FightMetric Report for UFC 107: Penn vs. Sanchez, B.J. Penn Is Good at Fighting
by Mike Fagan on Dec 13, 2009 10:11 AM EST
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Remember nine hours ago when I told you that B.J. Penn is scary good? Yeah, I was right. But hot damn, I didn't offer the superlatives that Penn deserves.
FightMetric released their report for last night's main event. Even with the universally acknowledged dominating performance from Penn, the data is quite shocking.
Get this: Sanchez landed all of eight strikes throughout the duration of the fight. Eight. Penn landed more than eight jabs to the head in each round. Let that sink in for a second. Sanchez threw 108 strikes during the fight. That's a success rate of 7%.
Meanwhile, B.J. landed 150 of 214 strikes for a land rate of 70%. Gross.
In the grappling department, Sanchez attempted 27 takedowns*, completing zero.
In the words of Shirley Evans, "He dominated your will, Rashad."
SBN coverage of UFC 107: Penn vs. Sanchez
* - If I'm not mistaken, FightMetric scores each individual pull or yank as a takedown attempt. Meaning, if Sanchez grabs a hold of a single leg and yanks him away from the fence three times while maintaining control of said leg, he gets credit for three takedown attempts.
[UPDATED] From FightMetric's blog:
Question: When was the last time that BJ Penn got taken down while fighting at 155 pounds?
Answer: You have to go back more than six years to Penn's fight against Takanori Gomi. Lightweight opponents are 0 for their last 39 takedown attempts against BJ.
Wow.
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You came out good last night in the books. I don’t know how many times you need to emphasize that BJ Penn has excellent value everytime he fights.
Spinning out solid gold, like Rumpelstiltskin.
I think this was the last fight where the linesmakers miss the boat on BJ. But then again I think that every time he fights.
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by Brent Brookhouse on Dec 13, 2009 10:53 AM EST up reply actions
Yeah, I don’t know. I knew the Machida-train was over after the Rashad fight, but I’m not so sure with Penn. It’s not like he’s been an unknown commodity over the past few years.
Twitter: @Mike_Fagan_13
http://www.sackmikegoldberg.com
that was an utter deconstruction of a very talented and dangerous fighter
in Diego Sanchez.
Diego is going to need to fight Florian at some point.
Follow me on Twitter @KidNate
Florian actually comes out looking better as the only opponent of BJ’s in the last few years that has not ended the fight as a bloody mess (except for possibly Sherk). GSP first fight, Joe Daddy, and now Diego.
Guillotine.
So GSP second fight doesn’t count for some reason?
The only thing Jon Jones does better than Matt Hamill is hear.
(And smash faces)
too much grease IMO
/bj’d
"A champion is someone who gets up when he can't." - Jack Dempsey
by JeremyShane on Dec 13, 2009 11:10 AM EST up reply actions
While I hate the Goldberg stats…in a single fight context stats are very useful.
Connecting on over 85% of your jabs? Insanity
Hitting 25 of 25 jabs in the 3rd round? mindblowing
Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.
MMA Editor - SBNation.com
by Brent Brookhouse on Dec 13, 2009 11:01 AM EST reply actions
Speaking of Goldie stats, was anyone not impressed by Sanchez’s 56% accuracy on ground strikes? I obviously don’t know how that ranks against the rest of the MMA world, but I can’t imagine it’s particularly unique.
Twitter: @Mike_Fagan_13
http://www.sackmikegoldberg.com
Yeah, that was a really questionable stat.
Like if Goldberg had to argue for Diego on his highschool debate team, and that was the best he could come up with.
Next time they’ll lead with “Diego has never been knocked down by a non-Prodigy in his UFC career” — I think they can go ahead and give the “granite chin” nod to him after this though at least.
Did you know that BJ has hit 100% of his high kicks, making him the most accurate kicker in MMA history
by IRodC on Dec 13, 2009 1:07 PM EST up reply actions 10 recs
He is the Adam Vinatieri of the UFC
The only thing Jon Jones does better than Matt Hamill is hear.
(And smash faces)
I think BJ conducted himself with so much class throughout this fight that he maybe have finally pushed “greasegate” out of my mind. It seems like he’s really passed through a turning point mentally and now I actually look forward to hearing what he has to say, which is finally mostly positive.
by Beyondadrenalin on Dec 13, 2009 11:05 AM EST reply actions
I Am a BJ Penn Hater
I always enjoy his fights, actually have a picture with him, and he comes across as a nice dude, but I’ve never really got on the BJ Hype Train. The whole Greasegate thing left a bad taste in my mouth, and I’ve cracked my share of jokes.
But BJ is an amazing fighter, he made Diego, a very very very capable opponent, look like a fish out of water. Diego had NOTHING for BJ. Even if Diego abandoned all hope and swung for the fences, he would have never had a chance, BJ was as elusive as Machida without the lateral motion.
I can only imagine how frustrating it had to be for Diego, he LIVED a nightmare, a fight where you’re seemingly in slow motion while your opponent is not.
I am no longer a BJ Penn hater.
"You guys are jerking eachother off with some pseudo deep bullshit." - Kid Nate
by Kaleb Kelchner on Dec 13, 2009 11:07 AM EST reply actions
although I didn't have too much problem with greasegate...
I like this post.
I'm like PacMan fightin you silly kids... throw ya Hatton the ring, and get knocked outlike Ricky did.
lol.
Amazing
A great night of fights capped by one of the better title fights we might have seen in 2009. I can think of a handful that are comparable but nothing that is far and away better, Lesnar/Mir 2, Machida/Rashad, and probably GSP/Penn 2. I really don’t want BJ to move up again but I also don’t who could really give him any problems at lightweight.
We only looking at the UFC? Cause Brown/Faber II, Torres/Bowles, Brown/Aldo…
Twitter: @Mike_Fagan_13
http://www.sackmikegoldberg.com
Yeah, goddamn things happening at the beginning of the year.
Twitter: @Mike_Fagan_13
http://www.sackmikegoldberg.com
I think he would hold 145 and 155 titles if he wanted
by Beyondadrenalin on Dec 13, 2009 11:46 AM EST up reply actions
I loved watching the main event just because BJ put a clinic on. But from a competetive sense, It was horrible. Machida/Shogun – maybe Machida/Rashad because of the shock value – have been the only really good title matches in the UFC this year.
by John Nash on Dec 13, 2009 1:00 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
LOL’d at the thought of Rashad’s Mom saying “he dominated your will, Diego. He dominated your will!”
for all intents and purposes, just consider all my posts as works of satire.
or even at the thought of rashad pretending to be his mom saying it
or rashad saying “he dominated your will diego” in the tyson voice
by Austin Martin on Dec 13, 2009 12:28 PM EST up reply actions
How come no one is clamoring for the UFC to sign Aoki to fight BJ?
for all intents and purposes, just consider all my posts as works of satire.
i don’t see how aoki takes that. stylistically penn seems like he has the perfect skill set to beat a pure grappler
by phantasma475 on Dec 13, 2009 11:55 AM EST up reply actions
when was the last time BJ has even fought someone with the JJ skills of someone like Aoki? Not since Renzo!
for all intents and purposes, just consider all my posts as works of satire.
I don’t think many MMA fans see Aoki taking the fight to the ground even if he tries to pull guard. All fights start standing up, and it is pretty clear that BJ is miles ahead in the striking department compared to Aoki.
And miles ahead in wrestling and takedown defense.
Seriously: how does Aoki GET the fight to the ground without bringing and ax into the ring?
Don't believe a word I say, I don't train BJJ.
I blog at TangleBones - you should follow me on Twitter here.
Aoki is very dynamic with his takedowns. I have never seen some of the shit Aoki does to get people to the ground and I assume that neither has any of his opponents. Perhaps a flying heel hook could get BJ to the ground?
for all intents and purposes, just consider all my posts as works of satire.
I don't want to get all MMA Math here, but...
What do you think BJ would do to Hayato Sakurai? And I don’t want to go further down that road by making the Gomi connection, but look: BJ can beat most of the top guys at 170. We know that. Sakurai…. can’t. And watching him have his way with Aoki was instructive for me.
Don't believe a word I say, I don't train BJJ.
I blog at TangleBones - you should follow me on Twitter here.
because there would be another thread afterwads called
“UFC 115: Penn vs. Aoki, B.J. Penn is REALLY Good at Fighting”
by dbcb on Dec 13, 2009 11:58 AM EST up reply actions 4 recs
Aoki would get murdered by Penn
No standup, no long pants, weak chin. He would get dominated. I’d love to see it though. I can’t stand Aoki.
by Adam Morgan on Dec 13, 2009 12:08 PM EST up reply actions
he wouldn't be able to get bj to the ground
by Austin Martin on Dec 13, 2009 12:28 PM EST up reply actions
I disagree, Aoki would just go into the butt-scoot position and basically force BJ to engage him on the ground sooner or later.
for all intents and purposes, just consider all my posts as works of satire.
LOL
Yeah, Either Aoki would just keep flopping to the ground and getting stood up or BJ will be happy to take the top position on the ground and destroy aoki. Aoki has good flashy BJJ but Penn has elite MMA grappling.
yeah...
Not to be all MMAthy, but once their grappling cancels out it’s a guy who did the above to Diego Sanchez with the strength of his technical boxing alone vs… some dude.
The most damage I see Aoki causing is stopping himself by slams on his 100th attempt to jump backward and pull guard.
I would think Eddie Alvarez would be a better matchup. Hopefully Roger Huerta signs with Strikeforce and he ends up fighting some of the Dream fighters. If he gets destroyed by them then we know Aoki, Alvarez, Crusher, JZ, and Hellboy are worthy opponents. If he kills them… then I guess we’ll have to hold off for Aldo to make the jump up to LW.
by John Nash on Dec 13, 2009 12:40 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
It's impossible to really be certain
but me personally, I have no doubt that B.J. is in a different league than any of the DREAM/Strikeforce LW’s and I don’t think most of them would do that well against the rest of the UFC LWs either.
Follow me on Twitter @KidNate
Agreed
Unless one of the DREAM lightweights or any Lightweight outside of the UFC is just totally dominating his competition, then I can’t see any of the Lightweights outside of the UFC even being competitive with BJ Penn. Many MMA fans are throwing names out there like Alvarez, Aoki, Melendez, etc., but let’s be realistic here: these are great fighters and top lightweights here, but they are not these world beaters that are totally decimating their opponents like BJ Penn.
That’s why I want Huerta to fight some of these guys so we have a way to gauge the two pools of fighters. Personally, I think no one comes near BJ, but I would be curious if Aoki and Alvarez rank higher than the rest of the UFC’s LW supporting cast.
by John Nash on Dec 13, 2009 2:15 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
i think UFC has a lot of LW's that would give those guys problems...
Even some of the unproven guys like Dos Anjos… (though admittedly I’m high on him)
I'm like PacMan fightin you silly kids... throw ya Hatton the ring, and get knocked outlike Ricky did.
lol.
I have the same sentiments...
Roger Huerta would be a good gauge.
David Baron beat up on Sakurai..
Went to the UFC right after, and got submitted by Jim Miller.
At the time Baron beat Sakurai (and I don’t think that fight was even at lightweight), Sakurai hadn’t been in the top-tier lightweight mix since his fight with Takanori Gomi about a two and a half years prior. So Baron beating Sakurai and then losing to Miller at LW is pretty much meaningless as far as this comparison is concerned.
i think everyone is rushing to conclusions
diego, for all his talk and training, lost a TON of mass for this fight. He was close to 160 a week before the fight. Gray Maynard is a contender who is a monsterous LW and i really think will be able to put bj down.
that being said. i didn’t mean put bj down as in win. he will at least be able to execute a takedown or two. he will still lose badly.
by Austin Martin on Dec 13, 2009 12:38 PM EST up reply actions
Didn’t Diego say he was back to 170ish after the weigh-ins?
Twitter: @Mike_Fagan_13
http://www.sackmikegoldberg.com
by Austin Martin on Dec 13, 2009 12:46 PM EST up reply actions
If Roger Huerta was able to stuff Maynard’s initial takedowns (I think that Maynard successfully took Huerta down in the third round), I don’t see how he’s going to take BJ down. That with the fact that Maynard would have to worry about BJ’s jab which creates distance, and I just don’t see Maynard taking BJ down.
The fact that Penn rests during the takedown attempts and punishes guys…
Any successful takedown attempt will probably be in the 4th or 5th round.
And that’s a big MAYBE.
Even if he takes BJ down, does Maynard have the submission defense skills to stay out of harm’s way? I’m not so sure.
Don't believe a word I say, I don't train BJJ.
I blog at TangleBones - you should follow me on Twitter here.
Where are all the people who were complaining about Mayweather and Pacman’s recent victories? How neither of their fights were competetive? How after the 1st round you knew who was going to win because their opponent was so outclassed?
by John Nash on Dec 13, 2009 12:53 PM EST via mobile reply actions
at this point one has to question if the real test for bj is trying to box against elite boxers.
by Austin Martin on Dec 13, 2009 12:55 PM EST up reply actions
BJ was fightinging the concensus #1 contender. Polls were close, lines were close, there were a fair amount of people picking Diego. From what I got, the boxing world saw their last fights as mismatches from the beginning, AND everyone knew that the real fight to be made was Pacman/Mayweather.
That’s the best I can come up with anyway.
Maybe not close
and I don’t gamble, so I wasn’t looking, but I got the impression that they were not where they should have been.
Sorry, like I said, I don’t follow the gambling portion much
They were wildly mispriced, but even a -200 favorite is pretty significant.
Twitter: @Mike_Fagan_13
http://www.sackmikegoldberg.com
The Maynard fight is interesting in the sense that
we get to find out if Maynard is a good enough wrestler to take BJ down. Unfortunately, Maynard loses either way, either he gets Sherk’d/Sanchez’d on the feet, or subbed on the ground. To me, the game plan to beat Penn has been laid out.
Step 1: Be an elite wrestler 20 pounds heavier than Penn.
Sanchez was unable to implement that game plan, and I don’t really see anyone at 155 being able to do so. I’d like Penn to fight the winner of an Alves-Fitch rematch for a shot at GSP.
Step 2: Either break one of BJ's ribs or be named GSP.
Don't believe a word I say, I don't train BJJ.
I blog at TangleBones - you should follow me on Twitter here.
I think B.J. matches up better against Fitch than against
Alves but I think he’s competitive against either.
Follow me on Twitter @KidNate
yeah i think the alves/ fitch rematch will show a much improved alves, he really impressed me with his tenacity in the gsp fight.
i would love to see both fights, but i see bj being more competitve against fitch than alves, but who’s to say
by Austin Martin on Dec 13, 2009 2:26 PM EST up reply actions
right
he he didnt tear gsp’s hip, thats gotta count for something
by Austin Martin on Dec 13, 2009 3:44 PM EST up reply actions
I’m going to go out on a limb (maybe) and say BJ Penn would easily beat Jon Fitch. Fitch’s shot is just nowhere near what St. Pierre’s is, his striking isn’t on BJ’s galaxy, and he wouldn’t dominate the positional grappling. He really barely beat Mike Pierce.
Not that I want to see it, but I take Penn all day over Jon Fitch.
In GSP, BJ ran into someone just as skilled as him but bigger, stronger, smarter, and more athletic. St. Pierre is a better gameplanner than Penn too; size was not the only reason he won that fight.
I think Penn should start testing the waters at WW a la Anderson Silva, while still defending his LW belt.
First he can dispatch Koscheck while Fitch faces Alves and GSP defends against Hardy. At LW, Edgar can take the winner of Maynard vs Diaz for #1 contender. Penn can defend his title, then return to WW to take on the winner of Fitch vs Alves. If GSP is still the WW champion at this point (and he may well lose or move up in weight) we can see them go at it for the 3rd time.
It would be cool if, by then, GSP is working his way up the MW ranks so Penn can take over WW.
The only flaw I see in your logic is the fact that you have Diaz anywhere near #1 contender (even if he beats Maynard)
if Edgar got the winner...
of Maynard vs. Diaz, and Diaz won, and then beat Frankie Edgar… He would have taken out the top two contenders… I don’t think Nate could beat em, but if he did, he could argue shot based on that, and his popularity. it’d be a weak fight for BJ tho. lol.
I'm like PacMan fightin you silly kids... throw ya Hatton the ring, and get knocked outlike Ricky did.
lol.
GSP broke Fitch's will.
He’s never looked nearly as bad ass since Georges took him apart.
http://www.vancouversun.com/mma
Yeah Koscheck’s “big right” would give him loads of problems. He’d kill him.
by Michael Rome on Dec 13, 2009 4:19 PM EST up reply actions
You mean BJ would kill Koscheck, yes?
I honestly can’t tell which you mean. You COULD be saying that Koscheck’s totally telegraphed right hand and overall rudimentary striking would beat BJ – one of the best boxers in MMA regardless of weight class.
But I’m assuming you’re not drunk on a Sunday at 4PM. :-)
Don't believe a word I say, I don't train BJJ.
I blog at TangleBones - you should follow me on Twitter here.
Alves v Penn would be awesome
Kos/Fitch/any wrestler not named GSP v Penn I would go with Penn every time. You aren’t taking down Penn unless you GSP. And even if you do you have to deal with his BJJ.
I would like to see any WW striker vs Penn… i have no desire to see another wrestler dry hump penn and get punched in the face the whole time
Maybe it's the contrarian in me...
..but I think BJ is getting too much credit for this win.
Don’t get me wrong, the 1st round shot that dropped Yuss was a nice one, and Diego did well to hang on, but from that point forward, Sanchez FEARED Penn. It was obvious. He was scared. He was backpedaling, he was scared to come in and thrash like he did against Guida, he was too scared to even throw leg kicks for fear BJ might shoot on him.
Then, after the 1st break, he starts the takedown attempt insanity. Like, seriously, WTF? Even if you get him on the ground – then what? You’re a state wrestling honk, he’s a world champ BJJ black belt – what you think is going to happen when the mouse takes down the elephant? SQUISH.
And what’s with Yuss’s horrible corner coaching? Before round four, was I hearing right when he said, after three rounds of not a single takedown working and not a single round being won by Sanchez, “you’ve got to go for the takedown?”
Really? And then what?
Worst. Coaching. Ever.
Worst. Strategy. Ever.
Scaredest. Yuss. Ever.
http://www.vancouversun.com/mma
I dunno, what do you do at that point. You can’t hit him because every time you do you get clocked or you miss. I mean, he wasn’t exactly succeeding on the feet as described by fight metric. Itwas the only solution I could see also. But yeah, it looked sad and pathetic though. I felt sort of bad for him.
Disagree. Brown under Saulo, Black under Jackson. Yes, he’s nowhere near BJ in skill, but he’s not a “state wrestling honk”. If he got him down, he was in a much better position to win a round that he was running away from BJ and not engaging. While it became obvious that he wasn’t going to get the TD, going for it wasn’t the worst. strategy. ever. It was certainly better than getting knocked out.
"My diet is like Atkins, but with the carbs." - BJ Penn
If you assume the only two strats in MMA are..
…the takedown or the strike, you’d be right.
But there are many many more.
http://www.vancouversun.com/mma
The reason he gets so much credit for this win...
…is that Diego was – according to absolutely everyone – a guy that never backs down, that never gets scared, that never stops coming forward to tear you apart.
You can say, “Oh, well BJ just scared him in the first round,” and that’s true, but think about that. The guy that was supposed to be a relentless thrashing machine got put in his place early in the third round SO BADLY that he never recovered and spent the rest of the fight thinking “NOESS!”
That’s pretty bad-ass.
Don't believe a word I say, I don't train BJJ.
I blog at TangleBones - you should follow me on Twitter here.
by jemaleddin on Dec 14, 2009 9:07 AM EST up reply actions 2 recs
PS:
I should add, BJ was truly on his game and his cardio is clearly better than ever. He didn’t put a foot wrong, but if Sanchez wasn’t fighting with the worst gameplan ever, it might have been a lot closer.
http://www.vancouversun.com/mma
Diego had to revert to the takedowns because B.J. was countering the hell out of him standing up.
Twitter: @Mike_Fagan_13
http://www.sackmikegoldberg.com
That’s the point. Ozzz tried to discount Penn’s win because Diego’s gameplan was “poor”. But Diego had to revert to a “poor gameplan” because Penn completely neutralized the other one.
Twitter: @Mike_Fagan_13
http://www.sackmikegoldberg.com
That's BS.
He got tagged one time and he got scared. Then he started with the flawed takedown strategy that wasn’t working in rounds one, two, three or four.
So, knowing you have to get a KO in round five, you go for takedowns AGAIN? Why? So you can get BJ submitted with a kimura? So you can get a 10-5 round with your wrestling?
Ridiculous. BJ was great, but he was fighting an absolute moron, coached by a bigger moron.
http://www.vancouversun.com/mma
I don’t understand… what is this brilliant game plan you keep alluding to that was available to Diego?
Or the modified Starnes/Griffin gameplan of Houston Alexander?
Don't believe a word I say, I don't train BJJ.
I blog at TangleBones - you should follow me on Twitter here.
Punch.
Is BJ a better puncher? Hells yes.
But BJ is a WAY better ground man. You’re not going to dominate him on the ground, nor get a submission, but you might just get a lucky punch.
So. You. Punch.
Or, heck, try a few legkicks. Or fake a takedown and let fly with an uppercut.
Anything but takedowns.
http://www.vancouversun.com/mma
150 to 8 strikes!!!! Holy crap
I almost felt bad for Diego after last night. WOW. Also it is evident from last night that THERE ARE NO LONGER CONDITIONING ISSUES WITH BJ, most likely as a result of this new S&C coaches. That is an old issue and it needs to be dropped when analyzing BJ’s upcoming fights.
I think Deigo’s coaches kept calling for TD’s cause they thought BJ would be getting tired. MISTAKE BASED OFF OLD PERCEPTIONS OF BJ!
Plus
The same problem as with KenFlo at 101… they’re not fighting at WW; I thought that the effectiveness of GSP’s plan (let’s ignore the greasing accusations here) only worked there. Heck, when I saw the TD spamming it was like a damn flashback to 101, and even before round 4 I saw the desperation and sloppiness — read: poorly shot that were way too far on the outside — set in on those shots.
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