UFC 107 Preview: BJ Penn vs. Diego Sanchez
by Anton Tabuena on Dec 8, 2009 9:02 AM EST
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This Fan Shot was promoted to the front page by Nick Thomas.
Both UFC 107 headliners talked about their upcoming Lightweight Championship bout on a teleconference today:
BJ Penn (14-5-1 MMA, 10-4-1 UFC) brought in talented wrestlers like WEC Lightweight Champion, Benson Henderson and Efrain Escudero to help him prepare. He says that the work put in by training with those guys and his strength and conditioning coach, Marv Marinovich will make him ready to handle Diego's pace:
"I think Diego’s good in all areas. He’s got great takedowns and jiu-jitsu and has improved his striking a lot. All that said, I think his greatest strength is his tenacity. All you’ve got to do is look at his past fights."
"That’s an area we did a lot of work on -- people trying to push the pace on us. We amped up our cardio to get ready for what’s going to take place. It makes no sense to train with a slow jiu-jitsu guy if you’re fighting a strong wrestler who’s exploding all the time,"
"Marv is on a different level. Every [other] trainer out there is doing the same stuff. It’s all built the same way. It’s mindless stuff. Everything I do works the right side and left side of my brain, uses my balance. Marv’s exercises are based on performance. It’s head-over-heels beyond the other stuff that’s out there. Marv’s really tapped into something."
Diego Sanchez (23-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC), who is already known for his cardio, now has a strength and conditioning coach for the first time in his career as he added Steve Maxwell for this camp. He says it has helped him become much stronger even compared to when he was fighting at 185 lbs. "The Nightmare" says that it is his time, and this will be the culmination of what he's been working for his entire career:
"In my two losses, I wished there were more rounds. I’ve always been a five-round fighter. I’ve never gotten tired in a fight."
"There’s going to be pressure in any fight. There was pressure on me when I won a state championship in high school. If you don’t know how to deal with pressure, you’re never going to be champion. This is what I’ve been working for the last eight years."
"If you want to beat the best, you have to fight the best. I suppose I’ve wanted to fight him since back when he beat Matt Hughes for the [welterweight] title. I always wanted to train with B.J., but it never happened. I suppose it was for a reason. It’s a good thing we never got together and trained. Now, we’re going to go to war. It’s going to be like chess.... I’m rigged differently. In my mind, I’m going to beat whoever I’m in the cage with. You’ve got to believe in yourself. I believe it’s my time. Everything in my career built up to this moment. Everything feels right,"
HT: Sherdog
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I know that BJ is just trying to give props to his trainer for a good job
but I feel like everyone says the same exact stuff about their trainer.
“Marv is on a different level. Every [other] trainer out there is doing the same stuff. It’s all built the same way. It’s mindless stuff. Everything I do works the right side and left side of my brain, uses my balance. Marv’s exercises are based on performance. It’s head-over-heels beyond the other stuff that’s out there. Marv’s really tapped into something.”
Wand said it about Alejandro, Randy said it about Bonacci, Florian’s saying it about Firas, Herring said it in his comeback, Crocop has said it several times, etc etc.
I’m aware of the fact that it produced some great results for his last fight against Kenny, but still, it gets old after a while.
Supporting all Las Vegas MMA. Xtreme Couture FTMFW.
'09 is the year of the FW's.
Well For better or for worse,
It’s sure that Marv’s controversial ways are truly different from the rest.. So I guess this situation is different from those you mentioned.
by Anton Tabuena on Dec 7, 2009 9:05 PM EST up reply actions
Yeah but Marinovich is TRULY on a different level. Remember, this is the guy who tied his kids right arm down basically since birth so he could be a left handed quarterback…
Didn't his son's career get wrecked
by being forced to overtrain?
And didn’t Marv ruin his own athletic career by lifting far too much weight for his body to handle? I kinda remember him saying that he was doing 1rm’s of 800+ lb squats
Supporting all Las Vegas MMA. Xtreme Couture FTMFW.
'09 is the year of the FW's.
by ElliotMatheny on Dec 9, 2009 12:36 AM EST up reply actions
that's why he's unique. haha.
he is known for very controversial training methods.. and I don’t think we should worry about BJ Penn over-training. haha. :)
by Anton Tabuena on Dec 9, 2009 12:42 AM EST up reply actions
Penn, being my favorite fighter….
…this fight makes me nervous.
Diego has
1) Great chin…never been KO’ed
2) Great BJJ. Never been submitted in competition (MMA or otherwise)
3) Above average wrestling
4) Improved striking
5) Never gassed (though IMO he did slow down a bit in his fight with Guida)
6) Naturally slippery as hell
7) Strong
8) Tenacious
9) Crazy
Penn is better in all aspects of the fight game, but Diego’s intangibles will make this competitive.
I’m very excited for this Saturday.
im excited too..
Diego may not have lots of ways to finish the fight, but if he hangs with BJ early, maybe he has a chance to grind it out to a decision victory..
by Anton Tabuena on Dec 8, 2009 3:06 AM EST up reply actions
I also have to wonder how dealing with a southpaw will affect the fight
The southpaw thing isn’t too big a deal, but it is something that BJ has to deal with, and I’m sure trained for. I see BJ winning this, and I honestly hope that this fight is competitive which I would be surprised if it weren’t.
I wouldn’t say Penn is better than every aspect of the fight game than Diego, but I still think Penn should win this one.
I love me some Sexyama!
I don't think
BJ’s offensive wrestling is as good as Diego’s, but his takedown defense is much better.
Also, even though Diego has shown improved kickboxing, he’s still struggled with guys who can outbox him (Koscheck, Fitch). I fully expect BJ to pick him apart standing, and if Penn gets Sanchez on his back, even if he doesn’t sub him, he will beat him up pretty bad. BJ’s top control passes and GnP are nasty.
Supporting all Las Vegas MMA. Xtreme Couture FTMFW.
'09 is the year of the FW's.
by ElliotMatheny on Dec 9, 2009 12:39 AM EST up reply actions
I was under the impression that Marcelo Garcia tapped him with an armbar at ADCC.
"I see him beating Anderson Silva. I see him picking him apart. Him at a 131 years old...(trails off)." - Tito Ortiz on Vitor Belfort at Affliction:DOR
by Rundownloser on Dec 8, 2009 12:44 PM EST up reply actions
I was going off a recent Diego interview.
But point is, he’s hard to submit.
by MickDawg on Dec 8, 2009 7:54 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
This one
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=El4YKwRQtIQ
40 – 50 second mark.
But yeah, as it shows, I clearly don’t follow ADCC.
YouTubed the Garcia match and he did get submitted, so I’m going to re-word it to:
2) Great BJJ. Never been submitted in MMA competition.
Potential fight of the year
I’ll tell you this much. If Penn comes into this fight as “in shape” as he was for the Florian fight….this fight is going to be insane! I love BJ Penn, and I love Diego sanchez as fighters. They are exciting fighters who lay it all on the line. This is my breakdown analysis of the fight:
If Diego is able to push the pace and constantly keep the pressure on BJ, I think he can wear him down and beat him in the later rounds. Maybe not by KO, but by TKO. Similar to how Hughes did in the rematch. Used his wrestling, and the crucifix, to hold BJ down and punch him til a stoppage. I can see that happening. Or, the most likely scenario, Diego can win by decision.
If BJ is able to use his boxing, which is superiors to Diego, to create distance; He might be able to make it a boxing match, which BJ can definitely win. BJ has a great left jab, and that usually sets up his power shots. If this fight stays standing, and if BJ boxes intelligently, while creating space; that will open up possibilities for BJ to win via submission. Let me explain…..Diego has a great chin. But BJ’s boxing is so good, that it could create possibilities. If BJ uses his jab effectively, it will open up his right hand. If he tags Diego with a right, he can drop him. Not KO him, but send him to the canvas. Then BJ can go to the ground and try to work the ground and pound, then work his way to Diego’s back and try to go for the choke.
X-Factors for Diego – Chin, Cardio, Tenacity, Wrestling,
X-Factors for Penn – Chin, BJJ, Boxing, Takedown Defense
It’s a toss up for me. People are saying that Penn is going to win easy….I can’t say that. I definitely believe that Penn could win this fight, just like I can say that Diego could win this fight. It’s a toss up for sure. Another thing that kind of goes into Diego’s favor is the fact that he fought at 170 Regularly, and then he made the drop, so naturally, he’s bigger and stronger.
Though I can’t predict a winner; I will say that there will be many winners on Saturday night. Who wins? Us, the fans!
while your mentioning
of the Hughes fight is fact, BJ is a different fighter now, he gassed in that second round against Hughes. We haven’t seen BJ gas since. I really have my doubts that Diego is going to get BJ in that position. But then again I guess anything can happen.
actually he seperated his rib
he gassed in gsp2. but theres always a reason that makes us bj fans look like cry-babys apparently so i won’t get into that….cough*grease*cough
"i just want to be known as the greatest of all time, is that too much to ask?" - BJ Penn.
You're right when you say
that BJ is a different fighter. His technique is greater than before, and he has changed some things in his training that have helped. Now, everyone knows that BJ’s weakness has always been his cardio, and his lack of motivation to really train. Grant it, in BJ’s last few fights, he’s looked superb, considering the gameplan of the opposition.
BJ looked superb against an idle, and confused Florian. Florian barely had any offense. I guess he was trying the Machida approach of being elusive, yet still trying to be offensively effective. That didn’t work. Penn pushed the pace in that fight!
Sean Sherk paced himself, and tried to Box with BJ. Terrible game plan cause Sherks arms are too short, and he was trying to cut through Penn’s jab….which he failed to do. Look at that fight, and Penn was jabbing, and jabbing cause that’s all he needed to do. The jab set up the power shots. Penn predicted the pace of that fight!
Now, the thing about Diego is that he is naturally bigger and stronger than BJ. Aside from that; the last time BJ faced someone with the tenacity that Diego has resulted in a loss. (GSP). Some might say that BJ’s gas tanked looked real good in those last fights. It did, but you have to understand that it seemed that way cause he wasn’t pushed to the limit.
If Diego can push the pace, and push Penn to the limit….BJ’s gas tank will run dry. That’s where I see Diego winning this fight. In the later rounds. BJ’s never been KO’d, but his cardio or lack thereof, has caused him to be TKO’d (Hughes), and to throw in the towel (2nd fight with GSP).
I’m a fan of BJ and Diego. But I know that cardio has always been an issue for Penn, and that’s led to his doomise in his past losses. It just so happens to be the greatest area of Strength for the tenacious Diego Sanchez.
If BJ wins….awesome! But I wouldn’t be surprised with an upset! It’s going to be a great fight!!!
by JAFOrlando26 on Dec 10, 2009 9:06 AM EST up reply actions
Against larger fighters
like Renzo, Hughes, and GSP, BJ is either too comfortable staying on his back in the closed guard, or trying too hard or too long to get a sweep or working the rubber guard for subs. I can’t recall seeing BJ trying to wall walk or something. Diego is cutting down, but he’s a large 155’er. If BJ is on his back again, I would be worried. I don’t think that’s gonna happen though. Above all, BJ is a patient striker, which combined with his takedown defense, will give him the time to damage Diego from bell to bell. UD for BJ.
Off-topic
But what does anyone think about BJ’s RVCA UFC 107 that he can’t actually wear on Saturday:
http://shop.rvca.com/PENN_X_FROST_SS_Tee/pd/np/101/p/2788.html
I think it’s cool, but I’m ordering the blue prodigy t-shirt from bjpenn.com right now.
http://www.shopbjpenn.com/store/cart.php?m=product_detail&p=119
RVCA Shirts
Are definately my favourite out of all MMA shirts. They actually look normal.
'He built his whole reputation as a waffle house chef. They’ve been serving him up ham and eggs with a side of canned tomatoes' - Don Frye on Fedor Emelianenko
by Well Read Idiot on Dec 9, 2009 7:49 AM EST up reply actions
I’m pretty sure BJ wins this fight, because I think he’ll come in shape and with some determination. The only thing for me is that while BJ has enough cardio to beat most LW’s, with Diego it isn’t really about weathering a storm like other fighters. The storm sort of lasts the whole match, with crazy scrambles and flurries, so part of me thinks if it gets into the later rounds, Diego will win. However, I don’t think it gets past round three. I think BJ is smarter / craftier than Diego and he’ll catch Diego with something during one of those wild flurries or scrambles.
Side note: During the TUF finale broadcast, when they interviewed Penn, he looked really worn out. I don’t know if I’m reading too much into this, but he looked like he needed a long rest. Diego looked like he could go right then and there.
I love me some Sexyama!
I think JAF probably had the best analysis so far. just a few quick points:
*everyone talks about BJ’s conditioning for the Florian fight. don’t read too much into that. that was a very slow paced fight, with Florian trying to smash BJ against the fence to no effect. the fight had very few flurries and was over relatively quickly after it went to the ground. the cardio pace was never pushed in that fight. Diego will not fight like that. Diego will move constantly and throw a continuous mix of strikes and takedown attempts at BJ to REALLY tire him out and test his cardio. this is where BJ could get in big trouble, and Marv is notorious in the industry for over-training his athletes. conditioning/overtraining could be a HUGE factor in this fight.
*this fight might go down like Hughes/Penn 2. Diego’s pace and tenacity are greater than Hughes’s, his wrestling isn’t quite as good, but his BJJ is way better. Diego survived for over 7 minutes against Marcelo Garcia at Abu Dhabi before getting subbed. and Diego has beaten Pablo Popovich in grappling before. saying BJ has a clear advantage on the ground is an overstatement, I think. I think Diego’s ground game is good enough that BJ will not want to risk this fight going to the ground. I think BJ will try to keep it standing at all costs. and like a previous poster said, Diego is used to fighting bigger and stronger guys. if BJ’s on his back, it will likely spell trouble for BJ.
*the longer this fight goes, the better it is for Diego. and it’s hard to imagine Diego getting finished bc I’ve never seen him so much as hurt before.
*the only way I see BJ winning is with a type of sudden finish like he did against Sean Sherk, or a similar stategy to the one he used against Matt Sera: stop the takedown, slow the fight down, out-point him on the feet. otherwise, I hate to say it, but I see Diego grinding him down and getting the TKO or decision. maybe I’m just paranoid bc BJ is by far my favorite fighter and I always get freaked out and nervous when he fights, but I have to say I see Diego with more ways to win this fight than I do for BJ. Diego is just a bad matchup for him.
cheers guys.
I totally disagree with your statement. When you are up against the fence like that… you are REALLY pushing yourself. Because the entire time you are agaist the fence, you are putting as much pressure on them as possible and they are putting as much resistance as possible as they fight for a single. So laying someone against the cage, doesn’t mean they are relaxing. They are INARGUABLY exerting themselves much further than bull rushing.
Also, to make a case for BJ… you mentioned how Diego survived for 7 minutes in a submission match against Marcelo Carcia… BJ’s BJJ game is NASTY. He’s on a much higher level than diego in a submission grappling level…. but if you were to translate effective BJJ in MMA…. I mean, look what BJ was able to do to Matt Hughes both fights. (2nd fight, he was going to sub him if it weren’t for the bell.) BJ’s leg flexibility and strength isn’t easy to train for. You can’t always just go find someone to mimic bj. I think to say BJ having an advantage is an overstatement…. you clearly have to either particularly not like BJ or particularly like Diego. But ANYONE would give BJ penn the ground advantage going into this fight.
Also, I think Diego looked a little stunned when guida hit him… i don’t think he can take bj shots. Look what happened to just about everyone that has suffered a direct hit from BJ. With BJ’s chin being so strong, it’s hard to imagine him getting overwhelmed by someone.
BJ was not going to sub Hughes in the 2nd fight. Hughes escaped before the bell rang.
I also don’t think BJ trying to play around with rubber guard is a good tactic against Diego. BJ off his back isn’t his game. He needs top position, otherwise Diego has an advantage with his GNP and activity level.
Adam, I HOPE YOU’RE RIGHT. BJ is my fave fighter and I really want to see him win, and win impressively. but I stand by what I said. it didn’t look like Kenny was particularly tiring BJ against the fence, or even really trying to take him down. so it’s not like BJ had to fend off the takedown all that hard. Kenny was just trying to smash BJ’s diaphragm so he couldn’t breathe properly, but it didn’t work. that was not a very “high calorie” fight like this one will be.
I know BJ’s grappling is nasty, but my point was that Diego’s is too. you mentioned Matt Hughes, but so what? Diego’s grappling is better. look at the Nick Diaz fight. Diaz has some of the best BJJ in MMA and Diego got the better of him on the ground. I think BJ has a SLIGHT advantage on the ground, but not much, and certainly not enough that I think we’re gonna see BJ attempting many takedowns early in the rounds. remember the BJ/Serra fight? BJ tried to keep that one standing up at all costs. anyway, I don’t see Diego subbing BJ outright, but if he hurts BJ and gets him on the ground, I’d say he’s def good enough to sub a BJ Penn who doesn’t have his wits about him.
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