Until a recent 21-second KO of Matt Hughes at UFC 123, B.J. Penn hadn’t won a welterweight fight in more than six years, and he dropped his two most recent lightweight fights.
Jon Fitch, meanwhile, has won five straight at 170 pounds and 21 of his past 22 bouts overall – the lone defeat coming in a title fight with welterweight champ Georges St-Pierre in 2008.
Despite their very different resumes, the UFC 127 headliners are fighting for the same thing later this month: a guaranteed title shot.