Why BJ Penn Moving to the Featherweight Division Is a Good Idea

BJ Penn is going through a rough patch in his legendary career.

After losing his belt to Frankie Edgar in 2010 and failing the recapture the belt later that year, BJ moved back up to welterweight.

He has enjoyed moderate success there thus far, knocking out Matt Hughes in a rubber match at UFC 123 and then fighting to a draw with Jon Fitch at UFC 127.

Though his performance against Fitch was admirable, it is obvious based on that performance that he still does not have the tools to defeat Georges St-Pierre.

BJ has gone on record recently, saying that he still wants to fight, and he still wants to capture the belt in both the lightweight and welterweight divisions.

BJ is an amazing fighter, but this seems like little more than a pipe dream.

Now that the UFC has absorbed the WEC and has a featherweight and bantamweight division, it might be smart of BJ to try his hand 145 lbs.

Here's why...

Size Advantage

It's no secret; it's good to be a bigger guy in your weight class.

There are exceptions to this rule. James Irvin cut to middleweight once and looked like the poster boy for unhealthiness. But, in general, it's smart to be fighting at the lightest weight possible, as long you're not sacrificing your cardio in doing so.

BJ Penn is practically chubby at 170 lbs and makes 155 lbs with ease. I think he could very comfortably make 145 lbs and by doing so, he would be giving himself an advantage over his opponents, size wise.

He probably wouldn't be massive at featherweight, but bigger than a lot of the guys fighting in that division, and he certainly wouldn't have to worry about guys having a huge size advantage over him, like he does as welterweight.

Can't Seem to Beat Campions at Lightweight or Welterweight

BJ has fought the current champions in both the lightweight and welterweight divisions, two times each, and all four times he has come up short.

Georges St-Pierre is simply too large for Penn. BJ can't stop Georges' takedowns and GSP also showed that he could pass Penn's guard with ease. Penn has said on multiple occasions that he would like to fight Georges again, but I think in our hearts we all know the result would be the same.

Frankie Edgar, the guy to beat at 155 lbs, also seems to have BJ's number. The first fight could have gone either way, but in the second fight Edgar was able to beat BJ definitively. His footwork was too quick for BJ, his boxing too crisp and BJ was unable to take him down.

Penn is a guy who wants to be the champ is his division. He'll never be content if people can say that someone else in his weight class is better than him.

If BJ wants to be champ again, given his lack of success against Edgar and GSP, I think his best shot is at featherweight.

Featherweight Division Could Use Another Big Name Fighter

The featherweight division is a new addition to the UFC. Since many of the UFC's fans do not follow other MMA organizations, they are pretty unfamiliar with most of guys at 145 lbs.

Recently, former lightweight contender Kenny Florian made the move down to featherweight and that helped bring some draw power to the division. However, featherweight has a long way to go in terms of bringing in the fans. As it sits, if it's a featherweight fight that doesn't have Kenny Florian or Jose Aldo in it, there is not going to be a lot of hype around it.

BJ moving to the featherweight division would be a big help in giving 145 lbs fights draw power. The UFC could put BJ against some of the top guys who moved over from the WEC and that would help familiarize the fans with those new fighters.

Conditioning

Conditioning and work ethic has always been a big question mark for BJ Penn. It's always hard to tell if he's motivated, or if he's training as hard as he should be.

In his last fight with Jon Fitch, it was evident that BJ's cardio was probably not where it should have been, as he was noticeably exhausted by the end of the third round.

If Penn moved down to featherweight, he would have to stay in better shape. It's not a massive cut for him, but it is definitely not a weight he can make naturally. As a result of that, he would likely have to stay in better shape and watch his weight to ensure that he didn't pack on too many pounds between fights.

That extra encouragement to stay in shape could be the solution to Penn's troubles with work ethic.

First UFC Fighter to Hold Belts in Three Divisions

BJ Penn is a man obsessed with legacy. He has said on more than one occasion that he wants to be known as the greatest MMA fighter ever.

He has already taken quite a few steps towards achieving this goal. He has been around in the sport for a very long time and is already considered a legend. He has beaten a ton of great fighters. He has held both the UFC's lightweight and welterweight belts.

However, another man has also held belts in two divisions, Randy Couture. Soon enough, Urijah Faber might also be joining that club (even though when he was featherweight champ, it was still a WEC belt).

If BJ really wants to stand out when people mull over who the greatest ever is, holding belts in three different divisions in the most competitive MMA organization in the world would be a big feather in his cap.