Tag: BJ Penn

State of the UFC Lightweights

Filed under: UFC, WECNovember is a month without any title fights, which makes it a good time to take a long view of the future title picture in each weight class. Today, we look at the lightweight division.

It feels a little strange that we’re about …

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Frankie EdgarNovember is a month without any title fights, which makes it a good time to take a long view of the future title picture in each weight class. Today, we look at the lightweight division.

It feels a little strange that we’re about to look at the UFC lightweight division and B.J. Penn won’t even be part of the conversation, but that’s the way it works after UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar beat Penn twice this year, the second time by an absolutely dominant unanimous decision. Penn’s next fight is at welterweight and he’s not really part of the lightweight picture anymore, and so we’ll file Penn away as part of the lightweight division’s past, and we’ll look here at the division’s future.

Henderson-Pettis Winner to Become UFC Lightweight No. 1 Contender

Filed under: UFC, NewsBen Henderson and Anthony Pettis will have the honor of shutting off the lights behind them when they face off in the last match in WEC history later this year.

But their WEC 53 main event matchup will be more than just an answer…

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Ben Henderson and Anthony Pettis will have the honor of shutting off the lights behind them when they face off in the last match in WEC history later this year.

But their WEC 53 main event matchup will be more than just an answer to a trivia question; it will also determine the No. 1 contender to the UFC lightweight championship.

That’s the word according to UFC president Dana White, who told reporters of the plan during a conference call to formally announce the UFC-WEC merger.

Video: UFC Primetime – Lesnar vs. Velasquez Episode 1

(Video courtesy YouTube/TurismoGTR all rights reserved ZuffaLLC/SPIKETV)If you missed episode one of UFC Primetime – Lesnar vs. Velasquez last night, we got you covered, playa.
The first segment shed some light on the background of Velasquez beyond …

(Video courtesy YouTube/TurismoGTR all rights reserved ZuffaLLC/SPIKETV)

If you missed episode one of UFC Primetime – Lesnar vs. Velasquez last night, we got you covered, playa.

The first segment shed some light on the background of Velasquez beyond the topical info we already know about his pop being an illegal immigrant and him being a hard worker. I was pretty surprised to hear Javier Mendez say that Cain has more talent than anyone he has ever trained including Frank Shamrock, Cung Le or BJ Penn. I could have sworn I heard Josh Koscheck mutter, "Javier. I’m right here and I can hear you," off camera.

Another interesting tidbit that kind of flew under the radar was that Pat Barry is in Minnesota helping Brock do something about his stand-up. Honestly, he might be about two years too late to make any marked improvement in Brock’s hands, but I may be wrong. Just ask James Toney how much can be learned in a few months.

Part two is after the jump.

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So Wait, Penn and Hughes are Bros Now? Well, That Sucks For UFC 123

(VidProps: YouTube/FightersOnlyMagazine)
Good news and bad news for people who were worried about how BJ Penn might react after demoralizing, back-to-back losses to Frankie Edgar this year: On the positive side, Penn’s not hanging it up. In fac…

(VidProps: YouTube/FightersOnlyMagazine)

Good news and bad news for people who were worried about how BJ Penn might react after demoralizing, back-to-back losses to Frankie Edgar this year: On the positive side, Penn’s not hanging it up. In fact, he says in the above vid with Fighters Only Magazine that he’s intent on fighting even more often and actually sounds like a 22-year-old “TUF” rookie just embarking on his UFC career when he starts talking about how he’s still tweaking his training and trying to figure out what works best for him. For a dude who in times past appeared cripplingly preoccupied with his place in the history of the sport, that renewed sense of himself has to be a good thing.

So, the bad news? Well, he and Matt Hughes are cool now, which pretty much takes all the fun out of the pair’s upcoming third meeting at UFC 123. Frankly, if this fight isn’t a grudge match, then it’s not immediately clear why anyone is supposed to care about it, let alone watch.

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Hughes-Penn III in the Works for UFC 123

(Loser pays for the pig roast at the afterparty.)
CagePotato has learned through a source close to the situation that discussions are underway between Matt Hughes,  BJ Penn and the UFC to set up a rubbermatch between the pair at UFC 123 …


(Loser pays for the pig roast at the afterparty.)

CagePotato has learned through a source close to the situation that discussions are underway between Matt Hughes,  BJ Penn and the UFC to set up a rubbermatch between the pair at UFC 123 on  November 20.

The event, which is scheduled for The Palace of Auburn Hills in the Detroit suburb of Auburn Hills, Michigan will feature a main card match-up between former UFC light heavyweight champions Lyoto Machida and Quinton Jackson.

We first learned of the possible match-up last week, and although we were unable to confirm with Hughes’ or Penn’s camps as of time of writing, both men have since confirmed that they could possibly compete in November, so it seems like the tip was legit and that the bout is in fact a plausibility.

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Aoki Also Having Trouble Understanding the ‘Mixed’ Part of Mixed Martial Arts

(Here’s a quarter pal, call Michael Schiavello. PicProps: All Elbows)
MMA’s pathetic collective bitch session about the current trend of wrestlers kicking everybody’s asses reached its shrill and whiny fever pitch this week. With the UFC co…


(Here’s a quarter pal, call Michael Schiavello. PicProps: All Elbows)

MMA’s pathetic collective bitch session about the current trend of wrestlers kicking everybody’s asses reached its shrill and whiny fever pitch this week. With the UFC considering pulling Jon Fitch’s title shot off the table, Dan Hardy’s hilariously bad anti-wrestling column appearing in the Nottingham World Observer (or whatever it’s called) and people publicly worrying themselves sick about the marketability of Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard, the wrestling store must be all sold out of Haterade.

Add to the list of the aggrieved the already insufferable Shinya Aoki, who tells MMA Fighting.com that – in the wake of his own soul-crushing defeat by Gilbert Melendez and idol BJ Penn’s second straight loss to Edgar – he’s not too down with all this wrestling stuff.

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