“The Prodigy” B.J. Penn’s return to the welterweight division was glorious with a vicious knockout of rival Matt Hughes in their rubber fight in November of 2010.
Twenty-one seconds into the first round, Penn’s hand was raised in victory as Hughes laid unconscious on the Octagon floor as B.J. earned Knockout of the Night honors.
Following this stunning defeat, “The Prodigy” earned a disappointing draw at UFC 127 in Australia against Jon Fitch.
Neither fighter able to capitalize on their opponent’s mistakes, this lackluster affair came to an end under a banner of disappointment for Penn.
Alternatively, Jake Shields was riding a seven-year winning streak when he entered the UFC cage against the current welterweight champion, Georges St-Pierre, at UFC 129.
Delivering an inconsistent offense with moments of brilliance overshadowed by a hesitant drive for victory, Shields suffered a unanimous decision defeat to St-Pierre.
Currently rehabilitating from shoulder surgery, Jon Fitch is unable to compete in the rematch against Penn.
Anxious to compete prior to Fitch’s full recovery, Penn has taken it upon himself to call out the former Elite XC champion Jake Shields.
Commenting via Twitter, Penn tweeted, “I would never challenge one of Cesar Gracie’s guys, but you’ve been calling me out for years. Let’s do it! I’ll contact Dana.”
Responding without hesitation, Shields replied, “I’m a BJ fan but let’s get it on. Make the call. Let’s go!”
Additionally, upping the ante, Shields tweeted, “Even better, let’s make it the first 5 round non-title fight.”
Both Penn and Shields are phenomenally talented Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioners.
With the possibility of the ground game nullified by both fighter’s jiu-jitsu wizardry, this welterweight clash may come down to stand-up striking ability and cardiovascular conditioning.
A fight of this magnitude between two of the sport’s best welterweight fighters should be epic and a tremendous crowd-pleasing affair.
No word as of yet if this matchup is scheduled to take place. Stay tuned for details as they unfold.
I welcome your comments.
Todd Seyler
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