On Aug. 8 at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, Penn., the Ultimate Fighting Championship visits the "City of Brotherly Love" with UFC 101: Declaration.
Today's topic of discussion is the two main events of the card, so let's get to it.
The BJ Penn vs. Kenny Florian fight is one of the most anticipated fights in the lightweight division of the UFC to date.
Florian has not lost a fight since his title loss to Sean Sherk three years ago, and the kid keeps on getting better with every match.
The Boston native is on a six-fight winning streak since the Sherk loss, and he has finished five of his last six matches either by submission or knockout. The other win was a dominating performance over lightweight contender Roger Huerta.
But it was his next match against former No. 1 contender in the lightweight division, Joe Stevenson, in which Florian opened up a lot of eyes, when he choked out the TUF 2 winner in the first round.
The Stevenson victory showed the MMA world just how much "K-Flo" has grown as a fighter since coming off of season one of The Ultimate Fighter. His striking game has gone to another level since he went under the training of fellow Bostonian Mark Dellagrotte, and it is the perfect setup for his always solid ground game.
But is Florian confident enough to put away a fighter like BJ Penn on the ground?
There is a reason why Penn is the lightweight champion. Everybody knows that Penn's ground game is second to none, but it was his striking that won him the undisputed UFC Lightweight Title when he TKO'd Sean Sherk at the end of the third round at UFC 84. That victory showed the world that Penn has knockout power not only in his hands, but in his legs as well.
After suffering a devestating yet controversial loss to Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre, Penn is now refocused and rededicated to becoming a legend in his division. The Lightweight Division is where Penn belongs, and he has all the tools to become the most dominant 155-pounder in UFC history.
But the road to becoming a legend starts with Florian. True, Penn has knockout power in his stand-up game, but if Penn wants to beat Florian, he will have to utilize his sick ground game to take him out. Florian is no joke on the ground, but Penn has that unbelievable flexability that basically transforms his legs into another set of arms.
Florian's Muy Thai is very good, and his razor sharp elbows can cut a fighter, making the referee stop the fight. Penn does not want to lose his title because of a nasty cut, which Florian is known to hand out.
Florian has to make sure he does not give his back to Penn, because it will be only a matter of time until Penn will snake out a submission.
It is very hard to pick a winner out of these two fighters. If the fight goes to the ground, Penn will win. If the fight stays on the feet, Florian will have the edge and could very well leave the octagon with the "W."
Now, onto the Anderson Silva versus Forrest Griffin fight. To quote UFC President Dana White, "This fight has all the elements of taking 'Fight of The Year' honors."
Anderson is jumping up to the Light Heavyweight Division once again to take on literally his biggest challenge in Former Light Heavyweight Champion Forrest Griffin.
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