B.J. Penn and Frankie Edgar faced off once again at UFC 118 on Aug. 28. Frankie Edgar beat B.J. Penn by decision to win the UFC Lightweight championship, at UFC 112. Penn had vowed that he would be more aggressive and try to finish Edgar, leading up to the rematch.
Penn came out very aggressive in the first round, as he stayed true to his word. as Edgar used his excellent hand speed and footwork to move in and out of Penn’s range, out-striking him at nearly every turn, though, the difference in speed was immediately obvious. Although Penn immediately got back up, Edgar also managed to take him down.
With Edgar using his speed to get the better of every exchange, the first 3 rounds played out exactly the same. Edgar’s excellent speed made up for that, while it was obvious that he did not have a lot of power in his hands. Finally, Penn got his first takedown, in the 4th round, but was unable to do anything with it. Penn took Edgar down twice, in the last two rounds, but was unable to keep him there for more than a few seconds.
Edgar’s speed and takedowns were simply too much for Penn in the end. compared to Penn’s 56, Edgar connected with 142 strikes. with Edgar’s performance, the judges were impressed, as all three judges scored the fight 50-45. B.J. Penn simply had no answer for Frankie Edgar’s speed, although this was a rematch that lived up to the expectations.