thoughts on UFC 112

I`m getting pretty pumped for UFC 112. My boys will be sleeping over at my folks place so Roxanne and I will be able to enjoy the fights with our friends from Sudbury BJJ & Muay Thai.

The fact that Renzo is on the card makes it extra awesome, but the fact is, the 3 feature fights involve 3 of the best Brazilian Jiu Jitsu fighters on the planet. BJ Penn is taking on Frankie Edgar. Anyone reading this is likely aware of Penn`s background with Gracie Jiu Jitsu. He was the first American to win the Mundials and earned his black belt in an incredible 3 years. That`s how he became known as the prodigy. Edgar is a purple belt (under Renzo Gracie), but let`s be real here. Edgar is a gamer, but he`s nowhere near BJ`s level in any facet of the game. I could see this going into the 2nd round, but not much further than that. Penn will win and talk will continue on seeing him move back up to 170.

The main event sees Anderson Silva defend the middleweight title vs Demian Maia. Most people aren`t giving Maia much chance in this one but I think it can be a good fight. Anderson took some punishment in his fight vs Travis Lutter who`s known for two things...his high level jiu jitsu and horrible cardio. Maia might have the best ground game in MMA. The only black mark on his record is from his loss to Nate Marquart. For those who didn`t see the fight, Nate caught Demian with a straight right in the initial seconds of the fight and caught him perfectly. Maia went to sleep. That`s the big concern if you`re pulling for Demian. When you think of it, Anderson is known for having the best standup in MMA. Maia could have the best ground game. If Maia can take the fight to the ground...it could get very interesting. If he`s not able to get inside on the Spider, we might see another boring fight similar to Silva`s fight with Thales Leites. I`m cheering for Maia in this one.

That brings us to the fight between Matt Hughes and Renzo Gracie. Alot of people are writing Renzo off thinking the fight will be the same as Hughes vs Royce, but Renzo is a very different fighter. There really isn`t much I can say about this fight which hasn`t already been said. I`m confident that Renzo will restore the family name and put Gracie Jiu Jitsu back on the map in the UFC. (not that it ever went away).

I just can`t stand Matt Hughes. Matt Serra pointed it out during the hype for their fight. Hughes is a simpleton. I`ve read just about every UFC fighter autobiography available and can honestly say that Matt Hughes is the only fighter I began to dislike more and more as I read his book. I think he`s a real jerk and hope Renzo sends him back to the farm with his pride in his suitcase.

More to come...