In less then a month two of the greatest lightweight fighters in UFC history will be competing for the lw title. I for one have been looking forward to this since Bj decided to go back to the lw division. This fight has gotten me more pumped up then any other fight in the last year, even more than Liddell vs Silva. And that's saying something, for those who don't know much about mma or the UFC. This article will shed some light on who Bj Penn is, and how this fight will determine who is possibly the # one lw in the world.
Bj Penn nicked named the prodigy, for good reason. Started his mma career at the age of 22. After becoming the first non-Brazilian to win a gold medal in the black belt division of the Mundial World Championships. Penn mauled through his first three opponents. Before losing a close decision to then lw title holder Jens "Little Evil" Pulver. Bj would fight three more times before leaving the UFC. Then in 2004 Penn scored an impressive victory over Takanori Gomi, Japan's current #1 ranked lw fighter.
But that was just the beginning for Bj in 2004 at UFC 46. Penn moved up a weight class to challenge the five-time defending welterweight champ Matt Hughes. Matt had already beat every possible contender in his weight class. So most fans favored him to win, but four minutes into the first round Matt lossed by rear naked choke. To most fans this was unbelievable, that Bj had won the welter weight title. Penn would leave the UFC to fight for K-1, for that Bj was stripped of the welter weight title.Penn filed a suit against the UFC and publicized his side of the conflict, claiming his UFC contract had already expired. Penn filed a motion to stop the UFC from awarding a new welterweight title, but that motion was denied.
Bj would fight two more times in 2004. Defeating welter weight contender Duane Ludwig and then undefeated middleweight Rodrigo Gracie. Extending his winning streak to four fights. In 2006 Penn would return to the UFC to fight GSP for the number one welterweight contender spot. Penn would lose that fight in a very close split decision. Most fans thought he lost because of his cardio, Bj was never considered to have a good gas tank. After St. Pierre, who became the UFC's top contender for the welterweight title since his win over Penn, injured himself during training, the UFC announced that Penn would replace St. Pierre in an upcoming title fight, setting up a highly anticipated rematch with Hughes for UFC 63 on September 23, 2006. In the bout, Penn controlled the first two rounds, but sustained a rib injury during the scramble to take Hughes' back in round two. He was visibly different in the third round, appearing exhausted and missing punches he was landing earlier. Hughes was able to take Penn to the mat, and in side control position rain punches on Penn's head until referee "Big" John McCarthy stopped the fight at 3:53 of the third round, making this the first time that Penn had been stopped in a fight. In an interview found on Penn's personal website, Penn stated that by round three he could hardly breathe and had no "mobility in his core." Despite his injury, he congratulated Hughes, calling him a great fighter, and said he deserved his victory.
BJ seemed broken not just physically but mentally as well. But in 2007 Penn was renewed when he was able to fight the first man to ever beat him in mma competition, Jens Pulver. He won with a rear naked choke in the second round after controlling Pulver from the mount and then taking Pulver's back.On July 7, 2007, during the post-fight press conference of UFC 73, UFC president Dana White announced that Penn would stay at lightweight to fight current UFC lightweight champion Sean Sherk. However, Sean Sherk subsequently was suspended by the California State Athletic Commission, and the status of the possible title fight was left in limbo as he pursued his appeals. With Sherk's title status still in limbo after months of hearings, the UFC scheduled Penn to fight Joe Stevenson at UFC 80 on January 19th 2008 for an interim lightweight title. The subsequent final decision by the California State Athletic Commission, which did not overturn Sherk's suspension, led to the title being stripped from Sherk and the Penn-Stevenson fight being upgraded to a full title bout, with the winner facing Sherk as their first defense.
Penn knocked Stevenson down seconds into the first round with a right uppercut, then took Stevenson down, eventually inflicting a serious cut near Stevenson's hairline later in the round. In the second round, Stevenson fought more aggressively but was still unable to threaten Penn. Penn worked to back mount and defeated him by rear naked choke at 4:02 of the second round to win the UFC Lightweight Championship. With this win, Penn became the second man (after Randy Couture) to win UFC titles in two different weight classes.
And that brings us to Bj penn vs Sean Sherk. Sherk considered the number one lightweight in the UFC. Having a 35-2-1 mma record. Only being defeated by two of the greatest welter weights of all time GSP,and Matt Hughes.And having a gas tank that could fill a diesel tank. Could very well be Bj's most toughest opponent to date. In conclusion this fight is going to be SICK so if your ever going to watch an mma fight this would be the one.
