B.J. Penn and Georges St. Pierre: Do Both Rank No. 2 at the Next Division Up?

ESPN MMA Live Anchor Jon Anik asked the question on his Twitter account, “Is B.J. Penn a Top 5 Welterweight?” On today’s MMA Live Chat Wrap Anik added, “I think a lot of people would agree with you and others would say Penn is #2 behind GSP”

Speaking of St. Pierre, the same question could be asked: Is Georges St. Pierre a top 5 Middleweight? Like Anik’s answer in regard to Penn, many would argue that St. Pierre is already the second best Middleweight behind Anderson Silva.

It is no wonder fans are starting to clamor for “Penn vs. St. Pierre III” and have been pining away for “St. Pierre vs. Silva” for over a year.

With the question posed, let’s take a look at the competition that would await Penn and St. Pierre should they both decide to make the permanent jump to the next division up.

B.J. Penn at Welterweight:

If current Kingpin George St. Pierre decides to make the permanent move to Middleweight it would certainly open things up for all of the top contenders at 170 pounds. Penn might be the only one disconcerted by such a move though, as he seems hell bent on getting a third crack at the Canadian superstar.

Assuming St. Pierre moves on, Penn is left alone with a couple of stalwart competitors who have all been neutralized by St. Pierre, along with two brash Brits, one awaiting his fate with another looking to make his mark.

The Welterweight Divisional Rankings will look much different after the dust has settled on UFC 109 through 111.

We will know if St. Pierre is still on top, or if Dan Hardy was able to pull off the improbable. We will be able to confirm the best fighter to have lost to St. Pierre: Jon Fitch or Thiago Alves. And finally, we will see if Koscheck is ready to claim his title shot or if things will blow up in his face against Paul Daley.

So how would B.J. Penn fair against this Motley crew? In Jon Fitch and Josh Koscheck Penn would certainly have the edge in the striking department, and if his notoriously good takedown defense held up, it could be a long night for either Fitch or Koscheck – both of whom beat Diego Sanchez.

If Fitch and Koscheck were able to take Penn down, it would be an interesting battle on the ground as both would be in for a tactical war against Penn’s world class Jujitsu. It would be in both of their best interests to look to grind out a decision win.

As for fights with Alves, Hardy or Daley…it would be all about the stand up war. While this is something Penn is very comfortable with, and excels at, these three combatants offer heavy hands and hard punches. Alves and Daley, both bigger men, would offer Penn an aggressive Muay Thai attack that would certainly test the boxing and chin of “The Prodigy.”

So when the dust settled, would Penn rule over a GSP-free Welterweight division or would someone else fill the void left by the man monikered “Rush.” We may have a lot more answers after UFC 112, when Penn defends his belt against Frankie Edgar.

Georges St. Pierre at Middleweight:

St. Pierre has shown he is in no hurry to weigh in at 185.

And if he does, he is going to do it the right way adding muscle and also avoid fights with any of his training partners/friends like Nate Marquardt and Patrick Cote. While Cote isn’t an issue for now, Marquardt is certainly a top contender and sidestepping him could cause issues – although it hasn’t yet for the AKA trio.

Most people would be fine with St. Pierre skipping straight into to a super fight with Anderson Siva. While this is a viable option, St. Pierre will have to do combat with the other top tier Middleweights regardless of if he beats Silva, loses to him, or decides to take a tune-up fight.

Awaiting St. Pierre would an assorted cast, ranging from a returning UFC phenom, the second coming of Royce Gracie, a TUF Brit, and an aging Axe Murderer. Throw in a feisty former Olympic wrestler and one Sexyama for good measure and you’ve got a snapshot of the rulers of the roost at 185.

The Welterweight Divisional Rankings will look much different after the dust has settled on UFC 109 through 112.

Will Marquardt and Maia will emerge, still on top, or can Chael Sonnen and Dan Miller rain on their parade. The winner between Michael Bisping and Wanderlei Silva will be in the mix for a future title shot, while the loser will barely cling to their Top 10 spot. The Divisional landscape will culminate when Anderson Silva will look to give Vitor Belfort a reality check at UFC 112.

So how would St. Pierre attack the larger competition: with the same relentless takedown assault of course, but would he be just as successful?

A fight with Wanderlei could offer some intrigue: Could the former PRIDE legend chop down St. Pierre worse then Matt Serra did or would Silva be rendered defenseless when defending the take-down and spend most of the night on his back avoiding the ground and pound?

With Bisping, it might be a more competitive affair, one where we saw St. Pierre more inclined to stand and test out his stand up game. Bisping was finished by a hard hitter in Dan Henderson but proved he could also finish a fight when he roughed up recent UFC exile Dennis Kang.

A scuffle with Demian Maia may see St. Pierre keep the fight standing from start till end. Maia would offer St. Pierre the best jujitsu test to date so St. Pierre may prefer to rely on his Karate base and Muay Thai attack rather then spend time in Maia’s guard.

With a fight with Marquardt out of the question, the last man standing between St. Pierre and Silva would be Vitor Belfort. St. Pierre would likely want nothing to do with Belfort’s swift hands and stinging strikes so he would be back to his old ways with going for take-down after takedown after takedown. Would Belfort be easier or harder to take down then guys like Koscheck, Fitch, Penn, and Alves?

Does St. Pierre have the total package to dispose of the best the Middleweight division has to offer? Will he skip straight into a title fight with Anderson Silva or warm up before beforehand?

All three champions–Penn, St. Pierre, and Silva–seem left with little challenge in their respective divisions and upcoming fights could provide additional evidence that all three should move up permanently in weight.

It could be argued that they are the second best fighter in the next division up and all three could easily hold the belt in a heavier weight class depending on how things play out in 2010.