Author: Anthony Hardin Sr

UFC on FOX 5: B.J. Penn Aims to Recover from Brutal Loss

The UFC on FOX: Henderson vs. Diaz has a solid fight card that not only solidified lightweight title holder Benson Henderson as the elite 155 pound fighter in the world, but also represented a changing of the guard for two legendary fighters that helpe…

The UFC on FOX: Henderson vs. Diaz has a solid fight card that not only solidified lightweight title holder Benson Henderson as the elite 155 pound fighter in the world, but also represented a changing of the guard for two legendary fighters that helped shape the MMA landscape.

Rory MacDonald dominated B.J. Penn for three rounds and landed punches and kicks at will. At no point did Penn ever make the fight competitive. MacDonald looked quicker on his feet as he defended takedowns and battered the body of Penn with leg kicks that seemed to come from every angle and direction. MacDonald spoke prior to the fight about being a huge B.J. Penn fan, then went out and easily beat up a legend of the sport and one of his idols in front of a nationally televised audience.

Was it the best B.J. Penn in the octagon on Saturday night? Of course not, But when was the last time that fight fans have seen Penn at his best? The last several years in the UFC have not been kind to the former UFC lightweight and welterweight title holder. Since his loss to Georges St. Pierre at UFC 94 in 2009, Penn has compiled a 3-4-1 record with his last three bouts fought to a draw with Jon Fitch and lost two in a row to Nick Diaz and Rory MacDonald, respectively.

The B.J. Penn loss to Rory McDonald was painful to watch and left no question as to the future of “The Prodigy.” If he decides to keep fighting in the UFC he must consider dropping back down to lightweight where he will have a better opportunity for success. His decision to fight at the welterweight level will only lead to losses and further physical and mental punishment. Penn simply cannot keep fighting the larger welterweights who cut weight from 200 pounds. The older Penn gets the slower he becomes and the less effective his takedowns become, as was proven in the match against MacDonald. There is still plenty of punch left in the hands of B.J. Penn, but they would be more effective against the smaller fighters. Today’s welterweights are just too quick and too strong for Penn and they easily beat him to the punch.

If UFC President Dana White decides to retain the services of B.J. Penn, he could do so by requiring Penn to fight at lightweight. Who would be a possible matchup for Penn in the lightweight division? Jon Fitch who fought Penn to a draw at UFC 127. That fight could be Penn’s last at welterweight or a possible catch weight because there would be no title on the line. Or, a B.J. Penn vs. Nate Diaz matchup. Both fighters are coming off losses and stylistically would make for a crowd pleasing fight.

If B.J. Penn decides to keep fighting it will be against the wishes of UFC President Dana White, but ultimately it will be a decision that only Penn can make. No one would fault Penn for hanging up his gloves and moving on to a new stage of his life. The future for Penn is uncertain, but the mark that he left on the sport is undeniable.

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UFC 132: Dominick Cruz Dominates Urijah Faber and Retains Title

The fight that many labeled as Bad Blood took place on Saturday, July 2nd at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Fought between former WEC Bantamweight, and current UFC Bantamweight Champion, Dominick Cruz, and former WEC Featherweig…

The fight that many labeled as Bad Blood took place on Saturday, July 2nd at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. 

Fought between former WEC Bantamweight, and current UFC Bantamweight Champion, Dominick Cruz, and former WEC Featherweight Champion Urijah Faber, this fight was a rematch of their first from back in March of 2004 for the WEC Featherweight Championship—a fight that Faber, a Sacramento native, won by Guillotine choke a mere 1:38 into the first round.

In what was a complete reversal of fortune, it was Cruz who found himself on the winning end of the Unanimous Decision victory, and UFC President Dana White placing the UFC Bantamweight belt back around his more-than-deserving waist. 

All the talk from both fighters leading up to the fight only promised fans a battle of epic proportions and with both fighters leaving it all in the octagon, as if to assure everyone who the dominant fighter was. 

For five rounds, Dominick Cruz proved to be the better fighter as he confused Faber with his unorthodox fighting style, allowing him to land punches from every angle.  Cruz kept a frenetic pace as he engaged Faber relentlessly. 

Faber looked sharp, and while on two occasions was able to drop the Bantamweight Champion Cruz, Faber was never able to capitalize. 

The most interesting aspect of the fight was that Faber was unable to land his signature takedowns to take the fight with Cruz to the ground.  Faber was a perennial section wrestling champion from Lincoln High School and eventually earned a wrestling scholarship to U.C. Davis.

No, curiously enough it was Cruz who landed more takedowns and easily escaped several of Faber’s takedown attempts. 

Both fighters would go home with Fight of the Night honors and bonuses to go along with it.  Unfortunately, Faber will go home without the championship belt that he so covets and thinks that he deserves. 

Cruz, on the other hand, will go home to San Diego with the belt still around his waist.  But more than that, Cruz will walk away with the satisfaction of beating the last man to defeat him some four years ago. 

The lasting questions from this epic fight will be: when will they fight again and who should challenge Cruz next?  Cruz has looked completely dominant in each of his three title defenses. 

With the ever growing stable of UFC Bantamweights, there is no shortage of fighters to step up and challenge the “Dominator.” 

But the biggest question is, are any of them worthy? 

Cruz owns two wins over highly ranked Joseph Benavidez, and now dominant wins over Faber, Scott Jorgenson and Brian Bowles.  If Benavidez is able to beat Eddie Wineland in their upcoming fight, will he get his third shot at Cruz, or will Wineland be next in line if he beats Joey B?

What next for Cruz? 

There is the possible rematch with former WEC champ Brian Bowles, who has won two in a row and beat Takeya Mizugaki Saturday night.  A matchup with Brad Pickett or Demetrious Johnson doesn’t scream “Must Watch” for the PPV audience.  Although both have winning streaks, Pickett at one and Johnson at four, that only leaves Masakatsu Ueda, and Ueda does not fight under the UFC banner. 

That only leaves a possible matchup with Miguel Torres.  A Torres fight would have been monumental several years ago when Torres held the WEC strap and owned the division, but now with Torres struggling to compete and win fights, that fight is unlikely to happen. 

Unfortunately for Dominick Cruz, he seems to be his own worst enemy.  He is just too good and holds wins over too many relevant fighters in the Top 10 of his respected division.  This is the same problem that plagues UFC champions Georges St. Pierre and Anderson Silva. 

The only thing that could work the MMA faithful into a frenzy would be a possible fight between Cruz and 145-pound king, UFC Featherweight Champion Jose Aldo.  Both fighters are exciting strikers and the matchup is intriguing.  UFC President Dana White may have no choice but to have these champions fight. 

The future for Dominick Cruz may be murky, but one thing is clear: after all the trash talk and bad blood boiled over, he was able to come out of his feud with Urijah Faber with the UFC Bantamweight belt around his waist, and his hand raised in the air victoriously.

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