UFC 112 Invincible - Anderson Silva VS Demian Maia, BJ Penn VS Frankie Edgar

Though many may consider men who enter an mma proving ground little more than hired human pitbulls ripping each other apart for massive money and radical amusement, I tend to reject this view via a yawn of black hole, concluding that professional level mma is the combat of highly disciplined human spirits, opposing each other for but the duration of the bout, probably ending up as unified in the process as we could conceive, simply through their magnificent shared experience of being in a cage where the damage one suffers is the wit one failed to exhibit. That is how, in my opinion, the mma fighter fights against herself/himself. The reaction of one's opponent is the reaction to whatever one could offer as offense.

Notice that the ultimately glorious moments of mixed martial arts are not of those of KOs and submissions. They are of those of hugging the formal rival at the end of the bout, circulating the most honest, pure respect spirit and related (?) intelligence may come upon, the limitless respect each fighter deserves simply by making an attempt of expressing themselves thoroughly, honestly on the proving grounds. The biggest respect one could give is the assumption that one needs every skills- and wits to neutralize the rival. A fight is nothing less than the expression of these skill sets, put though to the test utterly and completely, instead of infinitely theorizing about them. The most glorious moment of the bout emerges in the form of the ensuing peace between the fighters, a legit, palpable sensation, unifying the former enemies and the grateful audience once the collision reaches its conclusion.

This is a review of the latest UFC event to date, UFC 112 - Invincible.



Introductory thoughts about the more significant lineups

UFC 112 puts two UFC Belts on the line, as UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson "The Spider" Silva defends his title against the man many professionals regard as the direst threat one can face on the - literal - earth: Jiu-Jitsu Master-Wizard Demian Maia comes to the collision with an improved standup game, expressing openly that there is no secret in his gameplan tonight: he wants to invite Anderson to the ground and apply one of this -Maia's - lethal choke or submission on the Champion. Silva is not spring chicken on the ground either though, and says that he has a couple of ground-tricks up his sleeve that might surprise the talented Challenger. I predicted that Silva will exhibit no intention to wage this war on low quarters with the exceptionally dangerous Jiu-Jitsu practitioner, and, seeing how Silva outclassed Forrest Griffin with his standup game with offering nothing else than playful dodge maneuvers and a consecutive mercykill of it, Maia either would be very brave or very fool to accept an exchange invitation from The Spider.

UFC Lightweight Champion BJ Penn greets the superfervent Frankie Edgar in - logically - another Championship matchup. With the new kind of discipline he is dedicated cultivator of since 2007, BJ Penn certainly looks very hard to touch, and fans expect nothing less than the affirmation of this quality tonight. Frankie Edgar likes the role of the underdog, and certainly seems to be ready to capitalize on this special opportunity. Recently, no man could stand the standup talent BJ Penn brings to the Octagon, and, though Frankie Edgar states that Penn did not face the raw intensity he is capable to deliver, the Champion promises that if Edgar is serious about engaging on the feet, then he will find out pretty soon that he is in the cage with another street fighter.

The third match of vital importance is a collision of ancient - no disrespect, rather respect and lots of it - mma giants, as UFC Hall of Famer Matt Huges faces Renzo Gracie. Renzo is here to avenge the loss his cousin, Royce Gracie suffered under the meticulous care of Hughes' hands, while Hughes expresses his hopes of having more to deal with this time than what Royce gave him to.

Mark Munoz VS Kendall Grove

Following a first period in which he is getting crushed by a solid uppercut and numerous submission attempts by the tallest competitor of the UFC's middleweight division, Mark Munoz comes back to the Octagon with an agenda in the consecutive period: he finds more and more success on the highly cultivated ground warfare, maintaining-, and sticking to the position from which he is able to deliver air to ground missiles to Grove. Though Kendall's defense shows initial fruition, the number of missiles do not decrease, quite the contrary: Munoz is able to incorporate an increased amount of intensity and efficiency into these shots, eventually swarming the fighter who controlled the first round with an iron fist. Tremendous comeback victory from Mark Munoz, probably the biggest the UFC have seen in years.


Matt Hughes VS Renzo Gracie

Both the first and second round exhibit nothing less and nothing more than ultra-conservative approach cultivated by both legendary participants, introducing very cautious standup warfare in which Hughes finds more success by landing
solid leg kicks and landing a lot of those. By the third round, Renzo Gracie is gassed considerably, giving the chance to Hughes to deliver his leg kicks on even more frequent occasions. Gracie's leg eventually gives out, and then gives
out again, up to the point by which - as correctly pointed out by Mark Goldberg and Joe Rogan - nothing but pride invites him to stand up again. In the twilight of the round, even that proves to be a challenge: Gracie spends more time on his back, recovering, than what he probably had plans for. Finally, Hughes moves in for the kill at the fence and manages to greet the opposing Legend with a successive flurry of shots that puts an end to this contest. Matt Hughes emerges as the victor by grinding down Royce Gracie.

BJ Penn VS Frankie Edgar

The Lightweight Championship goes to the distance all the way, presenting a kickboxing match and a Frankie Edgar who is pretty effective at mixing up his attacks, especially from the third round on. His constant movement makes him very hard to find, and even manages to score two takedowns during the match. Though the collision shows quite balanced characteristics, BJ Penn shows signs of slowing down and can not resonate a radical verdict this time. Frankie Edgar is crowned as the new UFC Lightweight Champion via remaining in the ring with The Prodigy for five five minutes rounds and being able to express himself as a relentless Challenge BJ Penn could not negate tonight.

Anderson Silva VS Demian Maia

Silva delivers a showcase of his standup skills in the first two rounds, proving to Maia and the audience that the talented Jiu-Jitsu practitioner has no chance to find The Spider in the Octagon. In the second period, Silva puts tremendous effort into taunting his rival, inviting him to engage in the standup position as opposed exhibiting the constant urge to wage the war on the ground, expressed by Maia's jump-in attempts in order to score a takedown of any kind. From the third round on though, Silva becomes super-passive: the forth round is pretty much a chronicle of two fighters circling in the Octagon for three minutes, up to the point by which Referee Dan Miragliotta gives a warning to Anderson with the additional message to cease the utilization of this approach immediately. Many do wonder what happened, and, among those, Joe Rogan is the first to express an opinion that Silva might have tired during the rounds, but, I, for one have the impression that Silva simply did not want to destruct Maia, not after the massive amount of taunting he gave him earlier. Taunting a man in a professional fight this way, THEN knocking him the frick out - makes it very difficult to leave the Octagon without unnecessarily hard feelings. I have the impression that Anderson Silva did not want to take away Demian Maia's dignity by crushing him after the taunt. Anderson Silva emerges as successful defendant of the Middleweight Belt. On a sidenote: Dana White was utterly dissatisfied by Silva's noted performance. What can one say beyond this: we will see what is - up.

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