https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BZIC635XVs
It’s a new year and the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is gearing up for its first event of 2017. The card will take place from the Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, Arizona on Jan. 15. Former two-division UFC champion B.J. Penn will come out of retirement to face surging featherweight Yair Rodriguez.
The card will also see lightweight veteran Joe Lauzon do battle with former Bellator competitor Marcin Held. Welterweights Court McGee and Ben Saunders will also share the Octagon. Rising bantamweights Jimmie Rivera and Bryan Caraway are expected to open up the main card.
Free fights are starting to roll out in anticipation of the event. This time, the UFC turns back the clock with an August 2009 title bout. Then champion Penn defended his title for the second time against Kenny Florian in the UFC 101 headliner.
“The Prodigy” was coming off a disappointing TKO loss to George St. Pierre in a super fight for the welterweight championship. Penn quit on his stool with four lopsided rounds in the books and decided to stay at 155 pounds to defend his title. His opponent was “KenFlo.”
Florian earned his title opportunity by going on a six-fight winning streak. He finished five of his opponents in that stretch, with four of those stoppages coming by submission. “KenFlo” had a knack for locking in a rear-naked choke on his foes.
Fans were excited to see what Florian had to offer and how Penn would respond to being dominated less than seven months prior. “The Prodigy” showed the world why he was still one of the best fighters in the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA).
The challenger was outmatched on the feet and his takedown attempts went nowhere. Instead, it was the champion who took the fight to the ground. Penn locked in a rear-naked choke in the fourth round to force the tap and he retained his championship.