BJ Penn: A Legend or "Just Another Guy"
by Jonathan Snowden on Dec 14, 2009 11:03 AM EST
Email
Print
Promoted to the Front Page by Zak Woods via assets.heavy.com
The UFC has two choices they can make: they can help create a legend, a lasting legacy at lightweight for one of the sport's all-time greatest fighters. Or, they can chase a payday with GSP and make BJ Penn just another guy at welterweight.
I make the case at heavy.com that Penn deserves to be remembered as one of the greats. Unfortunately, the UFC is encouraging Penn (who needs very little encouragement to not train hard and to eat, eat, eat) to head back to welterweight at the end of 2010;
Penn is finally in a place to solidify his status as one of the sport's all-time greats. He is clearly the best lightweight of all time, but he needs to put his stamp on that division with a long and unequalled title reign. Instead, sources inside the UFC tell Heavy.com that the master plan for Penn will include a move back to the welterweight class in 2011. Penn won't be allowed to make his mark at his natural and appropriate weight. He will be asked, once again, to put his superior abilities to the test against bigger and stronger men. Penn, if the UFC follows this course, will be remembered as a great fighter, but not an all-time great. If he follows his true path, as the unbeatable lightweight he truly is, he will be remembered as a legend. Which would you rather be BJ?
11 comments
|
1 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
I didn’t get into MMA until around mid-2006 when I started watching PRIDE highlights on Spike TV after school. When I began watching UFC events I couldn’t understand the hype surrounding BJ. Being that this was 2006, before the LW division was brought back, BJ’s record was a pedestrian 10-4 (somewhere close to that). Only recently have I really been able to grasp how special BJ’s career has been. From earning his black belt in three years, to becoming the only American to win the Mundials (after three years of practice as opposed to 10+), to making his professional debut in the UFC, and beating all of those top ranked guys as just a kid, to subbing Hughes in the first round at the height of his dominance… BJ truly deserves the moniker “The Prodigy”. He is a legend, he needs only to cement his legacy with another five or six title defenses.
Now if only I could understand Couture’s career in the same light as I have come to see BJ’s. I want to, I really do… but I guess it’s just one of those “you had to be there” at the time to understand what his aura is all about.
BJ Penn's Losses
When BJ Penn lost, he only lossed to guys that were or are champions.
His first loss was primarily due to his conditioning against the then lightweight champion, Jens Pulver via majority decision. A fighter he beat 5 years later. His second loss was to Lyoto Machida. Penn gave up 20+ pounds to Machida and lost that fight via decision. Note, that was when Machida was just beginning his MMA career. He moves up in weight, beats* the 9-time WW champion Matt Hughes, exits the UFC comes back to lose to GSP via split decision. He gets rematch with Matt Hughes, and in my humble opinion, dominates him until a rib injury causes him to lose in the 3rd round. His 5th loss. No excuses, he was pummeled by the WW champion GSP for basically 4 rounds until his corner said it was enough.
To sum it up, he loss to 3 “real” champions. Real champions = more than 1 successful title defense. He beat 2 of those champions so the victories and defeats cancel each other out. Losing to Machida isn’t so bad considering young Lyoto KO’ed Rich Franklin and Stephan Bonnar 2 years before he faced BJ Penn.
*Note, Penn was the first guy to beat Hughes in the UFC before it became fashionable.
Check out my recent MMA drawings on my blog, drop a comment, or subscribe via RSS for updates http://www.scritchandscratch.com/blog/?tag=mma
by VeeisAnimated on Dec 16, 2009 12:51 PM EST up reply actions
Only recently have I really been able to grasp how special BJ’s career has been. From earning his black belt in three years, to becoming the only American to win the Mundials (after three years of practice as opposed to 10+), to making his professional debut in the UFC, and beating all of those top ranked guys as just a kid, to subbing Hughes in the first round at the height of his dominance… BJ truly deserves the moniker "The Prodigy".
If you are going to give ME a history lesson, you better come correct. Penn was certainly not the first guy to beat Hughes in the UFC.
by Jonathan Snowden on Dec 16, 2009 1:47 PM EST reply actions
history was never one of my strong suits. Sure I can talk to you about the battle of Cannae, Pontiac’s war or the Boxer rebellion but even I forget about the battle of the Somme every once and a while…
watchkalibrun.com
My bad . . . Hallman owned him in 20 seconds.
My point Penn is that dude. His record 15-5 record doesn’t really reflect what kind of fighter he is. There are so many positives in his losses that they add to who he is as a fighter.
Check out my recent MMA drawings on my blog, drop a comment, or subscribe via RSS for updates http://www.scritchandscratch.com/blog/?tag=mma
by VeeisAnimated on Dec 17, 2009 9:40 AM EST up reply actions
BJ Penn is awesome. I did an interview with him once where he put his barefeet up on the table and ate a huge plate of fresh fruit. He is a dude.
by Jonathan Snowden on Dec 17, 2009 1:11 PM EST up reply actions
re:penn future
1. stay at Light
2. find a nemesis to play off of (can tito make light LOL)
3. dominate solid foes
4. fight as often as possible to keep his name and face in front of the public
his fight with sanchez was classic
sanchez had gotten on my nerves for yelling yeah over and over while making his entrance. at least that is what i think he is saying. could be some tony robbins gibberish. lol. then he gets in the octogan and runs laps twice as fast as tito ever did. he should have saved that energy for the fight. he might have actually gotten maybe one takedown. the beatdown put down on him was perfect standup striking and takedown defense. then the cut on the forehead from hell. that was the second biggest cut i have ever seen. b.j. penn is da " man"
i'm all about covering the spread and moneylines. i was building a house, i don't deserve this, deserves have nothing to do with it. bang. "unforgiven"
by wolfmanshowlforever on Jan 3, 2010 3:45 PM EST reply actions
Certain photos copyright © 2012 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
