Are You in Better Shape Than BJ Penn?

(Photo by Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images)

With BJ Penn's big win over Kenny Florian Saturday night at UFC 101 many columnists and critics began to actually for once give Penn recognition for taking his conditioning and physique seriously and for his body's visible improvement.

The Prodigy has always been known to bring it every time he steps inside the octagon. I don't recall once where he actually gassed himself out in a fight or intentionally tried to buy time like many other fighters do.

So why has everyone been so overly critical on Penn's body and conditioning all these years? Look his face is naturally round. I think he probably has the most round face in the UFC, but that does not mean he is round all over his body as well. Penn has some of the most hard core training camps in the sport and never takes his fights lightly.

You look at other top UFC fighters like GSP and even his opponent Florian they both have thin more narrow faces if you will compared to Penn. Yes Penn is not shredded like GSP, but hell most humans are not as shredded as GSP is.

Fight after fight Penn does make weight without any drama so why are we so obsessed and critical of his conditioning?

Even after he defeated Florian in the post fight interview Joe Rogan began to ask him again about his conditioning and what he did differently for this fight and Penn might have been so sick of all the conditioning talk that he responded with stating that he loves his fans and Hawaii and just took off.

Lets take a look at the writers who always attack Penn for his body. Are all of these writers who criticize Penn in the best tip top shape? Do these writers even train or work out? I noticed a lot of the criticism of Penn ironically come from some of the most chubby to obese writers out there.

I got it why don't you change your avatar image to a personal photo of you with your shirt off and lets see how ripped you are. What do you guys think?

The writer of this article is definitely down for that cause I live for the gym and live for the training. I force my team to spar so much they try to avoid me all together because they are sick of sparring all the time.  

I noticed in general the writers who talk the most trash never seem to post an actual personal photo of themselves. Makes you wonder doesn't?

Makes you wonder: Are you in better shape than BJ Penn?

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