO over GSP, people still doubted Serra's ability. So when we see Edgar edge out a split decision, over the man believed to be the greatest 155lb. fighter in the history of the sport, aren't we hearing a similar chorus of doubts regarding Edgar?
People love drama. That's just the (often sad) truth. And the Fight between BJ Penn and Frankie Edgar simply wasn't dramatic in the traditional sense. Neither competitor was ever in any danger of being finished. The fight was technical, the decision close enough to reflect that, and Edgar was declared the victor. The big drama was about whether or not Edgar could keep working at and imposing such a frenetic pace.
Normally today's intardweb argument would be about this fight, the judging, what went wrong with BJ, and how maybe some of the haters should include Frankie on their top pound-for-pound lists. Many fans would call for a rematch; the Penn loyalists in the hopes that their man will prove himself best, and show that it was just an off night, and the Edgar fans who would like to see Frankie win with a more dominant showing.
Well, my hat's off to Frankie Edgar whom, according to the announce team, may have actually been facing off against a cyborg. No matter how many times Mike Goldberg reminded us that Freddie Roach says BJ Penn has the best hands in MMA, the fact remains that he was out-boxed in Abu Dhabi. Since the commentary of aged boxing coaches isn't worth what it used to be, Joe Rogan felt the need to add the following attributes to Penn's arsenal: Snake-like Jabs, Laser targeting pinpoint accurate punches, Laser-guided Bombs, and he also upgraded BJ's jaw from Granite (as shown by the description graphic during his entrance) to Iron.
Yes, "Edgar Defeats Cyborg Fighting Champion" should be the day's headline but instead people are talking about...
The Main Event
Featuring: Anderson Silva vs. Himself, the crowd, and marginally Demian Maia. As well as Demian Maia vs. Bruce Lee and his tag-team partner "Big" Dan Miragliotta. In A Steel Cage!
Maia and Silva enter the Octagon, and almost immediately the awkwardness begins; first Silva goes to the center of the ring, kneels and bows while facing Maia. Demian then joins Anderson in the middle of the ring, kneeling and bowing to Silva. Meanwhile, Silva is ignoring Maia, and has begun turning to the four corners of the arena and continuing his prostrations, which were apparently directed at the fans, and not his opponent. Oops.
The shenanigans are further foreshadowed by the announcement of "Big" Dan Miragliotta as your referee for the contest. Miragliotta has edged out Steve Mazzagatti as the sport's worst official - quite a feat, some might say. And as soon as Dan opened his mouth and stuttered his way through the rules recap, things started to steadily go downhill.
For the first two rounds, Anderson Silva wowed the attending crowd with his impressions of Bruce Lee, including totally out-classing his opponent. He broke Demian's nose, and injured Demian's leg so badly that later blows to the leg would send Maia to the canvass. Some people have criticized Silva for not fighting to win in those first couple of rounds. Here, I beg to differ; breaking a bone in someone's face is generally associated with trying to win fights. The same could be said for such devastating low-line kicks. Combine the with the fact, and it is a fact, that Demian Maia is the best Brazilian Jiu-jitsu practitioner in MMA, and you might be able to see why Silva was hitting and moving, rather than going all-out. Simply put, you do not want a grappling ace to get a hold of you while A) the guy isn't tired, and B) you're not sweaty enough to have become slippery yet.
I cannot and do not fault Anderson for playing his own game and sticking to it during the opening rounds. I don't even mind some, or hell a ton of, showboating, as long as you're doing damage and continuing to have a good showing. In those first couple frames, Silva was doing just that.
Ring rust is a bitch and a half, though, isn't it? And after an eight plus month lay off, and arm surgery rehab Silva did the worst thing he could've done - he got tired. Now when you're tired and facing a game opponent, you definitely do not want to let on that you're exhausted. So he began to taunt Maia, and then slip away, while doing just enough to remain ahead on the judge's scorecards.
I don't blame Silva for staying ahead and coasting, I don't mind him using the rules to his advantage. Me? I blame Dan Miragliotta. Just over three minutes into the final round, Miragliotta warns Anderson to engage, stating that if he continues to back away a point will be deducted. This is an action I have no problem with. My issue is with the timing of the referee's warning. To have any real effect the official needs to step in with a warning at the first appearance of a rules infraction, in this case that means in the third round, early on.
Dan simply doing his job would have changed the tone of the fight and the entire event. Miragliotta is part of a broken system. The other part is the 10-point must system for scoring. Due to the scoring system the outcome of this fight wouldn't have changed one bit, even if Silva had lost a point in rounds 3, 4, and 5 each! Anderson would still win the bout with a score of 47 to 45. But at least the event would have been better run, and hopefully not left so many fans irate.
Down With Miragliotta~! Down With Boxing's Old Scoring Rules~!