At UFC 80, "The Prodigy" BJ Penn became the UFC Lightweight Champion for the first time in his career and did it in a dominant fashion. Considered by many one of the top 5 pound for pound fighters in the world, who will be able to beat BJ for the championship? I will write about every top fighters in that weight class fighting in the UFC right now and see what their chances are against BJ Penn.
Rich Clementi:Clementi has been on a roll lately winning his last 4 fights in the UFC against some top competition. It's no question that Rich Clementi is slowly getting up the ladder and getting closer to a title shot but will he be able to make it to the top and eventually challenge BJ for the title? I don't think so and even if he does, Clementi doesn't have what it takes to beat Penn, his stand-up is OK and his submissions are good but Penn is better in every area and would beat Rich any day of the week.
Nate Diaz:Diaz is undefeated in the UFC but he's still a newcomer and as far as a title shot, I don't think that will happen right now. Nate has had good fights but he still hasn't done anything to prove us he could be the best the division has to offer. With more experience, a Diaz vs Penn fight could be interesting but then again that fight will not happen before a couple of years.
Kenny Florian:With only one loss in the UFC since the Ultimate Fighter 1 show, Kenny Florian has established himself as one of the top fighters in the lightweight division. With his UFC 87 fight coming up, it could possibly put Florian in title contention but could Kenny Florian really be a challenge for BJ Penn? Penn has much better hands and would KO Florian if the fights stays standing and on the ground well it would be interesting to see who would have the upper hand but I would put my money on BJ.
Tyson Griffin:Tyson Griffin is another UFC fighter who has only one loss in his UFC fights. Griffin has established himself as a tough fighter but also a fighter who is unable to finish fights. Four of his five UFC fights went the distance and against a fighter like BJ Penn, you need to put pressure and finish the fight. Griffin is still making his way up the ladder and a title shot is not yet in his plans and if he gets there and Penn is still champion... BJ will beat Griffin because he is a overall much better fighter.
Sean Sherk:Well, before their UFC 84 fight, I thought "The Muscle Shark" would be one of a very few guys able to beat BJ Penn for the lightweight title. Now, it's clear that Penn is the better fighter, completely dominating the stand-up fight against Sean Sherk. On the ground, Sherk would be dominated even more. A rematch? completely useless BJ Penn showed he was a better fighter and a rematch would only solidify that.
Joe Lauzon:Joe Lauzon is a dark horse in the lightweight division, he's a young, aggressive and very talented kid. Joe has improved with every fight, even in his last one, he ended up losing to Kenny Florian. I think it's a matter of time until Lauzon gets a title shot and maybe even becomes champion but right now he's still unexperienced compared to BJ and anyways, BJ and Joe are very good friends and BJ is Joe's trainer so maybe Joe won't be interested in a title shot till BJ is champ out of respect for his trainer.
Joe Stevenson:Watch UFC 80: Rapid Fire and it's clear why Stevenson is no match for BJ Penn... nuff said.
Roger Huerta:Huerta is a very good, undefeated fighter. With his UFC 87 fight against Kenny Florian, he could become the no 1 contender and challenge for the title but I still think Roger Huerta is untested. He defeated alot of unknown fighters, the only known fighter he fought was Clay Guida who, I consider good but not great and Roger Huerta barely came out of the fight with a victory. Roger still has a hard time defending the takedowns and that's crucial against BJ Penn who would KILL Huerta on the ground. Roger Huerta is good, but is he ready for BJ Penn... NO.
So this is it, what I'm trying to prove here is that BJ Penn has no competition in the lightweight division for his title. Nobody in that weightclass is a threat for "The Prodigy", so unless some new kid, very talented shows up, BJ will be champion for a long time. BJ may even become a welterweight and fight there because he has no challenge in lightweight, and after his fight with Sherk, BJ said he wanted GSP, so maybe Penn will move up to 170 after all.
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3 months ago
The Florian vs. Huerta bout is for the #1 contender spot. White has stated that he wants the winner to get a shot at BJ for the title.
I think saying Griffin can't finish fights is kind of harsh when you look at the the last four guys he's faced. Edgar is a beast and if he beats Franca is right back in the hunt. Tavares,Guida,and Tibau are all tough guys. Griffin's eight fights before those four decisions you were talking about, not a single one of them went to a decision including a win over Faber and Ludwig.
I think the true dark horse of the division is Gray Maynard.
from 3 months ago
YES! Gray Maynard! I was just going to comment how I was so dissapointed he didn't mention Maynard. Maynard's wrestling is possibly the best in the division (not that he could necessarily take BJ down because that is so difficult, but he should be able to fend off BJ's take down attempts rather well) and he has an ever improving stand up game. The only people I see beating him right now before he gets to a fight with Penn would be a Nate Diaz or Kenny Florian type submitting him off their backs. It's also important to note he is in a great camp (xtreme couture) and will only get better with each fight -- like most or all of the fighters in that camp he is also a very dedicated fighter and worker and that is important as well. IF he can continue to develop a dangerous stand up game (he's already showed signs), he can challenge anyone at 155.
3 months ago
theres a rumor that Faber is going to be moving to the lightweight devision in the ufc. i think Dana is worried that no one is going to be able to hang with penn, and that the devision might get boring. fabers kinda like a plan b i guess.
from 3 months ago
Faber's great but I don't want to see him at 155. 145 is the PERFECT weight for him and if he moved up to 155 there's a lot of bigger wrestlers than him that will cause him problems. Just look at his only loss: Tyson Griffin.
from 3 months ago
Robert I agree that Faber is best suited for 145 but who else gives him a compelling fight at 145? He has already beat Jens and Jeff Curran. Everybody else that is worth watching is in Japan aren't they? I'd love to see a "Kid" Yamamoto vs. Faber fight but I doubt it'll happen. I don't think that Dana would take one of WEC's brightest stars and throw him in a good 155 division and chance him getting lost in the shuffle.
3 months ago
Can't remember where I heard it but Faber said he would rather go down to 135 then up to 155.
from 3 months ago
That is too bad, I think Uriah Faber is the answer. He could take Penn; too bad they are friends. I think this is how Penn neutralizes those who are threats to him (by mentoring these young men --Lauzon and Faber, who are more sentimental than he and not likely to want to overthrow their mentor).
3 months ago
I don't think that is an issue. As a fighter myself, I have fought against many really good friends. A true athlete would use this as motivation. Obviously a good friend/training partner is going to know you well - BUT I think it makes for a more intense fight
3 months ago
Maynard IS a beast, and deserves attention in the divison- Faber would have problems on the ground with penn's flexibility, and florian's ablity to finish is huge- he was in TUF @ 185 , after all. I predict florain will stop Huerta, but will go to decsion against penn....
2 months ago
ROGER HUERTA is a stud. You guys better recognize. He's got something that BJ is missing. Cardio for 5 rounds + he's a better stand up fighter.
If Roger Huerta can avoid BJ jui jitsu, he's the new face of the lightweight division.
Don't sleep on Huerta!!
2 months ago
i totally agree with jason i was just about to explain the whole roger huerta is the next big thing the guy is an anaimal and is not afriad of anything,he is an all around fight and he can only get better his fight with guida was a showxcase of heart and skill and i think it will bve another great showing agianst kenflo,i am so pumped to see roger hurta fight bj and kick his ass, he has way better cardio and standup he pushes the pace in his fights and is an excellent scrambler to, which is great agianst bj who is a submission fighter,and is hard to take down,can't wait to see roger huerta next lightweight champ
from 2 months ago
I completely agree when you say that Roger Huerta has better cardio than BJ, but on the other hand I completely disagree when you say that Huerta has better stanup. Penn had better standup than Sean Sherk and GSP, the only reason "Rush" won the fight was because of BJ's crappy cardio. Don't get me wrong, I love Roger Huerta but his chances against BJ are very slim and thats speculating he'll make it through Florian, which is not certain at all. I'm rooting my heart out for "El Matador" but I think Kenny will win.
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