Should BJ Penn get a shot at GSP?

by Cori on Aug 14, 2008 1:32 PM EDT Comment 2 comments

With GSP's win over Fitch and BJ Penn's post-fight appearance and hype for a fight between the two, it seems that everyone thinks that's the next fight for both. But should it be? At least one person doesn't think so.

"Sure, he destroyed Shawn Sherk...on his feet. I would have liked to have seen BJ's cardio on display against Sherk. However, Sherk was out to prove that he's more than a wrestler, and he didn't go for takedown after takedown. Because of this, Penn's cardio was never put to the challenge.

That being said, Penn has defended his title only once and he's been screwing hard workers out of their title shot this year because of his infatuation of fighting Georges St. Pierre.

The same could be said for Georges St. Pierre, but Georges St. Pierre is a two time Welterweight Champ who has beaten every opponent he has ever fought. Sorry Kenny Florian, your five wins in a row only mean you have to keep winning because BJ Penn wants to fight Georges St. Pierre, and what Baby Jay wants, Baby Jay gets."

It does seem unfair to tie up yet another division's title and withhold opportunities for other fighters, especially when neither titleholder has had the chance to defend their titles more than once or clean out their divisions. And what happens after the fight? Where do the titles end up? What happens to the fighters climbing up the ladder that have been patiently waiting for their shot?

Wouldn't everyone involved be better off if both GSP and Penn had some time to further establish their dominance in their respective divisions before having a 'P4P Clash'?

The FanPosts are solely the subjective opinions of Bloody Elbow readers and do not necessarily reflect the views of Bloody Elbow editors or staff.

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BJ Penn and GSP are at their peaks, they are both phenomonal fighters. It would be tragic for it not to happen.

by lovingmma25 on Aug 14, 2008 2:35 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Bj has defended his title so many times, who is there left for him to fight. Oh wait. He has only defended it once. This isn’t “The Spider” who has taken on all comers. This is Bj the great, the prodigy, the unbeatable here. He needs to prove that he can defend the title against those who deserve a shot at it. Just because he can’t get up for a fight against those who are beneath him is his problem and his problem alone.
Hey, I like BJ. I think that he is amazing, but his problem is totally in his head. He needs to be chasing the next best thing, to him that is taking on GSP. However a great champion is someone who stays at the top and defeats all comers. That is why Matt Hughes was great in his day. He took out anyone that he fought, he defended his title. Any title holder should have to defend his title 3 times before they start to look to another title holder. This isn’t the old days of MMA when there where only 5 or 6 guys in a division, kind of like Elite or Affliction. There are a ton of good quality guys in these divisions. They should be defending the title at least twice a year if not more.
——as an aside, this coaches for a title shot thing on TUF has got to go. It ties up the title for too long.

by The_Vig on Aug 14, 2008 3:16 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs