UFC 137: Three Fights for BJ Penn After He Beats Nick Diaz

BJ Penn has recently said that there's no reason he can't be the welterweight champion, and is trying to work himself back up the welterweight ladder. He re-entered the division by knocking out Hughes in the first round and fighting to a draw with Jon Fitch. If he beats Nick Diaz, he'll be one step closer to a title fight.

Some people probably wouldn't be interested in seeing GSP vs. Penn III, since history suggests that GSP would dominate Penn like he did in their last outing.  But Penn is still one of the strongest fighters in the division. He is a superb striker with great takedown defense who is a bigger threat off his back than most. If Penn beats Diaz and his next opponent persuasively, it is very likely that GSP vs. Penn III could be a reality. Here are three potential fights for BJ Penn after beating Nick Diaz.

Jon Fitch

The two last fought at UFC 127. Penn showed great wrestling and control in the first bout, taking down Fitch on two of three attempts and taking his back twice. Fitch came back dominantly in the third round against an exhausted BJ Penn, and was able to turn a losing bout into a draw.

The two have unfinished business. Fitch was on a five-fight win streak before the draw, and Penn was coming off a knockout. If this fight were to take place, and either fighter won convincingly, it's likely that the winning fighter would have gotten a title shot.

However, the timing makes an immediate rematch unlikely. Penn is fighting in late October, and Fitch is fighting in late December. It is more likely Fitch will end up fighting a welterweight whose schedule more closely matches his. Perhaps MacDonald or the winner of Rick Story vs. Martin Kampmann.

Jake Ellenberger

After losing a competitive split decision to Carlos Condit in his UFC debut, Ellenberger won five straight fights. In his most recent fight, he made a statement by becoming the first man to finish Jake Shields in 10 years.

Jake Ellenberger would be the strongest puncher Penn has ever faced by a huge margin. Penn has never fought a hard-hitting welterweight, and has rarely fought hard-hitting lightweights. He'd have to deal with some new challenges.

Ellenberger, on the other hand, has never fought someone with the overall ground game or technical striking of Penn. A win for either fighter would be significant, and this is the fight I think is most likely to determine the No. 1 contender.

Carlos Condit

At this point, we don't know how long GSP will be out for. If all goes well, it will just take him a few months and Condit can fight him without much delay. If things don't go well, Condit might find himself taking another fight in the meantime.

Condit vs. Penn was originally the main event of UFC 137. Before Condit got promoted and Diaz got demoted, this was supposed to be the co-main event.

A win for Condit would validate his hype, and give us a better sense of just how good his BJJ and striking are.

Penn probably would not have gotten a title shot if he beat Condit, since he'd be coming off a draw. But if he were to beat Diaz and then Condit, both of whom were supposed to have title shots, he'd almost certainly get a rematch with GSP.