Tag: BJ Penn

Jose Aldo vs. Frankie Edgar: A Career Timeline to UFC 156

There is a UFC super fight this weekend with featherweight champion Jose Aldo taking on recent former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar at UFC 156 in Las Vegas.Aldo and Edgar are both at the very top of the mixed martial arts game and Edgar is st…

There is a UFC super fight this weekend with featherweight champion Jose Aldo taking on recent former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar at UFC 156 in Las Vegas.

Aldo and Edgar are both at the very top of the mixed martial arts game and Edgar is stepping right into the fire in his new division by taking on Aldo. Man fans and media believe that this is where Edgar truly belongs and only time will tell if he can match his success and longevity he enjoyed at 155 pounds.

Both of these men have battled long and hard to get to this fight and here is a look at their respective career paths to UFC 156.

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25 Greatest MMA Fighters of the Last 10 Years

The past 10 years of MMA have been special.We have seen the sport grow. We have seen fighters evolve. What was once a fringe sport has exploded onto the international stages and captivated millions of fans.We have been witness to great moments and…

The past 10 years of MMA have been special.

We have seen the sport grow. We have seen fighters evolve. What was once a fringe sport has exploded onto the international stages and captivated millions of fans.

We have been witness to great moments and great performances. Fighters have entered cages and rings to put it all on the line for our entertainment. Some have done it better than others.

Certain fighters have carved their name into the history books. They have fought and earned their place as the great ones.

These are the 25 greatest fighters in the past 10 years.

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[VIDEO] GSP, BJ Penn, Renzo Gracie & Matt Serra Discuss Fight Psychology

(Props: fueltv)

Every once in a while, videos come out that you wish were a little longer. Usually, they include this chick. Others, however, contain candid and inside looks into the lives and mindsets of top fighters. A new one released by Fuel TV called “UFC Roundtable Welterweights” is one of those videos.

Our favorite fitness guru and MMA coach Jay Glazer sat down with four legends — BJ Penn, Renzo Gracie, Georges St. Pierre and Matt Serra — to discuss the psychology of pre-fight moments like stare downs, warm ups, and the walk to the cage/ring. Given all the heat and history between most of these guys, it was cool to see them sit next to one another and seemingly enjoy what the others had to say.

St. Pierre, for example, waxed sports-psychologist philosophical about how he turns his fear into courage, and even his two-time nemesis Serra was impressed. Penn gushed about how Renzo was the one guy who didn’t look away from him during a stare down. I guess time and everyone being rich has a way of healing old wounds.

– Elias Cepeda


(Props: fueltv)

Every once in a while, videos come out that you wish were a little longer. Usually, they include this chick. Others, however, contain candid and inside looks into the lives and mindsets of top fighters. A new one released by Fuel TV called “UFC Roundtable Welterweights” is one of those videos.

Our favorite fitness guru and MMA coach Jay Glazer sat down with four legends — BJ Penn, Renzo Gracie, Georges St. Pierre and Matt Serra — to discuss the psychology of pre-fight moments like stare downs, warm ups, and the walk to the cage/ring. Given all the heat and history between most of these guys, it was cool to see them sit next to one another and seemingly enjoy what the others had to say.

St. Pierre, for example, waxed sports-psychologist philosophical about how he turns his fear into courage, and even his two-time nemesis Serra was impressed. Penn gushed about how Renzo was the one guy who didn’t look away from him during a stare down. I guess time and everyone being rich has a way of healing old wounds.

– Elias Cepeda

MMA: 5 Fighters Who Can Still Make a Comeback

As fans of the combative sports, it’s a very hard thing to see a fighter we like and have rooted for many times to begin a downhill slide; we know it will happen eventually, and sometimes it happens sooner than we expected, but that doesn’t…

As fans of the combative sports, it’s a very hard thing to see a fighter we like and have rooted for many times to begin a downhill slide; we know it will happen eventually, and sometimes it happens sooner than we expected, but that doesn’t make it any easier.

While MMA fans are dedicated on one hand, they are quick to mock and condemn on the other. Before you know it, this fighter or that champion was never really all that good anyway, and you know it’s true because if it wasn’t they wouldn’t be losing.

It’s the kind of attitude that’s to be expected in the fight game; fans are only human, after all, and it’s far easier to be pessimistic than optimistic.

Still, secretly, many a fan has a special place in their heart for at least one fighter who is struggling, hoping they can find a way to turn the tide and prove all the naysayers wrong. Fans also love to root for the underdog, even if they only do it through gritted teeth.

Perhaps the notion of fighters making comebacks is unconventional from a fan perspective, but it does happen. When a fighter is honest and decides that he still wants to fight more than anything else, it is then that positive change is most likely to occur.

One example of this is Arturo Gatti, who looked like he was simply finished as a boxer—too many wars and too much punishment coupled with a face-first style that simply didn’t have to be so—and thought by many to be too old to change his style.

But change he did, and the comeback was achieved, and we got one of the greatest boxing wars the sport has seen in some years: Arturo Gatti vs. Micky Ward.

When you consider that boxers take far more punishment in their careers than MMA fighters, the tale of Gatti is inspiring. 

So taking that inspiration to heart, here is a list of five fighters who could make a comeback, should they find their dedication equal to their desire.

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UFC News: Tristar Head Trainer Invites BJ Penn to Train at His Gym

There is no love lost between former UFC lightweight/welterweight champion BJ Penn and the Tristar Gym in Montreal, Quebec. However, on the most recent edition of BJPenn.com Radio, head trainer Firas Zahabi invited “The Prodigy” to come train…

There is no love lost between former UFC lightweight/welterweight champion BJ Penn and the Tristar Gym in Montreal, Quebec. 

However, on the most recent edition of BJPenn.com Radio, head trainer Firas Zahabi invited “The Prodigy” to come train at his respected facility. 

“I think he’s a phenomenal fighter, I think he has a lot that he can still do,” Zahabi said. “I really think he can be where he used to be. I think he can make it back there. I’d love for him to come to Tristar and train with us and see what we do. We can have an exchange of ideas and how we could mutually benefit from such an experience. I really think he has a lot left in him, but that’s up to him. He has nothing to prove, he’s done everything in this sport and if he fights it’s for his own personal enjoyment and I would encourage him. If he doesn’t want to fight I don’t think he has anything to prove, he’s done it all so it’s really up to him and what he feels he wants to do.”

Penn has been training at his own gym, BJ Penn’s MMA in Hawaii, for years, a situation many blame for his recent for his 1-4-1 record in his past six fights. 

Many fans and analysts believe the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt doesn’t have the coaching staff and training partners necessary to reach his full potential, so its not unfathomable to think a gym change could breathe some life into his storied career. 

One of only two two-division champions in UFC history (the other being Randy Couture), Penn is 0-3 against Tristar fighters: losing to UFC welterweight kingpin Georges St-Pierre twice, and most recently, rising star Rory MacDonald at UFC on FOX 5 last month. 

Penn has always had some trouble with high-level wrestlers throughout his 11-year, 27-fight career, and there are no shortage of those at Tristar. 

After his loss against MacDonald, Penn said he was going to “take some time” before he decided whether or not he would continue fighting. 

Following a lopsided decision loss to Nick Diaz at UFC 137 in Oct. 2011, Penn announced his retirement, but he found a challenge from MacDonald too enticing to turn down. 

Could a move to the Tristar Gym bring out the best in Penn, or is the UFC legend at the point where retirement is the only intelligent option?

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Power Ranking Every UFC Fight Card of 2012

With Cain Velasquez regaining the heavyweight title at UFC 155, the 2012 UFC schedule is complete. Looking back, the obvious question is this: What was the best fight card of the year top to bottom?In a year that was certainly dominated and defined by …

With Cain Velasquez regaining the heavyweight title at UFC 155, the 2012 UFC schedule is complete. Looking back, the obvious question is this: What was the best fight card of the year top to bottom?

In a year that was certainly dominated and defined by the injury replacement, UFC matchmakers had to constantly scramble in 2012 to deliver quality fights to the fans. There were 32 events scheduled this year and 31 were completed, with only one—UFC 151—cancelled.

Taking into account the quality of every fight on each card, here is my power ranking of every event in 2012.

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