Sign Up Here To Fight B.J. Penn! We're Running Out of Opponents

"And the winner of this contest, B.J. Penn!"

A phrase heard so often by a man with a record of 14-5-1. UFC Lightweight Champion B.J. Penn is used to hearing his name as the victor. It's no surprise that his win column continues to grow and is now 15-5 due to a spectacular display of agility, skill, and dedication against Diego Sanchez at UFC 107. 

Even though Sanchez was widely considered to be Penn's toughest opponent to date, B.J. not only stayed on top of his game, he raised the bar so high Javier Sotomayor wouldn't have been able to jump over it. With B.J.'s training regiment at the same level as his pure talent we can only expect the best from the man who hasn’t lost in the lightweight division for eight years.

The obliteration of Diego Sanchez seemed flawless and easy watching from the sidelines and with the destruction of UFC 107 behind us, who is left in the UFC to face "The Prodigy?" Can these men take their game to the next level?

Kenny Florian : KenFlo came off of a submission victory over Clay Guida at UFC 107. The bout earned him Fight of the Night honors and Florian’s confidence has skyrocketed. Now training with Peter Welch to improve his striking game, and with Frias Zahabi, who works with welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre, Kenny is becoming more dangerous fighter each day.

Florian may be the No. 1 contender for Penn’s title, but you can bet B.J. won’t let Kenny forget about the rear naked choke Penn used to defeat KenFlo back at UFC 101 in August earlier this year.

Nate Diaz : Diaz is an exciting fighter with a good chin, a well-rounded stand up game, and is a deadly submission artist on the ground. All of his last five bouts have earned him either Fight of the Night or Submission of The Night honors.

He does have two significant losses in the UFC; his first against Clay Guida via split decision, the other against Joe Stevenson by unanimous decision. Winner of fight/reality show, TUF Five, Diaz was victorious in his last fight against Melvin Guillard by way of guillotine choke.  

Diaz’s next fight is on Jan. 11, 2009 against Gray Maynard where he hopes to continue his bounce-back. If successful the Brazilian jiu-jitsu brown-belt should be a contender for the lightweight title.

Gray Maynard : With an undefeated record and one No Contest, Gray Maynard may have a title shot to look forward to. Six of Maynard’s eight victories have come from the UFC. The big question is has Gray earned a title shot after defeating the likes of Frankie Edgar, Roger Huerta, and Rich Clementi?

In the eyes of the UFC, not yet, because Gray will face his toughest opponent yet next month at UFC Fight Night 20 when he faces Nate Diaz. A win on Jan. 11 could very well propel Maynard into the lightweight title picture.

Joe Stevenson : Joe “Daddy” Stevenson has built quite a resume in his mixed martial art career. Stevenson was the winner of fight/reality show TUF Two, and holds notable victories over Melvin Guillard, Nate Diaz, and Spencer Fisher.

The Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black-belt fell into a slump after he lost in his first Lightweight Title match to B.J. Penn. But to nobody’s surprise Joe “Daddy” Stevenson is back at full blast in the lightweight division. His next opponent, George Sotiropoulos will try to debunk the American when they face off at UFC 110 in Sotiropoulous’ home land of Australia. If Stevenson continues his success, a second title bout looks very promising.

These men have proven themselves time and time again, and are some of the worlds elite fighters. There’s no question that each one of these competitors are capable of reaching a title shot. The real question, however, is how will these men handle themselves once they’re placed before The Prodigy B.J. Penn?

Two of these men are looking for redemption while the others are grinding there way to their first title shot. Diego’s “destiny” couldn’t throw B.J. off at UFC 107. So to the four men mentioned above and to the many up and comers in the lightweight division: You think you’re up to the challenge?

Not if B.J. Penn has anything to do with it.