But why?
B.J. Penn has been trying to make his comeback for a while now. First against, Dennis Siver, then against Nik Lentz, and recently against Carlos Lamas – all bad fights for him in ascending order. But now it seems the UFC have outdone themselves with the most recent rumor – Penn vs. Yair Rodriguez at UFC Phoenix. If you don’t know who Yair Rodriguez is, you will. The 145lb fighter is 24 year old dynamic striker with kicks that mimic a video game. The Mexican fighter and Tae Kwon Do blackbelt has been making his all his opponents look basic with a headkick K.O. of Andre Fili and a split decision win against Alex Caceres.
While “The Prodigy” will always have a special place in our hearts, his role in the UFC at this point is mainly for entertainment value. There’s really no point in giving him hungry lions like Ricardo Lamas and Yair Rodriguez. There are a myriad of people he can face instead and his name alone will sell fights, no need to kill him in the process. Does UFC have an angle? Maybe, but it remains a mystery at this point. UFC Phoenix will air on FS1 January 15th.
Also on the MMA hour it seems CM Punk may be making a comeback. The 0-1 welterweight fighter is in talks with Dana White on booking a second fight. While nothing is set in stone, the former WWE star is currently training out of Milwaukee under Duke Roufus and is eyeing a match up as soon as January.
To be honest, this man is delusional. Throughout the interview he referees to his loss as “the takedown” as if the initial mistake was the reason why he lost. In my opinion, even if the first takedown didn’t land he would’ve been beaten up on the feet or taken down at will throughout the fight. Nothing in that match suggested that he could stop Mickey Gall from doing whatever he wanted to do. I get the feeling he would’ve been outmatched in every aspect of the game. But maybe I’m reading into things, watch the interview and you be the judge.
1 p.m. ET — We’ll recap a busy weekend in mixed martial arts.
1:25 p.m. – Matt Mitrione will talk about his upcoming fight against Fedor Emelianenko and how it came together.
1:45 p.m. – Lyoto Machida will discuss his 18-month suspension from USADA and what’s next for him.
2:05 p.m. — Owen Roddy, Conor McGregor’s striking coach, will look back at McGregor’s win over Eddie Alvarez.
2:25 p.m. – Tim Kennedy will talk about getting pulled from UFC 205 and fighting next month in Toronto.
3:05 p.m. – Gegard Mousasi will look back on his win over Uriah Hall this weekend in Belfast.
3:25 p.m. – CM Punk will reflect on his UFC debut two months ago and talk about what the future holds for him.
4:10 p.m. – Mark Hunt will update us on his fighting future after voicing his displeasure recently with the UFC and USADA.
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