UFC 118 took place in Boston and Ariel Shnerer blogged all the action for FOXSports.com there, including Randy Couture's rout of James Toney and Frankie Edgar's second straight win over BJ Penn.
Main card
Frankie Edgar vs. BJ Penn
Round 1
It's main event time and the crowd is solidly behind the former champ Penn, while Edgar receives a mixed response. Referee Herb Dean is overseeing the action. Penn is aggressive early on and chases Edgar around the octagon, landing several short punches before Edgar grabs a hold of him and takes him down. Penn nearly reverses the position, but Edgar manages to stay on top. Penn stays active off his back and finally pushes Edgar off before returning to his feet. Edgar is moving well, but isn't landing anything substantial. Edgar shoots in for a takedown, but eats a knee for his troubles. He stays persistent and gets Penn down. The Hawaiian gets back up easily this time. Penn lands a solid right hook counter, while Edgar connects with an outside leg kick. Edgar is circling and Penn seems more hesitant to charge forward. Edgar lands a nice body combo with 20 seconds left. Penn grazes Edgar with a hook and eats a knee to the body as the round ends. FOXSports.com scores it 10-9 Edgar.
Round 2
Penn misses a high kick, but lands with a leg kick. He connects with several clean punches, but gets hit with a kick to the body. Penn is moving forward, looking for bigger shots like he did in their first fight. Edgar shoots in for a takedown and Penn stuffs it, but gets a knee to the body. Edgar is moving in and out, landing leg kicks, but he is eating sharper punches. Edgar lands a front kick and is then hit with several hooks. He fails on another takedown attempt and Penn is starting to find his range. Edgar shoots in and gets a takedown, but Penn gets back up. Penn eats a few hooks as they exchange. Edgar continues to circle, landing with kicks as he comes in. FOXSports.com scores a much closer round 10-9 Edgar.
Round 3
Edgar's movement is making all the difference as he lands with a few solid combinations. Penn stuffs a takedown and lands a knee to the body. Penn connects on a solid counter hook but Edgar answers back with a few combinations to the body. The crowd shifts gears and chants of "Frankie" are heard throughout the arena. Penn stuffs another takedown, but eats a knee to the body. Edgar follows up with a powerful left hook. "The Answer" is unrelenting with his takedown attempts, but Penn stuffs another one and eats a short hook in close quarters. Edgar is staying busy and wins another 10-9 round on the FOXSports.com card.
Round 4
Penn looks frustrated as the round gets underway. He eats a quick combination from Edgar before grabbing a hold of his body and taking him down. Finally on top, Penn is struggling to amount any kind of offense and Edgar escapes. Back on their feet, Penn lands a solid jab and eats a hook in return. Edgar kicks Penn's leg out from underneath him and drops him to the canvas. Edgar follows Penn to the floor and sits in his tight guard. Penn works the rubber guard off his back, but Edgar stays out of trouble. The New Jersey native postures up and lands several solid blows. Edgar is putting on a stunning display against the former two-division champion. He is clearly the more active of the two fighters and Penn is having trouble dealing with the champion's speed. Edgar eats a left hand as the fourth stanza comes to an end. FOXSports.com sees it 10-9 Edgar.
Round 5
In desperation mode, Penn wastes little time shooting in and securing a takedown. Edgar returns to his feet, but Penn drags him right back down and takes his back. Edgar reverses the position and ends up in Penn's guard. Penn is eating elbows off his back. Edgar is staying busy, hammering away on the Hawaiian challenger. Penn returns to his feet with 90 seconds left. Edgar has clearly won over the fans with his immaculate performance. Penn shoots in gets hit with a knee to the face for his efforts. Another 10-9 round for Edgar as FOSSports.com sees a 50-45 shutout for the champ. Tremendous outing for Edgar, who can now look ahead at a lightweight title clash with Gray Maynard.
Frankie Edgar def. BJ Penn via Unanimous Decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45)
Randy Couture vs. James Toney
Round 1
The time has come and the crowd is buzzing for the evening's most anticipated attraction. The brash boxing representative Toney is booed out the building. Couture, meanwhile, gets an ear-splitting reception from the Boston fans. Both men touch gloves and we are underway. Couture circles and easily gets a single-leg takedown. Within seconds, he takes the full amount and starts to pound away. "The Natural" lets Toney waste energy throwing punches off his back. Just as Toney gets close to the cage and tries to get back to his feet, Couture locks in an arm triangle. Toney lets referee Mario Yamasaki know that he is OK and Couture begins unloading bombs. He then reverts back to the arm triangle, which leads to a bloodied and battered Toney waving his hand in defeat. The crowd is on their feet for the UFC Hall of Famer, who secures the easy victory and earns his BJJ black belt in triumph.
Randy Couture def. James Toney via Submission (arm-triangle choke) at 3:19, Round 1
Demian Maia vs. Mario Miranda
Round 1
Maia is the aggressor early. He moves forward and clinches before taking Miranda down. Maia lands several knees to the body and Miranda gets back up, only to be taken right back down. Maia shifts to his opponent's back in crafty fashion and wraps his feet into a body triangle. Miranda controls Maia's wrist to prevent him from sinking in the hooks. Maia shifts to an armbar, but Miranda escapes and returns to his feet. Maia continues moving forward, not giving Miranda any room to strike. Maia dodges several hooks. The pace is slowing down. Maia misses a wild overhand right and lands a front kick as the round ends. FOXSports.com scores it 10-9 Maia.
Round 2
Miranda lands a leg kick and misses with a looping punch. Maia charges forward and connects with a knee. He grabs a hold of Miranda's leg and gets him down briefly. Miranda returns to his feet, but Maia grabs a hold of his neck and trips him to the mat. Maia controls his Brazilian countryman from top position and passes the guard. Now in full mount, Maia exhibits great patience as he hammers down blows. Miranda prevents him from locking in an arm triangle, but Maia postures up and lands some elbows. Miranda is eating punches, but they aren't doing too much damage. Maia then shifts his attention to a top-side triangle choke as he wraps his right leg around Miranda's neck. He can't get it, though, and then focuses his attention on an armbar with 30 seconds left in the round. Miranda escapes and gets back to his feet. FOXSports.com scores it 10-9 Maia.
Round 3
Miranda lands a leg kick, but Maia immediately shoots in and takes his back. The body triangle is locked in, but Maia is having trouble flattening Miranda out. Maia is landing punches from Miranda's back as he covers up. He escapes the position and tells Maia to return to his feet. The crowd is letting them have it as they start to boo. Maia lands a body punch. Both men are exhausted. With two minutes left, Maia secures another takedown. He passes the half-guard and ends up in full mount. Maia goes for an armbar with 30 seconds left, but Miranda escapes. Miranda is on top as time expires. Maia takes another round on the FOXSports.com card, 10-9, to win the fight 30-27.
Demian Maia def. Mario Miranda via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Kenny Florian vs. Gray Maynard
Round 1
Maynard is booed heavily, while Florian is met with a thunderous ovation from his hometown crowd at the TD Garden. The crowd chants "Kenny" and the two fighters circle each other early on. Both men are tentative on their feet. Maynard blocks a head kick and then misses with a looping overhand right. Florian lands a few leg kicks followed by a punch to the body. He is effectively keeping his distance and landing better shots as Maynard has yet to connect with anything significant. Maynard lands a quick uppercut and then shoots in for a strong single-leg. Florian tries for a guillotine choke, but Maynard escapes and relentlessly pursues a takedown. He finally drops Florian on his back and lands in his guard. Florian avoids any damage off his back and Maynard lands a punch as the bell sounds. FOXSports.com scores it 10-9 Maynard.
Round 2
Maynard circles as Florian pumps the jab. Maynard blocks a head kick and misses with an overhand right. A head kick is blocked by Maynard. Florian tries another high head kick and this time it grazes Maynard's head. Maynard lands a solid uppercut and secures a double-leg takedown. Florian uses the cage to return to a vertical base, but Maynard won't let him go. He drops him again and lands in side control. Florian is bleeding from his eye. Florian does well to get Maynard in his guard, but he is eating punches to the face and body. Another 10-9 round for Maynard.
Round 3
Sensing he is down on the scorecards, the crowd starts to rally behind Florian, who lands a nice hook. Another head kick is blocked by Maynard. Florian misses with a Superman punch but starts to put combinations together. Maynard gets another takedown. Referee Mario Yamasaki warns Florian not to grab the fence. Maynard postures up and rains down blows, but Florian is throwing up punches and kicks from the bottom. Content to ride out the position, Maynard sits in Florian's guard and hammers away with punches. Florian desperately tries to secure an omoplata, but Maynard easily escapes. Florian goes for it again. This time, he locks Maynard in and the crowd erupts. Maynard escapes and both fighters return to their feet. Florian presses forward in the remaining 10 seconds, but it is too little too late as Maynard takes another 10-9 round. FOXSports.com scores the fight 30-27 for the Xtreme Couture prodigy.
Gray Maynard def. Kenny Florian via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Nate Diaz vs. Marcus Davis
Round 1
Davis receives a tremendous pop from the partisan Boston crowd as he makes his way to the cage alongside Mark DellaGrotte and Jorge Gurgel. Diaz, who is accompanied by his brother Nick and Gilbert Melendez, is showered with boos. Davis lands a lopping hook early and Diaz begins taunting him with his hands up. Davis clips and drops the Cesar Gracie pupil, but Diaz recovers quickly and returns to his feet. Diaz is content to box with "The Irish Hand Grenade," but he is getting the worst of the exchanges. The crowd chants "Diaz sucks." Davis has a deep gash over his right eye. Diaz starts landing some nice shots and begins to find his range. Davis clinches up momentarily but eats a knee as the fighters separate. Davis stuffs a takedown attempt and Diaz is now landing solid counterpunches. He shoots in for another takedown, but to no avail. Diaz is hitting Davis with a multitude of strikes and his face is now a crimson mask. Diaz rubs his eye as the round ends. The doctor checks out the cut above Davis' eye in between rounds and he lets the action continue. FOXSports.com scores the entertaining round 10-9 Diaz.
Round 2
Diaz, who is also cut on his right cheek, is finding his rhythm and shoots in for a takedown, but it is defended well by Davis. The two fighters engage in a slugfest and Diaz is landing the better shots. Davis keeps coming forward and getting countered. Davis lands a solid overhand right, but Diaz is unfazed. Davis is now eating clean jabs and hooks in every exchange and his face is a bloody mess. Davis lands a few leg kicks, but nothing seems to be slowing Diaz down. They clinch up and Diaz nearly trips him to the mat, but Davis shows solid balance and ends up landing on top briefly before Diaz reverses the position. FOXSports.com scores it 10-9 Diaz.
Round 3
The crowd starts chanting "Let's go Marcus" as Diaz continues to unload a plethora of punches. Davis' nose is now also bloodied. They clinch up and Diaz connects with some punches and knees against the cage. Diaz continues to get the better of the exchanges and Davis seems bothered by blood trickling into his eye. Diaz starts to mix up the attack and lands a few kicks before shooting in and securing a takedown. He lands in Davis' half-guard and batters away on his bloodied face. Davis tries to scramble back to his feet and the submission specialist immediately sinks in a tight guillotine choke. Davis does not tap, but he is out cold and referee Yves Lavigne halts the contest. Fantastic fight. Davis lies motionless on the canvas as Bruce Buffer announces the winner.
Nate Diaz def. Marcus Davis via Submission (guillotine choke) at 4:02, Round 3
Undercard
Joe Lauzon vs. Gabe Reudiger
Round 1
The hometown hero Lauzon brings some energy back to the live crowd after the last fight sucked it out of them. Lauzon connects with several hooks before taking Ruediger down. He takes Ruediger's back, but the former WEC champion escapes and goes for a toe hold. Lauzon is not letting up as he unloads a flurry of bombs. Ruediger tries to get back up, but Lauzon slams him down hard and secures a fight-ending armbar. The crowd goes nuts for the finish.
Joe Lauzon def. Gabe Ruediger via Submission (armbar) at 2:01, Round 1
Andre Winner vs. Nik Lentz
Round 1
Lentz shoots in for a takedown. With his back against the fence, Winner does well to avoid getting taken down, but he is unable to amount any kind of offense. Lentz keeps trying for a takedown as Winner hobbles on one leg. Winner finally gets the Thai clinch and lands a sharp elbow before Lentz goes for it again and finally gets him down. Winner easily gets back to his feet and Lentz eats several clean punches as the round ends. FOXSports.com scores it 10-10.
Round 2
Lentz's gameplan is pretty obvious as he shoots in for a takedown yet again and the two fighters end up in another stalemate. Winner separates and lands with a few punches before Lentz charges in again. Winner is taken down momentarily before getting back to his feet. The crowd is getting restless with the lack of action. FOXSports.com scores another round 10-10.
Round 3
Before Winner can land any significant strikes, Lentz pushes him back against the fence, evidently desperate to take him down. He does so finally and takes Winner's back, but no damage is inflicted. Lentz is in complete control and the Nottingham native turtles up. Lentz lands several punches to the body as the crowd showers the fighters with boos. FOXSports.com scores the final round 10-9 Lentz and the fight 30-29 for the Minnesota Martial Arts product. The crowd boos the decision heavily.
Nik Lentz def. Andre Winner via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27)
John Salter vs. Dan Miller
Round 1
They trade shots standing with Miller getting the better of the exchanges. Salter catches a leg kick and secures a takedown, but the BJJ black belt Miller immediately goes to work, controlling Salter in his high guard. Miller kicks him off and returns to his feet. He shoots in for a takedown, but Salter defends it well and lands a knee before securing another takedown of his own. Salter escapes a guillotine choke attempt and passes to side control as the round ends. FOXSports.com scores it 10-9 Salter.
Round 2
Miller pushes forward with his jab and Salter connects with a strong right hook. Miller perfectly times a takedown attempt and immediately secures Salter's neck in an anaconda choke, forcing him to submit at 1:53.
Dan Miller def. John Salter via Submission (anaconda choke) at 1:53, Round 2
Nick Osipczak vs. Greg Soto
Round 1
The BJJ brown belt Soto is the early aggressor and lands a takedown. Osipczak immediately closes his guard and actively works for submissions off his back. The Nottingham, England native eventually returns to a vertical base, but Soto is the busier of the two fighters in the clinch. Osipczak begins to find his rhythm standing and Soto shoots in for another takedown, but it is defended well. Soto has a deep gash in the corner of his left eye. Osipczak begins landing some clean shots as time expires. FOXSports.com scores it 10-9 for Osipczak based on damage.
Round 2
Soto is getting desperate with his takedown attempts and the Brit does a solid job defending. Osipczak unloads with some big shots and Soto instinctively grabs a hold of him and takes his back. Osipczak does well to get him into his guard, but Soto passes to half-guard and controls from top position. He lands several elbows but doesn't do any significant damage. They scramble back to their feet as the second period ends. FOXSports.com scores it 10-9 Soto.
Round 3
Soto wastes little time shooting in for a successful takedown and he passes to half-guard where he lands several solid knees to the body. With two minutes left in the fight, Osipczak gives up his back. He rolls to escape, but Soto secures an arm-triangle. Osipczak signals that he is fine, but Soto is in complete control as he pounds on Osipczak, who covers up as the fight ends. FOXSports.com scores the round 10-9 Soto and the fight 29-28 in his favor.
Greg Soto def. Nick Osipczak via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Mike Pierce vs. Amilcar Alves
Round 1
Pierce wastes no time going for a takedown and controls the Brazilian UFC newcomer from top position. Alves returns to a vertical base, but Pierce controls him in the clinch as time expires in the opening stanza. FOXSports.com scores it 10-9 Pierce.
Round 2
The second round is much of the same with Pierce shooting in for a strong single-leg takedown and controlling Alves for five full minutes. FOXSports.com scores it 10-9 Pierce.
Round 3
Alves starts out more aggressive standing, landing several kicks on Pierce. Before long, however, Pierce puts him on his back. Pierce passes guard and attempts a kimura, but Alves escapes. Moments later, Pierce goes for a cross-body armbar and Alves screams in pain as he taps out at the 3:11 mark.
Mike Pierce def. Amilcar Alves via Submission (cross-body armbar) at 3:11, Round 3
