Tag: BJ Penn

Rory MacDonald Wants Condit after Penn, Won’t Fight GSP But Will Fight at Middleweight

(Video via MMA Fighting)

There was a period of time, back around 2004-2005, when folks spoke about a young welterweight named Georges St. Pierre as if it were inevitable that the Canadian would one day be the welterweight champion of the world. These days, the same type of hype surrounds St. Pierre’s training partner Rory MacDonald.

Rory will be fighting BJ Penn next on the UFC on Fox 5 card but is so good and so young that he constantly has to answer the question of whether or not he’d fight his Tri-Star stablemate St. Pierre.

Before last week’s UFC 154 in his home town of Montreal, MacDonald answered questions from fans. If you hear past Rory’s dry delivery and watch the whole session (above) you’ll be treated to an earnest sounding kid, both full of confidence and hard on himself (for example, he refers to his loss to Condit as getting his ass kicked instead of losing at the very end of a fight he was previously winning).

MacDonald believes with certainty that he will become the welterweight champion one day but says that “me and Georges are not going to fight.”


(Video via MMA Fighting)

There was a period of time, back around 2004-2005, when folks spoke about a young welterweight named Georges St. Pierre as if it were inevitable that the Canadian would one day be the welterweight champion of the world. These days, the same type of hype surrounds St. Pierre’s training partner Rory MacDonald.

Rory will be fighting BJ Penn next on the UFC on Fox 5 card but is so good and so young that he constantly has to answer the question of whether or not he’d fight his Tri-Star stablemate St. Pierre.

Before last week’s UFC 154 in his home town of Montreal, MacDonald answered questions from fans. If you hear past Rory’s dry delivery and watch the whole session (above) you’ll be treated to an earnest sounding kid, both full of confidence and hard on himself (for example, he refers to his loss to Condit as getting his ass kicked instead of losing at the very end of a fight he was previously winning).

MacDonald believes with certainty that he will become the welterweight champion one day but says that “me and Georges are not going to fight.”

Their friendship and his ability to stay training at his gym make it an impossibility for Rory. “We are friends and we are very close training partners…I’m not in it for the money..I don’t want to sacrifice a friendship and my spot training at Tri Star.”

MacDonald also said that, though he has no trouble making the welterweight limit, he will fight at middleweight eventually. No doubt [I] will fight at middleweight at some point in my career.”

Rory also talks about BJ Penn’s hard on for TriStar gym fighters, how he’s fine with BJ comes in fat, the randomness of Penn calling him out and the guy he wants to fight after the Hilo kid.

– Elias Cepeda

Ranking the GOATS of Each Weight Division in MMA

“Greatest of all time” (GOAT) and “pound-for-pound” (P4P) are two of the most enigmatic and hotly debated metrics in the MMA blogosphere. After all, when there is absolutely no way to figure out who is right, the arguments are s…

“Greatest of all time” (GOAT) and “pound-for-pound” (P4P) are two of the most enigmatic and hotly debated metrics in the MMA blogosphere. After all, when there is absolutely no way to figure out who is right, the arguments are simply endless.

So, why don’t we just go ahead and essentially combine the two?

Here we rank the GOATs of each weight division in MMA! Get prepared to wade through history to determine the greatest fighter of each class and then rank all of them against each other!

First, we will pick out the top dog in each division, going from the smallest weight class to heavyweight. Then, we will compare and contrast each of them.

The two noteworthy weight classes we will be ignoring are flyweight and super heavyweight. Flyweight is a very recent addition to the UFC and has very little history. Super heavyweight, meanwhile, is…just…awful. I doubt anyone wants to waste time choosing between Hong Man Choi, Teila Tuli, Scott Ferrozzo, Bob Sapp and Eric Esch.

So buckle up and enjoy!

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UFC on FOX 5: B.J. Penn on Upcoming Bout Against Rory MacDonald

Former UFC champion and pound-for-pound contender B.J. Penn will return to the Octagon this December 8, where he will take on rising welterweight star Rory MacDonald at the UFC’s fifth installment of its FOX series. The bout signifies Penn’s first…

Former UFC champion and pound-for-pound contender B.J. Penn will return to the Octagon this December 8, where he will take on rising welterweight star Rory MacDonald at the UFC’s fifth installment of its FOX series. 

The bout signifies Penn’s first action since October 29, 2011—the date he entered into a short-lived retirement. 

“The Prodigy” recently spoke with BJPenn.com about his impending match with MacDonald, catching everyone up on his training process and speaking about his developing motivation.

Training is coming along, I couldn’t be happier with how everything is going. I’m in the gym trying to put in my time and I’ve used the last few months to get into shape. I think it was a blessing that the fight got pushed back [from UFC 152]. I’ve had more time to train and I’ve been able to work out more. We’re giving it an honest effort and we’ll see how everything works out.

Training has always been something of an issue for Penn, who has long been chastised by fans and media alike over coasting into bouts. The Hawaiian has put together an impressive career, but most believe his peak would have been higher had he adhered to a stricter regimen and built his fighting endurance more intensely.

Because he is coming off such an extensive layoff, Penn’s cardio will likely (once again) be a hot topic heading into UFC on FOX 5.

During the interview, Penn also noted his zealousness to take on a member of Montreal’s fabled Tri-Star gym.

I wanted to have another match against Tri-Star and head coach Firas Zahabi, and it’s not being done because of any bad blood. I feel like I have more to show them and without a doubt Rory has a lot of hype surrounding him.

Penn went on to talk about MacDonald, lauding his skills and supporting the burgeoning theory that the youngster has a bright future ahead of him. 

He’s in great condition, he can kick, punch, he can wrestle and he knows how to fight on the ground. Everyone is saying he’s going to be one of the top guys and those are the guys I like to fight. It works out two ways for me; I get to face a really good opponent and I get to compete against Firas again.

MacDonald will enter the contest riding a three-fight win streak, while Penn has grasped victory just one time over his past five bouts. 

UFC on FOX 5 will go from the Key Arena in Seattle, Washington. 

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 154 Rory Mac: "BJ Can Say Whatever He Wants, I’m Still Gonna Beat His Ass"

The UFC held a Fight Club Q & A session with Rory MacDonald today ahead of the 154 weigh-in where he answered questions on various topics in his life to a jam packed house inside the New City Gas Nightclub.MacDonald is…

The UFC held a Fight Club Q & A session with Rory MacDonald today ahead of the 154 weigh-in where he answered questions on various topics in his life to a jam packed house inside the New City Gas Nightclub.

MacDonald is set to take on Hawaiian legend BJ Penn on Dec. 8 on UFC on Fox 5 in a fight that was supposed to take place in September at UFC 152 in Toronto.

The story of who called whom out and how the fight was made is well known and MacDonald confirmed today that he first heard that Penn wanted to fight him, so he seized the opportunity and went public with his interest in that fight on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani.

“I’m a better fighter than him. I’m not really scared anywhere the fight goes. I’m a better striker, I’m a better wrestler and I’m better on the ground as far as of MMA jiu jitsu. Probably not straight jiu jitsu, we all know what he has done there so.

When it was mentioned how Penn has accused MacDonald and the Tristar gym of being pumped up on steroids and banned substances, MacDonald was blunt in his response.

“He’s got a lot of excuses that guy, he likes to stir up a lot of shit. He likes to get people excited. At the end of the day, he can say whatever he wants to get people excited, I’m still gonna beat his ass.”

Director of UFC Community Relations and host of the session Reed Harris mentioned on a couple of occasions that he has seen Penn recently and that he believes that Penn is in phenomenal shape and Rory will see the best Penn that he will ever see.

It was obvious the second time he mentioned it, that MacDonald had heard enough. 

“To be honest with you I don’t really care,” he said glaring at Harris.

“It doesn’t matter what shape he is in. I guess it’s better for the fans if he’s in shape because it will be a better fight.” 

MacDonald is extremely confidant that he is going to put a whooping on the former lightweight champion and future Hall of Famer.

I can’t wait to find out on December 8.

 

Dwight Wakabayashi is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report MMA and guest blogger for Sportsnet.ca UFC. Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained firsthand.

Catch him on Facebook and Twitter @wakafightermma.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC: Things to Be Thankful for This Thanksgiving Season

It’s been a roller coaster of a year. We’ve seen a few thrilling battles take place in 2012, a few letdowns and the outright “Attack of the Injury Bug.” There are a handful of impressive cards lined up to usher 2012 out the door, and with t…

It’s been a roller coaster of a year. We’ve seen a few thrilling battles take place in 2012, a few letdowns and the outright “Attack of the Injury Bug.”

There are a handful of impressive cards lined up to usher 2012 out the door, and with the end of the year comes the hope that 2013 produces fewer injuries and failed drug tests, and far more fireworks inside the cage.

Everyone has something to be thankful for this Thanksgiving season: these are just a few of the things that leave me tipping my hat in respectful acknowledgment.  

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10 UFC Fighters Who Define the Warrior Mindset

Some fighters seem born to scrap. These fierce competitors, whether the product of nature or nurture, will do whatever it takes to win.You know how some men talk about fighting anyone, anywhere? About letting a limb snap before giving an opponent the p…

Some fighters seem born to scrap. These fierce competitors, whether the product of nature or nurture, will do whatever it takes to win.

You know how some men talk about fighting anyone, anywhere? About letting a limb snap before giving an opponent the pleasure of seeing him tap? These are the guys who actually do it. Men who stand toe-to-toe until they, or hopefully their opponent, falls to the mat in either exhaustion or unconsciousness.

Some UFC champions are great athletes who just happen to be fighters. Those aren’t the guys we are highlighting here.

These are the fighters who just happen to be pro athletes. The toughest of tough guys. The warrior class. Cycle through to salute MMA‘s true heart and soul.

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