Author: Mike Hodges

BJ Penn on a UFC Return: ‘I’m Kind of Warming Up to the Idea’

The saga that surrounds BJ Penn and his potential return to the UFC only continues to grow each day, but fans recently learned that the notion of seeing him compete again isn’t that far off.”The Prodigy” opened up about his life since retiring last yea…

The saga that surrounds BJ Penn and his potential return to the UFC only continues to grow each day, but fans recently learned that the notion of seeing him compete again isn’t that far off.

“The Prodigy” opened up about his life since retiring last year, and now admits that he has been getting anxious about possibly stepping back in the Octagon. 

“I’m kind of warming up to the idea,” Penn told reporter Jay Glazer on a recent episode of UFC Tonight. “I haven’t really made up my mind either way.”

Fans have waited for Penn to come out of retirement and make his anticipated return; however, he hasn’t been fully committed to the idea. UFC welterweight Josh Koscheck took to his Twitter account to try and lure the former lightweight champion back into facing him, but Penn turned it down.

UFC president Dana White had attempted to set up a fight between the Hawaiian and 155-pound Strikeforce champion Gilbert Melendez, but Penn declined that matchup as well.

It seems as if everyone has made an effort in convincing Penn to make a comeback, but he isn’t budging. Despite all of the offers, he appears content to focus on his life away from the Octagon.

However, Penn stated if he does fight in the UFC again, he only wants the best competition.

“I don’t want any freebie fights. I would like to put together a fight that makes sense, one, for everybody,” he said. “And number two, a big fight that people would be interested in and they want to watch.”

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BJ Penn Says Frankie Edgar Doesn’t Deserve a Rematch with Benson Henderson

BJ Penn has been away from the Octagon since last October, and it has allowed him to focus on other things aside from his career.”The Prodigy” recently made an appearance on MMA Uncensored Live, via MMAMania.com, and discussed a wide range of topi…

BJ Penn has been away from the Octagon since last October, and it has allowed him to focus on other things aside from his career.

“The Prodigy” recently made an appearance on MMA Uncensored Live, via MMAMania.com, and discussed a wide range of topics in the sport, including his retirement.

At one point, Penn discussed his title bouts against Frankie Edgar and analyzed his chances at regaining the belt from current UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson. 

“Honestly, I don’t think he should have. He could make the case for it,” the Hawaiian said when asked if Edgar deserved a rematch. “I’d like to see Benson Henderson fight Nate Diaz. Fight someone else.”

The lightweight division has been crammed with several challengers, but the weight class has yet to see a fresh contender due the amount of rematches occurring. Penn was put through the same situation when he and Edgar squared off at UFC 112 in 2010, and again at UFC 118. He lost on both occasions.

Penn said he understands if Edgar feels like he is warranted a rematch. However, he views fights based on the amount of damage, and he believes that Henderson did enough damage to the former champion and doesn’t necessarily need to face Edgar again.

Frankie’s fight, I guess you could have made a case that he did well with Benson. But to me, I look at fights — I don’t know who took the guy down more. I don’t look at stuff like that. Who woke up in the morning and who was in more pain?

Regardless of how Penn or fans look at the first bout, the rematch will commence at UFC 150, and it will lead to a decisive outcome.

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Rousimar Palhares Turns Down Offer to Train Chael Sonnen for UFC 148

Chael Sonnen’s antics have grown on Brazilians, including UFC middleweight Rouismar Palhares, after it was learned that “Toquinho” turned down Sonnen’s request to prepare for Anderson Silva.Palhares revealed to TATAME.com that the middleweight con…

Chael Sonnen‘s antics have grown on Brazilians, including UFC middleweight Rouismar Palhares, after it was learned that “Toquinho” turned down Sonnen’s request to prepare for Anderson Silva.

Palhares revealed to TATAME.com that the middleweight contender, who will challenge Silva for the UFC middleweight title at UFC 148, called his coach Murillo Bustamante and asked for some extra help but Palhares declined.

“He asked to train with me for Anderson but I’m not training anyone… Murilo said his coach has called him saying he wanted to come and train with me, but I said I won’t do it,” Palhares said.

Palhares said he declined the offer and he hopes to see Silva win.

“I’m rooting for Anderson. A fight is a fight… If he fights as much as he talks… Let’s see,” he said.

Sonnen won’t likely take offense to the Brazilian’s refusal to train him, but he did miss out on an opportunity to train with one of the most accomplished and credible submission grapplers at 185 pounds.

Sonnen lost Silva via triangle choke in their first bout at UFC 117 and enlisting Palhares’ services prior to the rematch would have benefited him.

Silva recently injured himself during training but he assured the minor injury will not force him to withdraw and he will be ready for July 8.

As for Sonnen, he’ll have to go back to the drawing board and seek another training partner.

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Benson Henderson Sees the Same Outcome ’10 Times out of 10′ with Frankie Edgar

The lightweight division has seen a transformation in determining prospects from the contenders, but it has remained stagnant. However, current UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson intends on stringing a few title defenses together, hoping to…

The lightweight division has seen a transformation in determining prospects from the contenders, but it has remained stagnant. 

However, current UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson intends on stringing a few title defenses together, hoping to fulfill a dominant title reign.

After challenging for the lightweight crown at UFC 144, Henderson will now be defending it against the same man whom he challenged just three months prior, Frankie Edgar.

“I think a part of that is Dana White being the big boss man and head honcho, scored the fight another way. He felt that fight warranted an immediate rematch, which is fine by me. It’s cool,” Henderson said in an exclusive interview with BloodyElbow.com. 

After their first matchup was met with some controversy regarding the rightful winner, the two competitors will meet once again at UFC 150. The first encounter produced one of the most exciting and competitive bouts of this year.

While their second meeting will not be the exact same as their last, it will likely deliver the same amount of excitement, and Henderson knows he can walk away with the title around his waist.

“I had a good time in there. As far as running it back, by all means, let’s do it. We can run it back 10 times, but 10 times out of 10 times, I intend on having the same outcome,” he said. 

Should Henderson successfully retain the 155-pound crown, he will have a list of hungry contenders waiting to challenge him. Names such as Nate Diaz and Anthony Pettis certainly stick out, and the former WEC star is aware of what they bring to the Octagon and how to beat them.

“As far as Nate Diaz, Anthony Pettis and other fighters, there’s blueprints on how to beat them,” he said. “A loss by decision will show you the blueprint, so if you want to follow that same blueprint, or game plan to a T, and if you have the skill set, you can win. I think I have a good enough skill set to implement whatever game plan my coaches and I decide to utilize in a fight.”

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Dana White Confirms Alistair Overeem Will Fight in the UFC Again

Alistair Overeem might have missed his opportunity to fight for the UFC heavyweight title at UFC 146, but that won’t affect his future in the UFC.Overeem is currently serving a nine-month suspension for failing his pre-fight drug test—he tested p…

Alistair Overeem might have missed his opportunity to fight for the UFC heavyweight title at UFC 146, but that won’t affect his future in the UFC.

Overeem is currently serving a nine-month suspension for failing his pre-fight drug test—he tested positive for elevated testosterone. The incident eventually cost him his spot in the main event, which ultimately was given to Frank Mir, but more importantly, it might have cost him his relationship with UFC president Dana White.

The colorful UFC boss is in no mood to conduct any further business with the Dutchman, recalling a sit-down with Overeem prior to signing with the company.

“He lied to me. He sat in front of us, he lied to us, I’m not interested,” White told MMAWeekly.com. “I don’t have to deal with people I don’t want to deal with and I don’t want to deal with him, Lorenzo (Fertitta) will.”

White said Overeem will have to reapply for his license following his suspension, which could mean the former Strikeforce heavyweight champion will return in December or early next year. “The Demolition Man” is 1-0 in the UFC, after he dominated Brock Lesnar in less than three minutes at UFC 141.

And despite his personal feelings towards Overeem, White said there will be no grudges held against him when he returns. He also said Overeem will remain in title contention.

“Yeah, I think he should (regain his standing in the division),” he said.

Although Overeem will stay in the title picture, it seems as if the UFC will not grant him an immediate title shot. Presuming that Junior dos Santos and Cain Velasquez will square off next, it is logical that Overeem will reaffirm his stance if he fights another top contender.

Fabricio Werdum is slated to face Mike Russow at UFC 147, and assuming he gets past the Chicago native, the Brazilian would be a formidable test to welcome back Overeem and set up the next challenger for the champion.

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Brock Lesnar’s Meeting with Dana White ‘Didn’t Go Too Well’

Fresh off an all-heavyweight affair at UFC 146, it was Brock Lesnar who was making the headlines.The former UFC heavyweight champion was seated at the event, and it looked as if Lesnar was only attending to watch the fights. However, that was far from …

Fresh off an all-heavyweight affair at UFC 146, it was Brock Lesnar who was making the headlines.

The former UFC heavyweight champion was seated at the event, and it looked as if Lesnar was only attending to watch the fights. However, that was far from the case, according to UFC president Dana White, who revealed at the post-fight press conference that Lesnar was there to conduct business.

But MMA journalist Dave Meltzer reports that neither side came to an agreement.

“Brock Lesnar and Dana White met last night. We don’t have any details other than the meeting did not go well,” Meltzer said.

Following his loss to Alistair Overeem at UFC 141 last year, the 265-pound Lesnar ventured back into the world of professional wrestling and has already competed in his first match with WWE star John Cena at Extreme Rules last month. 

Lesnar‘s history with the UFC is well-documented, and his presence this past weekend has generated speculation that he may be returning to the Octagon in the very near future. Lesnar is currently under contract with the WWE, but his recent storyline saw him “quit” the company after an altercation with Triple H.

In theory, Lesnar could pursue a comeback in the UFC, but his contract obviously prevents that, indicating that his appearance could just be a part of his storyline. However, if the WWE fails to acknowledge that Lesnar attended a UFC event, then perhaps he actually could be fed up with his new job and return to MMA.

Meltzer‘s report suggests otherwise, but Lesnar could bring a huge boost to the UFC once again. His impact on the company was unprecedented, and it’s evident that Lesnar is still a hot commodity for the organization, despite losing his last two fights.

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