UFC 127: BJ Penn, Jon Fitch, and the Other Fighters, Fighting for a Title Shot
Intro
UFC 127 is right around the corner. The stakes are high for the main event as BJ Penn battles Jon Fitch for the No. 1 contender’s spot in the welterweight division. While it’s uncertain who the winner will face, it’s guaranteed to be a battle for the top spot.
Baby J and Fitch are not the only ones fighting for position.
Other fighters on the main card are looking to get closer to a title shot, and it will not be easy for these fighters, even if they get past their opponents tomorrow night.
In fact, the road may be cloudy as there’s no telling who the champion will be by the time they may receive their shot. Despite this, the title implications for these fighters are big, and how they perform tomorrow night may determine how close they really are.
Chris "Lights Out" Lytle: Pushing for a Late Career Title Run
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Record: 30-17-5
Riding a 4 fight win streak, Lytle is looking to make a title run late in his UFC career.
Lytle brings experience, great submissions, and toughness to the cage. His exciting fight style of "leave it all in the cage" and "stand and bang" makes him very popular among fans. It’s also earned him four "Fight of the Night" bonuses.
Lytle is a dangerous opponent simply for the fact that he’s never been knocked out or submitted. The Indianapolis Firefighter knows how to grind out a win as well.
"Lights Out" has faced some tough opponents throughout his career and should be prepared for a war against Brian Ebersole. Ebersole may be a late replacement for Lytle's original opponent, but he won't be an easy task. Ebersole is very experienced having more fights under his belt than Lytle.
If Lytle wins I would love to see him face one of the top welterweights in the UFC for his next fight. If Lytle loses, that could be the final nail in the coffin for his title chances.
George Sotiropoulos: Fighting for the Homecrowd and for a Top Spot
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Record: 14-2
Fighting in home territory for just the second time in his UFC career, George Sotiropoulos, the face of Aussie MMA, looks to win his 9th straight fight.
Sotiropoulos also looks to get one step closer to a shot at the UFC Lightweight title. The division was already stacked before the UFC’s merger with WEC. If Sotiropoulos wins, he’s in line for a shot.
The only problem is that line consists of the winner of Edgar vs. Maynard taking on the winner of Guida vs. Pettis.
It seems like a short line, but draws, bad judging, injuries, and other fighters like Melvin Guillard could make it even longer. It will be interesting to see how the division looks by the end of the year.
First things first though, George will have to get by Dennis Siver, who can be a very dangerous fighter.
Michael "The Count" Bisping: So Close, Yet so Far
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Record: 20-3
Bisping seems like a fighter who’s always one or two fights away from a title shot. He’s also a fighter who always has something to say.
Love him or hate him, Bisping is the one of the UFC’s biggest money makers due to his UK draw. Because of this, as long as he wins 2 or 3 in a row—or beats a halfway decent name—he’ll always be in the title picture.
But he’ll never get over that hump completely unless he beats some of the elite in the middleweight division.
A win brings him a step closer, but he’ll need some quality wins against the top middleweights to prove he deserves it. Champion Anderson Silva has shown interest in fighting Bisping in the past, so it would be interesting to see if that match ever takes place.
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BJ Penn: Which Penn Will Show Up?
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Record: 16-7-1
While Bisping is a guy who has trouble getting over the hump, Penn is a guy who always has a title shot looming.
Just 2 fights ago it was uncertain if he would even fight again. Now Penn has the chance to become the welterweight division’s number one contender.
Penn has great wrestling defense, submissions, and knockout power. But if we see the same Penn that showed up against Frankie Edgar, all of that goes out the window.
Jon Fitch is a grinder who’s bigger and stronger than Edgar. Bringing in Matt Hughes may help some, but if Penn isn’t the crazy, motivated, Baby Jay that’s won him championships, he won't stand a chance.
The title picture is in somewhat of a limbo because we don’t know for sure what GSP will do if he gets past Jake Shields. But it could be the making of GSP Vs. Penn III.
Jon Fitch: Grinding His Way Back to the Top
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Record 23-3-1
Boring, unexciting, and uninteresting are among the words that can describe a Jon Fitch match.
Fitch is known for grinding a win out. This style is disliked by many in the mixed martial arts community, but it works for him.
His last loss was in 2008 when he lost to welterweight champion GSP. Ever since then he’s been grinding his way back to a title shot.
He was suppose to get that shot after beating Thiago Alves, but the arrival of Jake Shields, the possibility of fighting a teammate if he beat GSP, and perhaps punishment for being a grinder kept the championship just out of reach.
Since the Alves fight, Shields got his shot after a lack luster UFC debut, Josh Koscheck lost to GSP, and BJ Penn returned to the welterweight division. A win over Penn puts Fitch at the top and possibly puts him in a rematch with GSP.
No matter the outcome, Fitch wants to be champion. And he’ll do whatever he has to get there.
Conclusion
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While these fighters are pushing to get closer to a title, they have a tough road ahead of them.
Even if they get past their opponents tomorrow night, there are still many obstacles within each fighter's respective divisions. It will be interesting to see how the outcome of UFC 127 shapes the different title pictures.
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