MMA Stomping Grounds: Ten things we learned from UFC 118 - Mixed martial arts: UFC news, analysis, opinions, Q&As, video

I’m sure that there were many other things we learned at UFC 118, but here is my top 10.

10. Talking trash only sells tickets. The last three trash-talking fighters all walked out of the cage with bruised egos, bruised faces and losses on their records. James "Your Lights Went Out" Toney, Chael Sonnen and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson went down.

9. Speaking of trash talking. Nate Diaz and Marcus Davis clearly had the “Fight of the Night.” Diaz usually backs up his trash-talking with his fists.

8. Lightweight contender Gray “The Bully” Maynard is for real. He is finally going to get a shot at the lightweight belt.

7. BJ Penn and Kenny Florian should now be considered gatekeepers of the championship belts. They should become the guys you fight before you fight for the belt.

6. James Toney had no defense for the low, single-leg takedown. You don’t see that move very often in a professional MMA fight. That’s old-school wrestling, something a boxer would never have seen in his career.

5. UFC President Dana White talking about Kenny Florian: "He chokes in the big fights."

4. Shaquille O’Neal wants to fight Hong Man Choi in an MMA fight. Click to see video.

3. Joe Lauzon has won a post-fight award in his last three fights.

2. Dana White has learned a valuable lesson for the future of MMA. You can’t allow anybody with a big mouth and a few MMA lessons the chance to fight in the cage. Clearly, James Toney was overmatched in this fight and anyone that knew anything about MMA picked this outcome. We knew Randy Couture would have Toney on his back in 10 seconds and a submission in the first round.

1. False advertisement. What was the UFC thinking when they put up the picture, clearly airbrushed or manipulated, of James Toney on its website. Did they think we were not going to see his gut and love handles when he removed his shirt?

Results from UFC 118:

Mike Pierce won by submission (straight armbar) over Amilcar Alves

Greg Soto won by decision (unanimous) over Nick Osipczak

Dan Miller won by submission (anaconda choke) over John Salter

Nik Lentz won by decision (unanimous) over Andre Winner

Joe Lauzon won by submission (armbar) over Gabe Ruediger

Nate Diaz won by submission (guillotine choke) over Marcus Davis

Gray Maynard won by decision (unanimous) over Kenny Florian

Demian Maia won by decision (unanimous) over Mario Miranda

Randy Couture won by submission (arm-triangle choke) over James Toney

Frankie Edgar won by decision (unanimous) over B.J. Penn

Comments

BJ Penn looked unmotivated and bored before the fight started, and it never changed. His body did not look like it was in shape. He was good enough not last all five rounds, but he did not eem reeady to actually fight.

The James Toney thing was horrible, and everybody knew it. looked like a sad exibition for two old fighters needing money. MMA fighters could not cross over into boxing either. Toney would woop up on Cuture in a boxing match. Dana White made a bad call on this one.

Overall, pretty week event. some good matches , but to many onesided ones.

Posted by: Doug M | August 29, 2010 11:41 AM

Sonnen dominated his fight but lost by fluke to that wimp anderson

Posted by: jeb | August 29, 2010 11:44 AM

here jeb, let me fix that for you

"Sonnen dominated his fight but lost due to not being able to recognize and obvious armbar/choke situation - yet again"

look at the dude's record, that wasn't the first time he's been caught like that. he should have won, but it's a 25 minute fight, not 23 minutes

Posted by: brandon | August 30, 2010 11:23 AM

I agree BJ appeared to lack motivation in this fight, maybe he was uninterested int he fight from the beginning. I wonder who he will fight next after this loss.

Posted by: George | September 4, 2010 9:46 PM

Nice list!
What can we expect from trash talkers is thrash abilities and a horrible trash of a fight.

Posted by: Brandon | September 17, 2010 4:21 AM