It’s time for a good ol‘ fashioned fight that no one asked for, but people are definitely interested in.
Well, not literally time for one. It’s going to happen in a couple of months. But figuratively, and for the purposes of what you’re about to read, we’re going to say it’s time for one.
That fight? BJ Penn vs. Frankie Edgar III on July 6.
Break out all the taglines you want. “The Bout to Knock the Other Guy Out” and is taken, and stuff like “This Time It’s Personal” is kind of unimaginative, but call it whatever you want.
Penn and Edgar are going to war one last time, and it’s hard not to be a little enthused by that.
The first two fights are underrated in their own ways. Their lightweight title bout at UFC 112 crowned a shocking champion in Edgar, and their return engagement at UFC 118 was even more stunning for how dominant he was in retaining his belt.
For pure surprise, there may not be 10 consecutive rounds of combat to ever be more underrated, actually.
Now, mutually reinvented as 145-pounders, they’ll do it again. Penn is looking to slay an old demon that’s never quite sat right with him, while Edgar is seeking to remind people that he won those fights because he’s very good, not very lucky.
Seeing as there’s plenty of reason to be excited by those motivations, we can agree that it’s never too early to break down their third bout. So that’s what we’ll do.