I said it yesterday on Twitter and I’ll repeat it here: I’m a sucker for B.J. Penn’s proclamations. That’s especially true when he says he’s different this time. It’ll be better this time. He’ll show us this time he’s really turned things around. And not because I have any rational basis to do so, I’ll believe him.
I and many others have always believed he’s been capable of more and fallen short when he shouldn’t have. We hope against hope that there’s a chance he can finally actualize all the potential and skill he has. We’re eager to believe anything that tells us that might be true, including a 30 second clip of him lightly shadow boxing in what appears to be his front lawn.
Accurate or not, predictive in value or not, it only makes the impending bout against Rory MacDonald at UFC on FOX 5 that much more intriguing. That’s noteworthy because an event that good needs little extra help to put it over the top.
I don’t know what the ratings are going to be. I don’t know how FOX will receive the event, but I think it’s fair to say this is the best UFC on FOX event since the first one.
So join me at 1 p.m. ET to talk about these issues and more during our live chat. As is customary, I’ll post the video window here as the event draws near and I’ll answer any questions you may have if you post them in the comments section below.
If you want to join me on Google+ and let everyone see your face, now you can. Go to today’s livechat Google + page. If you’re interested, drop a note and I’ll add you to my circles. Once you’re in, I can invite you through to the chat. Just want to participate in the comments? No problem. Participate however you feel most comfortable.
Everything kicks off at 1 p.m. ET. Talk to you then.