After an impressive win over No. 1 contender Jon Fitch, it looks like smooth sailing from here on out for the Welterweight Champion, Georges St. Pierre. But one has to ask...who is next to challenge him for the title? More importantly who deserves it?
Most people questioned Jon Fitch's qualifications to fight for the title. However, he hasn't lost in five years, he's 8-0 in the UFC, and he has a win over Thiago "The Pit bull" Alves, who just beat Welterweight Legend Matt Hughes.
Even with the unanimous decision loss, Jon Fitch should never be overlooked again. He stood up and wrestled the champ and got close to the fight being stopped numerous times due to being grounded and pounded but he never gave up. As a matter of fact, he is the only man in Georges St. Pierre's career to go the full five rounds with him. If he didn't deserve the title shot....who did? BJ Penn?
I don't believe Penn deserves a shot at George St. Pierre quite yet. If you look at every MMA website's pound for pound list it might go something like Fedor Emelianenko, Anderson Silva, Georges St. Pierre, and BJ Penn. Truthfully, I don't believe just because he has a "new-found" love for training and supposedly has relentless cardio he should be in the top five on that list.
- B/R Ticket Guide
Sure, he destroyed Shawn Sherk...on his feet. I would have liked to have seen BJ's cardio on display against Sherk. However, Sherk was out to prove that he's more than a wrestler, and he didn't go for takedown after takedown. Because of this, Penn's cardio was never put to the challenge.
That being said, Penn has defended his title only once and he's been screwing hard workers out of their title shot this year because of his infatuation of fighting Georges St. Pierre.
The same could be said for Georges St. Pierre, but Georges St. Pierre is a two time Welterweight Champ who has beaten every opponent he has ever fought. Sorry Kenny Florian, your five wins in a row only mean you have to keep winning because BJ Penn wants to fight Georges St. Pierre, and what Baby Jay wants, Baby Jay gets.
He is also requesting it to be a title fight, so in case BJ Penn wins he is both Welterweight Champion, and Lightweight Champion. But, what happens if he loses? Does Georges St. Pierre earn the Lightweight Crown? That might be kind of hard to lose an extra 15 lbs. when he is already at the epitome of human perfection at 170 lbs.
Dana White was also hesitant about giving BJ Penn the fight against Georges because he knows that there are people wanting a shot at BJ, but as I said, what BJ wants, he gets. He even went inside the octagon two seconds after Georges defended his title and said, "Do you want to fight?"
Now Dana is in a predicament because he just called Georges St. Pierre out. By doing that, those who watched the event are salivating at the thought and are already saving up to buy that event.
You won't see Anderson Silva fighting Forrest Griffin anytime soon. This is because Anderson Silva knows that to fight the champ, you have to work your way up the ladder. Silva has topped the Middleweight ladder, and if he so chooses, he can climb up the Light-Heavyweight ladder.
All in all, BJ Penn doesn't deserve a shot at Georges St. Pierre. This is simply due to the fact that he has only defended his title once. He needs to work his way up the Welterweight ladder. And frankly, he should respect the others in his division and give them their shot at greatness before disrespecting them and leaving them in the gutter to wait for when Baby Jay is ready to defend his title.
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3 months ago
Nice article Abran.. but im not quite sure if BJ really needs to climb the welterweight "ladder" to fight GSP coz u see BJ held that tiltle before, and lets not forget that he is one of the only 2 warriors who held 2 belts in different weight class.. but i agree with you that its unfair to Florian because he is a legit contender for the lightwt title..but overall Penn Vs. GSP is a very exciting fight and everybody wants to see it..This is the perfect time for them to fight again considering they are both champs. I just hope it wont end up in a boring split decision this time..
from 3 months ago
But as Abran asked, what is in this for GSP if he wins? Will BJ give him the LW belt, or maybe his "old WW belt" from the last time he jumped ship? Since Georges has not signed a contract yet, fighting BJ may actually cost him money. No wonder Dana is smiling. This will be a hollow victory for Georges if he is forced to fight another year with three additional fights at the price he signedhis last contract for, and not the raise he deserves. Oh Well. since "everyone is salivating for this fight, why worry about Georges being the only one NOT to profit from it? Naturally this makes NO sense to me at all.
3 months ago
You and I are in the minority in thinking that BJ Penn doesn't deserve a shot at GSP's belt... yet.
As I've stated in a few other posts I think all champions should have to defend their title once before jumping divisions. People argue that GSP-Penn is too good to pass up but what if Penn breaks his hand, or damages a ligament? The rest of the division waits for him to get better because theres no way Dana White strips Penn of the belt like he did Serra (intermin belts are bs imo).
The bigger issue, which you touched on briefly is the manner in which Penn pursued his shot at GSP's belt. Making all sorts of noise about it just before GSP fights Fitch is low class. Jumping into the ring and grabbing the mic before GSP even gets to thank his fans and coaches is low class too. Saying the fight was on for Dec 27th and repeatedly forcing the issue all while the focus should have been on the bouts of UFC87 is akin to a child throwing a tantrum because their parents are paying attention to their other child.
Theres no denying Penn is an amazing fighter but I hope GSP takes all these sleights/slaps in the face, bottles them up, and lets them out on Penn on Dec 27th. All GSP needs to do is smash Penn for the second time and then he won't need to worry about the tantrum throwing Baby J for awhile.
from 3 months ago
Viva the minority, at least we think for ourselves and do not allow others to dictate what we are allowed to think. I am so tired from BJ and his whims, wants and wishes being all that matters. Unless Georges gets to sign a contract before the fight I would reccomend a training injury to put the kibosh on BJ's New Years Eve party plans. No new contract, no new fight. I hope Shari Spenser is not so fatigued from managing the Williams sisters that she lets this opportunity to push for a contract signing before the UFC's manditory Championship clause goes into affect, or as I have said in another article GSP will be a loser even or especially if he wins.
3 months ago
good point Nate... Baby J's whining can be a little annoying sometimes..but as a viewer, dont you wanna see them exchange fists again?
from 3 months ago
Oh I'll be watching it if it goes down, no way I'd miss it. I just know who I'll be rooting for.
3 months ago
As far as I'm concerned, BJ should get a shot at GSP, however guys like Kenny shouldn't be punished either. Solution - Defend your title, then fight GSP all by years end. If he wants it that bad, as his tasteless behavior at UFC 87 would indicate he does, he'll do it. That's only 4 fights in 2008.
from 3 months ago
Another good possible solution. Georges will be the one at a disadvantage if Penn doesn't have to fight before Dec. 27. Good idea.
3 months ago
"Most people questioned Jon Fitch's qualifications to fight for the title"
I didn't hear a single person say that to tell you the truth. I don't think anyone has been questioning whether or not Fitch was deserving of his shot.
"You won't see Anderson Silva fighting Forrest Griffin anytime soon. This is because Anderson Silva knows that to fight the champ, you have to work your way up the ladder."
It's more because he's really good friends with Machida and he wants Machida to get his shot at being the LHW champion.
Lastly, I am of the opinion that there isn't a single person in the UFC's lightweight division that has earned a shot yet. Florian's best win of his career is against Huerta, and Huerta's best win was against Guida, and Guida is only .500 in the UFC. Neither of them has beat a top 10, probably not even top 15 or 20 lightweight in the world. It looks like Tyson Griffin is going to get a fight with Sherk, so maybe he can earn a shot.
Still a good article though.
from 3 months ago
Actully Robert, this is an excellent article, it just doesn't jibe with your adolescent thinking (what year in high school did you say you are in?) \
And excuse me, I missed the reasons that BJ who is the subject of this article, did you miss that, earned his right to challenge the WW champ without even holding the ladder?
If Dana White wants a superfight between Forrest and anderson, there will be one. Machida may be next in line and Silva's friend, but he is not marketable like Anderson is, so don't hold your breath.
BJ has no friends in WW, so why should he care what happens to "his "division, he obviously feels no sense of obligation whatsoever.
Keep brpwn nosing though, you may get there.
3 months ago
honestly i dont see any LWs that could probably beat BJ.. not even Florian.. so maybe if BJ broke anything after the GSP fight, now florian would be a match..hehe just kidding...
from 3 months ago
If you don't see anyone worthwhile, then why worry about having a LW division? The champion himself will be walking away, so who cares?
Dana's motivation, aside from getting the Champion clause into effect on Georges contract may actually be that he knows BJ doesn't have a chance against Georges in the first place and will be sent back to the LW division with his tail tucked between his legs and have to fight a challenger in a demoralizing condition.
3 months ago
Everybody is getting their undies in a bunch prematurely. If the bout is for the Welterweight title then I have a problem with the match, like Dorothy said GSP has nothing to gain. But if it's NOT a title bout and the make it a five round specialty bout, why not? Two guys that are top 5 p4p want to fight, let them. Dana has dealt with BJ before and he knows how he behaves, I doubt he is going to put GSP (one of his biggest cash cows) in jeopardy and in a no win situation. Dana doesn't want to lose GSP and I think he will pay him the money he deserves and keep GSP happy. If this fight happens it will be a non-title bout or it won't happen at all.
from 3 months ago
It seems that everyone is asking what GSP has to gain in a title defense against BJ Penn. A better question is what he has to gain in a title defense against anyone currently in the WW title picture. He has already taken care of Koscheck, Fitch, Hughes, and Serra. His next defense would most likely be against the winner of the Sanchez-Alves fight in which both have already been beaten by Jon Fitch. And in case anybody missed it, Fitch was clearly not on the level of a GSP. Secondly, the fight will likely take place December 27th @ the 170 lb weight limit. Who in their right mind would not award the WW championship belt to BJ Penn were he to win the fight against GSP? Only a true GSP groupie could come up with a reason, and it definitely would not be a logical one. A GSP victory would place him at the top of most P4P rankings and would be a greater feather in his cap than any other fight out there. Make the fight now while they are both in their primes and at the top of their fight games.
3 months ago
All this hating on BJ on this site is getting old. Dude is gifted and is bored with a bunch of people that have no "true" shot of matching his skill in the LW division. Only way he loses is if he gasses or is bored. So lets see the best fight the best... solve those endless p4p arguments and the rest of these secondary bullsh*t details that dont really matter when looked back upon years from now will solve themselves.
And Dorthy... taking another unwaranted cheap shot at Robert when he was right again... you never miss a chance to talk about how you are such an educated, insightful, and amazing judge of character. Practice what you preach?
from 3 months ago
I don't think that he is bored. He defended his belt one time. One time. How can he be bored? How many times have Anderson Silva has defended his belt? Silva is the one who should be bored. Not BJ. I would like to see the match up between GSP and BJ but both fighters need to concentrate on their own divisions. They are both very new champions. Or new champions again, I should say.
from 3 months ago
Wrong. Penn wants to redeem his loss to GSP plain and simple. Don't try to make this about Penn being some courageous guy only concerned with good competition.
from 3 months ago
Aloha Mike, I cannot agree w/you more. YES people, I said 'aloha'..i'm from HI and my love for BJ isn't due to that.It's because he is..a champion.."Ka Pu'ali'i''. simply stated. What tutu Dee does is make it known that she loves GSP. and that's awesome. I love him too. However, she feels that she has to mangle BJ in doing so-and when you call her on it, she patronizes your okole (butt) by letting you know all her health problems. Dee, i'm sincerely sorry about your health, and I prayed for you last night. but your a little over the top. A senior writers job is to lay out all the facts. You need to just call this site "PENN HATERS" then see how many hits your website gets. i promise, it will be less. This is more about your demented hate for someone you've never met, instead of promoting GSP. Would this make him proud? does Georges talk smack like you and stoker? I dont think so. I suppose you 'hate' tim sylvia too huh? and what? kendall and vera are losers too? i gotta get out of here. cause i'm a pretty decent person and i'm strongly offended. BJ is not 'hawaiis little golden boy' and we do not worship him. he is an example to all of Hawai'i and our bloodline. we dont teach our keiki to hate other fighters though. that's the difference between hawaii and the mainland. Yep, i said it. whoa..now you can hate me too...
aloha, teresa
3 months ago
I see where your coming from Abran but your being a little to one sided. This was a very interesting article but you should choose your words wisely. Bj Penn deserves to be on the top five best pound for pound fighter in the world. He defended the belt in both the 155 and 170 lb weight class. Kenny Florian and Bj would be a great fight, dont get me wrong but Bj still deserves to fight GSP.
3 months ago
yeah yeah yeah... Let them fight so we can decide whos the better p4p, and i think it is possible to include anderson since their weight class is not that far from each other.. (wishful thinking)hehe^^
from 3 months ago
GSP vs Silva is a match a lot of people see happening too... I think eventually it will. The other thing is that we know BJ is definitely a guy that wouldn't mind moving up to 185 in the future to fight Anderson. It's wishful thinking, as you said, but it's still entirely possible that they will all face each other before their careers are over.
3 months ago
...first lets get bj a mental evaluation shall we.?
from 3 months ago
Nope. if he was crazy, he's be on a hater website listening to pointless jealous people. ( i guess that makes me nuts). Stoker, your strong voice is appreciated. really. MMA fans are all over with all their points and everyone should be respected. Your closed mind seems to be set on like-destroying BJ. I dont get it. But some things are not for us to understand. its okay i guess. keep watching ufc and mma ccause all YOUR doing is adding $$ to BJ's check...Oh-stop crying, you look like a tuff-enuff guy.
have a nice day. kepp on making tutu dee happy. see ya!
3 months ago
Excellent article Abran/.RAMON what bj has done to deserve a fight with gsp...like gsp said at post fight .."iwont duck anyone who deserves and has earned a shot at the title..Somehow i feel that was sarcasm toward baby jay.. who hasnt earned or deserves a shot at somebody who has already beaten him../stoker
3 months ago
I'm admittedly an MMA newbie, but isn't this a business first and foremost? You make the fights that make the most money. Period. Right?
I also don't understand everyone's obsession with belts. Trust me. These guys don't care about leather trinkets with gold on them. They're just symbols. They want money, one way or another. They'd rather be a huge draw without a belt than a minor draw with a belt.
3 months ago
I agree with you Abran. BJ Penn should clean out the LW division first, but I have to admit that the prospect of a GSP-BJ Penn showdown is just too exciting. In the WW division, I'm not sure who gets the next title shot. If Thiago Alves beats Diego Sanchez, then I don't see how you can't give him the shot. In the LW division, Kenny Florian has definitely earned his shot, but I wonder if he really has a chance against BJ? BJ straight up dominated his fights as a lightweight and while he does owe all challengers an opportunity to fight for the title, if the chance for a super-fight versus GSP is possible, then it should be done. Both are scary talented and at the top of any P4P discussion.
Again, I think that BJ should work on his legacy in the LW division by defending the title a few more times, but if the opportunity is there to pit two amazing fighters at the top of their game against each other, then as a fan I would love to see that. Does BJ really deserve a shot at GSP? I would say no, but like many have said that BJ gets what he wants. He might seem undeserving and it might be unfair to other fighters in both divisions, but as a fan, the thought of this fight gets me giddy and something that I would anticipate greatly.
3 months ago
I feel if GSP wins, then the LW gets vacated and the title goes to the winner of a tournament. Much like a PRIDE GP.
One can dream, no?
3 months ago
Great analysis, I also feel that BJ doesn't deserve a shot at GSP. Both have just defended their titles for the first time and there is a deep talent pool in both divisions that each has enough contenders to worry about. BJ should focus on the lightweight division as that is the class where he has the title. Like Abran, we don't see Anderson Silva going up to challenge Forrest. Also, we don't see St. Pierre calling out Anderson, or Griffin challenging Nogueira.
3 months ago
BJ took a bold step to go out there and disrupt GSP's moment to speak. I don't think it went as well as BJ had hoped. When BJ stated something like, "Let's make this happen." GSP's reply was something like "I will fight anybody who deserves a shot." Though, I think it would be a great fight. It was cause too many complications in the UFC order and it brings up too many questions. I think BJ needs to just chill out for a while and actually try to defend his belt in his own weight class for a while. What would be wrong with that? Thats what a champion does. I like BJ's skills but I am not liking the person he is showing himself to be.
3 months ago
BJ took a bold step to go out there and disrupt GSP's moment to speak. I don't think it went as well as BJ had hoped. When BJ stated something like, "Let's make this happen." GSP's reply was something like "I will fight anybody who deserves a shot." Though, I think it would be a great fight. It was cause too many complications in the UFC order and it brings up too many questions. I think BJ needs to just chill out for a while and actually try to defend his belt in his own weight class for a while. What would be wrong with that? Thats what a champion does. I like BJ's skills but I am not liking the person he is showing himself to be.
3 months ago
this is a great article and i also think it is complete crap for bj to get a shot at the title number 1 he hasnt earned it number 2 he has allready lost to gsp number three when did he last win at ww
3 months ago
this is a great article and i also think it is complete crap for bj to get a shot at the title number 1 he hasnt earned it number 2 he has allready lost to gsp number three when did he last win at ww
3 months ago
stoker--- you mean you dont think BJ doesnt deserve a fight with GSP?? OMG u must be kidding me, maybe because your just considering how he acts and not his superb octagon skills... "dont hate the player, hate the game" ^^
3 months ago
I'd accept it all if two things happened...
1) B.J. defeats Kenny Florian (right now, the standout contender in the Lightweight division, everyone else can wait)
and
2) He defeated either Josh Koscheck, Thiago Alves, Diego Sanchez, Jon Fitch, Matt Hughes, or Matt Serra. Just one contending Welterweight.
This whole ordeal forces a dream fight that should naturally happen, not be forced to. I blame money and greed for the main reason it's going to take place either in January or February.
Time for GSP to prove once again why he's "The Complete Fighter!"
from 3 months ago
See the other Derek's comment below.
3 months ago
The bottom line is that the fans deserve it. It is a rare occasion in the history of MMA that you can pit together two of the top five P4P fighters against one another in the prime of their careers.
If GSP wanted to take on anderson silva for the middleweight title dana & company would greenlight that too.
Penn doesn't need to work his way up the ranks at 170. He's been so dominant at 155 and we've already seen what he can do at 170 in the past. He's the former welterweight champ. I would rank him as the #2 welterweight in the UFC today.
On another note Penn has already said he would come back to 155 and defend his title. Nobody deserves a title shot against Penn at 155 at this point anyways.
Penn is obligated to make choices that will further his career, make him the most money, etc... regardless of weight class or what the fans feel like his obligations are.
In other words, he will do what is best for himself and he wants to be the greatest fighter of all time and he cannot achieve that goal fighting kenny florian or middle tier welterweights for the next 6 - 12 months. His window, like so many other guys in all combat sports, is closing day by day.
from 3 months ago
Yes! Yes! Yes! All my thoughts put together into a short comment and more well said! I agree 110%.
3 months ago
Does BJ deserve a shot at GSP's belt? I don't know. Probably. Probably not. Point is we cannot blame BJ Penn for wanting to fight who he WANTS to fight, for whatever reason. I recall most of my MMA buddies up in arms when Jeremy Horn got a title shot against Lidell. Horn, who before the fight didn't even have a UFC contract, was a victim of Chuck Lidell's "pull" when it comes to Dana White. Lidell wanted to avenge a loss and White obliged. As fighters, there are certain people you prefer to fight for one reason or another. I can't really blame BJ for wanting GSP specially when you consider how close their first fight was and how the decision could've gone either way. Any fighter that has any kind of pride and confidence in his abilities will want good, super fights. It is up to the UFC to decide if Penn deserves it or not. I think BJ has a strong chance of getting the fight because Dana White will see it as one of the biggest match-ups, money-wise, in recent history, even more so than Penn/Sherk. As a fan, I want to see this fight. As a writer, I would rather see Alves get a title shot first.
2 months ago
your an idiot. bj should come before georges st. pierre pound for pound. he should have won the first time they faught and he would pound him out guarantee the next time. and not to mention, he was kicking matt hughes ass before he got tired and this is before he was in shape. and cmon, everyone knows bj would tap sherk out on the ground anyday, anyone in that matter. so the only way sherk could have won was on his feet anyway. and to tell you the truth, i would give anderson a shot at the belt after one more fight. he already proved himself as a contender in the light heavy weight division by tearing through james irvin. and on top of that, he dominates the middle weight division like no other person ever did in any weight class. so all in all, you have no idea what your talking about and apparently havnt been watching mma long enough to think georges is pound for pound better than bj. idiot.
23 days ago
There is so many reasons this fight shouldn't happen yet. For one, Thiago Alves deserves the next title shot in the welterweight division. That alone is enough of a reason for this fight to be put on the back burner. Secondly, yes Kenny Florian deserves to have his title shot in his next bout, not to have to fight Joe Stevenson before Penn. I applaud Florian for taking the fight, he is a true fighter no question. I don't care to see GSP whoop BJ again. Frankly, Penn is just annoying to me. He showed no class running into the ring after GSP defended his title and challenging him to a fight. He disrespected his weight division by basically saying "Hey guys, no title fight for you. You guys will have to wait until I am ready to give the Lightweight division a title match. I'm gonna horde this belt and go play in another division for awhile." He had his chance in the welterweight division. He held the belt, he lost the belt. He tried to go for it again and couldn't get through GSP. Now he want s to fight GSP again? Dana needs to nut up and tell this brat no. He only has one fighter left in the lightweight div to beat really. So why not do the right thing and fight Florian first? Oh, thats right, it takes a classy person to do the right thing. Guida, Griffin, and Huerta, if your thinking it, aren't ready for a title shot yet. So after Penn fights Florian and GSP fights Alves then let this brat have his chance at GSP. Whether GSP has the title or not.
It's all pointless to explain this now. The fight is set, and I hope he gets bloodied and embarrassed for it.
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