UFC 112 Lightweight Shakeup

With yesterday's events just now starting to sink in, where does this leave the rest of the UFC's lightweight division?  Let's start with the new champ, Frankie Edgar.  I'm honestly still in shock.  I gave Frankie no chance in this fight, but I don't think I'm alone on that one.  That being said, the ‘little engine that could' impressed the hell out of me, and apparently the judges as well.  Frankie did more than just survive, using his footwork and head movement to deal with the dreaded B.J. Penn jab, coming away from exchanges often better than worse.  He was also the first man to successfully take B.J. down in six years, don't know if Goldie and Rogan mentioned that.

SBN coverage of UFC 112: Invincible

As for B.J., I have a feeling all was not right in the world of Penn.  He just didn't seem to have it on fight night.  After about the second round he seemed to be slowing down.  While it wasn't a terrible fight, and it could have easily gone the other way, it just wasn't the BJ we've been seeing dominate the division lately.  Be it illness, fatigue, weight cut, jet lag, lack of preparation, or a plethora of other explanations, it cost the former champ his belt.  I expect B.J. to have a pretty solid rebound fight and wouldn't be shocked to see him get an immediate rematch with Edgar.

One man who might have something to say about that is Takanori Gomi.  Having fought once before in 2003, with Penn winning by submission, this could open up the opportunity for a potential rematch between the two.  With Gomi coming off a disappointing UFC debut in his fight with Kenny Florian a few weeks ago; this could be an interesting move for the UFC.  B.J. eases into a return with some familiarity, while fight fans get a chance to see exactly how much Gomi has left.

Speaking of Kenny Florian, this latest title fight has to be a breath of fresh air for him.  Florian has been on a tear of the lightweight division over the past three years, losing only title fights to Sean Sherk at UFC 64, and to Penn last August.  With wins over Huerta, Stevenson, Guida, and now Gomi, Kenny is always in the mix at the top of the division.  This could be his best chance at the title, third time being the charm.

Perhaps the most likely contender to challenge Edgar is Gray Maynard.  Maynard, the only man to edge out a victory over Edgar to date, would be an interesting rematch for the new champion.  The two fought at UFC Fight Night 13 back in April of 2008, MTV cameras capturing the experience for ‘True Life' I'm an MMA fighter.  While Maynard is undefeated, holding notable wins over Roger Huerta, Jim Miller, and Nate Diaz, he has had six straight fights go to the judges' scorecard.  This could, but not necessarily, give some insight into his chances of succeeding in a title fight, given that it is USUALLY difficult for the challenger to take the belt by decision.  Just recently having undergone arthroscopic knee surgery, Maynard is tentatively planning on a July or August return.

He told Cagepotato

 "I don't want to fight a guy who is an easy win; I want to have tough scraps. There are a lot of dudes who are tough as hell who are good in all areas in the [lightweight] division. It's so stacked. I've got to be prepared for those guys," he asserts ."There's been a lot of talk about a fight with Florian. There's a chance it might happen on the Boston card in August. I don't know. We'll see what the boss man says."