Stock Report: UFC 112 ‘Invincible’

UFC 112 “Invincible” is now in the books. Here’s a look at whose stock notably went up and those that held or lost ground on Saturday in Abu Dhabi.

Stock Up

Frankie Edgar: Even before I heard the official judges’ decision, Edgar was making the “Stock Up” list for hanging in there with Penn. Never did I expect him to get the judges’ nod. Any way you decide to wrap it, Edgar is the new UFC 155-pound champion.

Mark Munoz: Rallied from an 10-8 beating by Kendall Grove in the first round to find a second-round TKO. Munoz’s chin may be suspect, but his hands are lethal from the guard.

Phil Davis: “Mr. Wonderful” strikes again. Notched a first-round submission over fellow upstart Alexander Gustafsson in spectacular fashion. Davis is a blue-chip prospect in the same mold as Jon Jones, although the former PSU standout may have superior upside. Let that soak in for a minute.

Rafael dos Anjos: After a somewhat shaky start, the Brazilian put on a grappling clinic in round two against a veteran in Terry Etim. The kimura-to-armbar transition was a thing of beauty.

Jon Madsen: The undefeated Madsen upped his UFC record to 2-0 with a workmanlike unanimous-decision effort against Mostapha Al-Turk.

Hold

B.J. Penn: I still can’t believe Douglas Crosby saw the bout 50-45 for Frankie Edgar. All three virtual judges in the Sherdog.com play-by-play saw the bout for Penn, and I scored it 49-46. Penn gets on the “Hold” list for leaving it in the hands of the judges.

Matt Hughes: It wasn’t pretty, but Hughes did enough to put away Renzo Gracie with his feet and hands in round three.

Paul Kelly: Bounced back from his embarrassing finish against Dennis Siver to submit Matt Veach with a second-round guillotine.

Alexander Gustafsson: Few expected the Swede to hang with Davis. Don’t dock him for getting throttled by a future star.

Stock Down

Anderson Silva: How does the sport’s top pound-for-pound athlete drop to the “Stock Down” section following a successful title defense? This is how. A disgraceful performance in a pivotal event, as the UFC expanded into the Middle East for the first time. What was “The Spider” thinking?

Kendall Grove: Dominated Munoz in the first period, only to show his chin of old in round two.

Mostapha Al-Turk: Now 0-3 in the UFC following a disappointing outing against Madsen. This likely sealed his fate with the promotion.

Matt Veach: Dropped his second consecutive UFC bout by submission. Now 1-2 in the Octagon.