B.J. Penn vs Kenny Florian Official for UFC 101
by Kid Nate on May 13, 2009 11:06 AM EDT
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UFC.com finally confirms the long rumored Lightweight Title fight:
UFC is coming to Philadelphia for the first time on Saturday, August 8th, and its bringing the big guns to the Wachovia Center for UFC 101, as BJ Penn defends his UFC lightweight crown for the second time against number one contender Kenny Florian, and UFC middleweight boss Anderson Silva jumps back to the 205-pound weight class to take on former light heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin.
I look forward to seeing B.J. back in action in his native division. If he deconstructs Florian the way he did Sherk and Stevenson will the haters still continue to doubt the Prodigy?
Will even a commanding win over Diego Sanchez be enough to dissuade the doubters?
With the chronic underrating of the UFC lightweights continue to inflate the Eddie Alvarez' and Shinya Aoki's of the world forever?
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Will BJ’s mom be in his corner making sure no one tries to kill her son?
A man should never waste an opportunity to keep his mouth shut.
by iiowyn on May 13, 2009 11:10 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs
I have to say it. The BJ haters have surpassed the BJ supporters in levels of annoying and making ridiculous claims about his place in the sport.
I’m a BJ guy, but I am glad to see Florian getting his shot and I am happy this fight isn’t getting pushed farther down the road to another card. 101has a ton of potential to be big.
I think BJ takes this 9/10 times and I expect him to be out for blood here.
If you're not submitting, you're just rolling around with another guy.
I like BJ…at lightweight. I have to admit seeing BJ at lightweight again gets me pretty pumped! This is gonna be a great fight.
Mike Goldberg: "You know Joe, When Matt and his brother Mark Hughes were growing up, they would pound each other behind the barn."
by xFenixKnightx on May 13, 2009 11:15 AM EDT up reply actions
Yeah, I agree. I think LW is the place for him. It fits him the best and I think the fighters at 170 have just gotten better and better over the past few years, to the point of making that a tough jump up. As much as I like BJ, I am also a GSP fan and I don’t see any LW that would give him a serious challenge.
Stay at LW, dominate and cement your place in the history of MMA. If you don;t want to cut anymore, hang ’em up and go do ADCC.
If you're not submitting, you're just rolling around with another guy.
I’m a BJ guy too and can’t wait to see this fight. I think he just has too much for Florian, though I give Florian a better chance than Sherk or Stevenson. His standup is underrated and he’s got great BJJ on the ground, I just think that BJ is better at every aspect of the game. I hope BJ comes out with the determination to just destroy Florian and put all the critics to rest.
The event page still has Silva vs Griffin as the main event. They wouldn’t dare make BJ/Florian the co-main event would they?
Mike Goldberg: "You know Joe, When Matt and his brother Mark Hughes were growing up, they would pound each other behind the barn."
BJ should put a sound drubbing on Kenflo.
BJ vs Diego is the real matchup that I want to see. Especially in a 5 round fight.
I just don’t think BJ could hang with a Diego over 5 rounds. It will be shades of Hughes/Penn 2 all over again.
" Tell me something Steve, How does a guy from Puerto Rico loose a ball in the Sun? "
Totally agree. BJ vs Diego is a fight I wanna see. I’m rooting for Florian but when it gets down to it BJ will own him (if he shows up in shape) all up and down that cage.
Mike Goldberg: "You know Joe, When Matt and his brother Mark Hughes were growing up, they would pound each other behind the barn."
by xFenixKnightx on May 13, 2009 11:29 AM EDT up reply actions
I want to see BJ/Diego as well and think if Diego beats Guida easily he will probably get the next shot since they probably don’t want to risk that fight. I am wondering though how it will be like Hughes/Penn 2 again? Is BJ going to hurt his rib while kicking Diego’s ass then lose?
With the chronic underrating of the UFC lightweights continue to inflate the Eddie Alvarez’ and Shinya Aoki’s of the world forever?
Not if there’s a God…
Kuwabara Kuwabara
Eventually, the “overrated” guys will lose to mediocre fighters, and the “underrated” guys will beat enough quality fighters, to warrant inclusion in the divisional Top 10.
BJ Penn is the #1 guy in the division, and whoever beats him will probably be #1. However, if he keeps outclassing his opponents, we really won’t have a basis for knowing whether his opponents should be rated #2 or #20.
Plus, the differences between UFC and PRIDE/DREAM rulesets have a way of making lightweight fighters look better in Japan than in the Octagon.
How is BJ number 1 ...
when he hasn’t fought at LW in over a year?
The reason most of the rankings have had non-zuffa fighters in there because they were the ranked guys when the LW division was non-existent and weak. Hence they will continue to be the majority of the ranked fighters until recently. Is that so hard to understand?
Inflate Eddie Alvarez and Aoki? That’s just biased at it’s best.
And the rulesets in DREAM make it more dangerous for fighters. Drop for a heel hook and you can kick on the ground, you can also knee to the head. I can easily say the American ruleset (UFC isn’t the only org out there) benefits wrestlers andt they wouldn’t be able to not try to finish a fight in Japan. The problem when analyzing the differences is people automatically assume the unified rules are the one and only way to fight when that isn’t true at all.
There is no God
But I hope we stop overranking non Zuffa LW’s soon regardless.
by Derek Suboticki on May 13, 2009 1:46 PM EDT up reply actions
Great, now you’ll tell me Santa isn’t real as well.
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better. -Samuel Beckett
by Scott C. Broussard on May 13, 2009 4:30 PM EDT up reply actions
If he deconstructs Florian the way he did Sherk and Stevenson will the haters still continue to doubt the Prodigy?
You realize that those of us who don’t like Penn, don’t like him because he’s a spoiled little douche with a huge ego, right? I don’t think I’ve seen anyone question his natural abilities.
by mythbuster on May 13, 2009 11:29 AM EDT reply actions 13 recs
Put a little green on that badboy.
I was a big fan of Penn’s before the GSP fight. His antics basically lost me as a fan. I still find him entertaining, but I don’t like him (that make any sense?) However, I do think BJ can be a dominant champ at 155. I give him props for those he beat. While he will most likely win this, I still have hopes Kenflo can take the belt. I’m pretty excited to see this fight. I think this will most likely go to the championship rounds, or even a decision. Go Kenny!
I love me some Sexyama!
mythbuster FTW. Perpetual BJ defenders always love to invent hate on BJ for reason that don’t exist, further inciting more dislike for people who love BJ’s skills, but hate his cultish fans and BJ’s excuse making/trash talking.
Glad to see this fight going down. Penn should be the favorite, but I believe people are underrating Florian’s chances.
by Hardcharger on May 13, 2009 12:27 PM EDT up reply actions
As a huge BJ fan, I have to rec this. He definitely comes off that way and I certainly understand how people would dislike him because of this. However, saying he is not a good fighter because you don’t like him is ridiculous. Thanks Myth, for stating it correctly.
If you're not submitting, you're just rolling around with another guy.
Bj better win this but since GSP gave kenflo the ability to use riddum, it’s like already over.
by spectaa on May 13, 2009 11:30 AM EDT reply actions 2 recs
While I think Penn should be the fav here, Florian has proven he comes with a game plan tailor-made for his opponent and usually does an excellent job of sticking to it.
If they stand at a distance, Penn will have a huge advantage. But if Florian gets in the clinch with him, I think he could do some real damage.
Also, many seem to forget that Florian is not only a BJJ black belt, but an accomplished and experienced one.
He also finished Stevenson quicker than Penn.
I think this fight could be a real doozy.
definitely plan on making my way to Philly for this card!
by obsessedwithsports on May 13, 2009 11:33 AM EDT reply actions
i'm buying
this card strictly for Silva-Griffin, but this is a nice bonus, too.
i can’t stand BJ Penn, but I respect and admire his talent. that said, I hope Kenny Florian retires the little twerp.
it’s not going to happen. i agree with BJJDenver — Penn takes this matchup nine times out of 10.
twerp
lulz
Mike Goldberg: "You know Joe, When Matt and his brother Mark Hughes were growing up, they would pound each other behind the barn."
by xFenixKnightx on May 13, 2009 11:40 AM EDT up reply actions
*squeal!!!*
finally! i was getting worried! my first live ufc event! and i’m picking kenflo to win this one! woohoo!
I'm the kind of girl who loves to watch a GOOD fight!
--------
Join the DC Area UFC Meetup Group
http://www.meetup.com/DCUFCGroup
don't be yet...
wait until i actually have tickets IN HAND before you start getting green with envy, lol!
I'm the kind of girl who loves to watch a GOOD fight!
--------
Join the DC Area UFC Meetup Group
http://www.meetup.com/DCUFCGroup
I love BJ’s talent and what he can accomplish in the ring. I hate BJ because he thinks he entitled to greatness and relies on his natural abilities alone, then complains when he gets his ass handed to him by GSP.
If he takes Florian lightly, he could be in for a surprise. Kenny has evolved quite nicely since TUF 1.
by E. Spencer Kyte on May 13, 2009 12:05 PM EDT reply actions
Agreed. Guys like Kenny and GSP, who have excellent work ethic and are willing to be humbled in order to improve their weaknesses are guys I want to see do well.
I love me some Sexyama!
Absolutely.
I don’t think anybody works harder than Florian, and I think his chances are being undersold here.
Interesting that Kid Nate doesn’t bring up the possibility of Kenny Florian beating BJ in his closing rhetoric…
Will Kenny beating BJ prove the haters right?
Because if BJ winning somehow solidifies the UFC’s dominance over the LW division, BJ losing will have to have similar implications to the negative.
nope
I was trying to make the point that no matter what happens those who doubt the UFC LW’s will continue to doubt.
"the spirit of your average dumbass with more overblown rhetoric" OR "the self-appointed savior of MMA"
I am a BJ Penn fan and yes his last fight disappointed me but what other fighter is game like BJ Penn? He loves to fight and wants a challenging opponent – what’s so bad about that? What other fighters were anxiously wanting to fight GSP?
I’ll watch every time
"My job is a decision-making job, and as a result, I make a lot of decisions." --George W. Bush, The Decider, Lancaster, Pa., Oct. 3, 2007
I think Florian is a serious threat, he is a top 5 lightweight and has an evasive striking style that could prove tricky for BJ. I also think Florian would just kill Aoki and Alvarez, so no, I don’t think him winning would prove much of anything.
Yes. Florian over Aoki/Alvarez – not to mention Sherk, Griffin, Edgar, Maynard, etc
by Derek Suboticki on May 13, 2009 10:27 PM EDT up reply actions
I have BJ 70% of the time. The real x-factor for this fight is how much did losing to GSP demoralize BJ? I would be suprised, but not shocked if Kenny wins. I would say this fight is as close as Machida/Rashad.
Keep firing Assholes!
This is a dream competition for me. I drink as much coffee as I want, and eventually I hallucinate.
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