There are three interesting story lines coming into UFC 118. First, will Frankie Edgar repeat and retain his title or will BJ Penn come back stronger than ever before? Second, who will be the #1 contender in the Lightweight Division? Lastly third, what will James Toney do against Randy Couture? If that doesn’t get you excited for this Saturday, I don’t know what will. I can’t wait and here are my predictions:

1. BJ Penn imposes a “Jens Pulver” game plan and dominates

BJ Penn will catch up with the speed of Frankie Edgar. Instead of seeing Edgar bounce around and pepper Penn with combos, Penn will close the distance / grab a hold of Edgar and impose the “Jens Pulver” game plan. Penn is the naturally bigger fighter and he needs to use it to smother Edgar. Whether it’s in the clinch, against the cage, or on the ground — Penn needs to dictate where the fight goes. When it gets to the ground, Edgar will be swarmed by Penn’s limbs and gets caught in a rear-naked choke. Add Edgar to the list of Kenny Florian, Joe Stevenson, Jens Pulver, Matt Hughes, and Takanori Gomi.

Prediction: BJ Penn over Frankie Edgar via rear-naked choke (submission)

2. Randy Couture will take James Toney to school - MMA 101

This one is easy. Bell rings — Randy Couture walks up to James Toney with hands held high and punches a bit until he clinches. From that point, he pushes Toney into the cage where he eventually is taken down. Once on the ground, Couture advances into mount and reigns down elbows and punches. Text book MMA.

Prediction: Randy Couture over James Toney via TKO

3. Kenny Florian shows Gray Maynard how to finish a fight

The Bully will be bullied. Kenny Florian will control this fight, oddly enough. Usually wrestlers, like Gray Maynard, would be able to control the fight with their wrestling, but that won’t be the case with Florian. The distance will be kept by the Boston native and eventually he’ll take Maynard down. Florian does his best work on top, and he’ll surely finish the fight. I wonder how Maynard will survive off his back?

Prediction: Kenny Florian over Gray Maynard via TKO/submission

4. Demian Maia does what he knows best: slick submissions

Demian Maia will come back strong to display the Brazilian Jui-Jitsu that got him to where he is today. If you haven’t seen Maia work off his back and snap on some slick submissions, then don’t miss this. Mario Miranda will try to keep it standing and use his reach, but eventually they’ll be on the ground and Maia will find a way to make Miranda tap.

Prediction: Demian Maia over Mario Mirando via submission

5. Nate Diaz fights his fight and lures Marcus Davis into a brawl

Nate Diaz wants to be a brawl. Marcus Davis wants to move around and use his boxing. Like his brother, Diaz has a weird striking style and it’ll definitely frustrate Davis. Once that happens, this is where the fight will change in the direction of a brawl. Diaz will benefit the most since he loves these types of fight, and it’ll be decisive. Judges don’t like the Diaz brothers, so it better be decisive.

Prediction: Nate Diaz over Marcus Davis via decision

—

QUESTION: What are your predictions for UFC 118?