Where Is BJ Penn's Legacy Headed?

The lightweight division has changed a lot since BJ Penn's title defense, and even after his match against Kenny Florian, BJ has to prove his dominance all over again against a new crop of lightweights.

BJ is a supremely talented fighter: a world champion in Jiu Jitsu, title holder in possibly the deepest, meanest division in the UFC, and one of the most polarizing figures in the sport not currently named Brock Lesnar.

Who would have realistically expected in 2001, when a young, energetic, and very fit BJ Penn first stepped into the Octagon, that in 2009 we would still be waiting to see where his career is headed? Will BJ finish as the one of the greatest fighters ever, or will he be a supremely talented "love or hate" fighter plagued by inconsistent results?

Many expect Florian to pose little problem to BJ, and then many think he will get a rematch with GSP, having cleaned out the lightweight division again. I would call this claim into serious question looking at his recent run through the UFC lightweight division.

Part of the problem is BJ's constant jumping around in weight. Between 2003 and 2005 BJ fought in the 155 lb., 170 lb., and 185 lb. divisions and even had an open weight fight against Lyoto Machida. BJ and his camp eventually decided that 155 pounds was the ideal weight for him.

BJ returned to the UFC lightweight division for the first time in five years in 2007 against Jens Pulver. After beating Pulver, BJ then utterly beat down Joe Stevenson for the lightweight title, showing how dangerous and devastating he could be.

BJ then dominated Sean Sherk to defend his lightweight title and moved back up to welterweight to battle with GSP for a second time.

The point of that recap is a very important point: Many focus on BJ's lightweight dominance despite the fact he has only three matches at that weight, none against guys that would be considered top contenders at this point, and has only one successful title defense in his career.

While the underdog in their upcoming match, Florian at 11-3 is certainly a superior fighter to Stevenson or Pulver and has likely surpassed Sherk at this point. Thus he represents the biggest lightweight challenge Penn has faced at lightweight since moving back down to 155 lbs.

But even after the Florian matchup, it seems clear the lightweight division has taken steps forward in the recent year and a half it has been waiting for another defense from its champion. BJ will need to reestablish his dominance against names like Frank Edgar, Gray Maynard, and Diego Sanchez.

These fighters represent the newest and biggest threats to BJ's title, and he will have to face at least two of them before he can claim that the division is "cleaned out" again. Edgar has the boxing to match BJ's and has excellent wrestling to stifle, to an extent, BJ's submissions.

Maynard is a rising star out of Xtreme Couture with an unblemished 7-0 record. Maynard has incredibly strong wrestling and can muscle guys around and is learning the striking game.

Sanchez is not a new name, but he is likely the least talked about 21-2 fighter in the sport. Sanchez has the raw size to push BJ around like GSP. The Nightmare also has ground and pound straight from hell, and he will hurt you no matter where the match is.

It is more than certain that Penn's natural athletic ability will allow him several more high-level years, and in those years his legacy will be defined. If Penn finds the consistency that has evaded him to this point, he will certainly be remembered as the best lightweight fighter in the sport.

But if Penn continues the peaks and valleys of his past career, he will likely go down as a talented disappointment. 

Either way, it all starts next Saturday with Kenny Florian.