Quote of the Day: BJ Penn - "I Think I Could Do Good Against Some of the Top Welterweights"
by Nick Thomas on Mar 16, 2010 12:10 PM EDT
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IGN: Everyone seems to think you want to move back from the lightweight division to welterweight.
"Yeah, I think there is a possibility of that. I don't in no way want to look past Frankie Edgar, he's a good fighter. You never know what could happen. But if I go back to welterweight, maybe I'll try to give it a run, maybe fight a couple of fights there, we'll see how it goes."
"I might try to do it permanent. We'll see, I just don't want to rush anything, just take my time and go out there and do my best."
"I think I could do good against some of the top welterweights. Yeah, pretty big guys, but you gotta live some times, you gotta step up sometime, huh?"
IGN: Let's say you vacate the lightweight division, who's going to be the champ?
"Any of those guys, I think they all can. Those guys are all so good, I wouldn't be surprised if any one of them--Florian, Maynard, Gomi's coming in, that's going to be interesting to see what he can do, you got Frankie in there too. You got a lot of guys. Hopefully I just keep my title on April 10th, huh? I can't worry about those guys."
-- BJ Penn talks about competing back at the welterweight division.
HT: ign.com
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As much as I love Silva, GSP and Penn...
each of their divisions gets a whole lot more interesting and dynamic without them…they are just too good for their competition at that weight.
I won’t feel sorry for BJ when some big welterweight tosses him around like a rag doll for 15 minutes.
by Monday Morning Martial Artist on Mar 16, 2010 3:14 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Fitch? How could laying on somebody fuck him up?
by dancingChicken on Mar 16, 2010 11:04 AM EDT up reply actions
GSP is active on the ground. Fitch is: 
by dancingChicken on Mar 16, 2010 11:45 AM EDT up reply actions 10 recs
If by "laying on somebody"
you mean passing his guard at will and brutalizing him with g’n’p, then yes, GSP-Penn 2…but I don’t recall the last time I saw Fitch pass anyone’s guard at will, or brutalize anyone for that matter.
by Scott Haber on Mar 16, 2010 11:49 AM EDT up reply actions
Alves could fuck BJ up, but Fitch – he could win, but it would be a boring decision again. He’s not like GSP where he’s active on the ground. He’ll probably use a similar tactic though, of laying his weight on him to wear him down, but it’ll be like that for five rounds.
I don't want to lick any butt. - GSP
Fitch has some serious holes in his stand-up defense. First he’d have trouble getting BJ down, and second, BJ would have a lot of opportunity to clean Fitch’s clock in the meantime when they’re separated from the clinch or whatever.
Alves on the other hand, I have a hard time seeing BJ get at Alves. The guy is SO big and very fast and powerful. GSP tried a number of submissions on him and he just powered out of them. He’s a real beast.
Alves would be at least two weight divisions above Penn come fight time, that with his striking makes me wonder how Alves vs Penn would turn out. The big question when talking about Fitch vs Penn is whether or not Fitch can get the takedown on Penn. Fitch many times takes his opponent against the cage and wears his opponent out and eventually gets the takedown. However, taking Penn down when he is against the cage has been difficult for many, but obviously Fitch is much larger than Penn so he may be able to do it.
I agree about Fitch not being able to take BJ down. Given that; I see BJ putting a serious beating on Fitch in the standup. Btw, Fitch is going to get handled by Alves.
by ununkvadrium on Mar 16, 2010 3:09 PM EDT up reply actions
Let the speculation begin.
I wonder who Dana would put him in there against first?
I would think it would be a big name that he thinks BJ could do well against.
I would LOVE to see BJ in there with a guy like Condit.
BJ would obviously do well against anyone not named
GSP…
If he was at 170 for a year or two, he should have a better chance after he grows into the weight class.
Any fighter who jumps from their respective weight class to a higher weight class is being set up for FAILURE!!!
It takes atleast a year or two to ‘Fit In’ to your larger frame…
Water weight is one thing…What Frank ‘the Douche’ Mir did in his Kongo fight…
BJ would do terrible things to Condit.
Walking the line between intelligence and ignorance since 1985
@deowade
I haven’t seen Condit get destroyed yet so I really don’t think BJ would do “terrible things” to him..
He couldn't beat Kampmann and got a gift win against Ellenberger
Even calling him mid-tier in the UFC would be a crime. BJ Penn is better than him in every aspect of the game.
Walking the line between intelligence and ignorance since 1985
@deowade
Ellenberger did bad things to Condit.
by dancingChicken on Mar 16, 2010 11:05 AM EDT up reply actions
Yeah, I’m going to go out on a limb and say that Condit will be more successful at 170 than Ellenberger will be
WOW. I don’t remember that. How did Condit’s head stay on his neck?
by WestbergIDFC on Mar 16, 2010 11:35 AM EDT up reply actions
He got dropped like that a few times
The only good thing I can say about Condit right now is that he recovers pretty well.
Walking the line between intelligence and ignorance since 1985
@deowade
I looked like a jackass that night...
Saying Condit would walk right through him…he just wobbled his way through it.
"Well, yes, but I’m afraid I prematurely shot my wad on what was supposed to be a dry run, if you will, so now I’m afraid I have something of a mess on my hands." - Tobias Fünke
"There are just so many poorly chosen words in that sentence." - Michael Bluth
One of my favorite lines from the best TV show ever.
Condit is dangerously getting close to the cut line.
He better beat McDonald.
"BANG!" - Jim Lampley's first word as a child
IGN: Does a rematch with Matt Hughes interest you?
Penn: Yeah. Yeah, you never know what could happen. Let’s see how him and Renzo go, let’s see what happens there.
by Anton Tabuena on Mar 16, 2010 10:40 AM EDT up reply actions
No!
You leave my farm boy alone, BJ!
I prefer to remember BJ vs. Hughes ending in a super awesome crucifix.
"Well, yes, but I’m afraid I prematurely shot my wad on what was supposed to be a dry run, if you will, so now I’m afraid I have something of a mess on my hands." - Tobias Fünke
"There are just so many poorly chosen words in that sentence." - Michael Bluth
One of my favorite lines from the best TV show ever.
Man, that would be a great first fight for BJ at WW! Such an easy sell and a perfect experiment to see how he looks at that weight.
by ununkvadrium on Mar 16, 2010 3:14 PM EDT up reply actions
I gotta admit it would be very easy to promote...
But BJ looks better than ever…
Hughes, does not.
"Well, yes, but I’m afraid I prematurely shot my wad on what was supposed to be a dry run, if you will, so now I’m afraid I have something of a mess on my hands." - Tobias Fünke
"There are just so many poorly chosen words in that sentence." - Michael Bluth
One of my favorite lines from the best TV show ever.
Agreed. But it’s just a gauge on his handling the weight – the sporting outcome is a foregone conclusion, for sure.
by ununkvadrium on Mar 16, 2010 3:22 PM EDT up reply actions
I am really eager to see his transition to WW, if he chooses to do so, with that new strength & conditioning coach of his…
"Well, yes, but I’m afraid I prematurely shot my wad on what was supposed to be a dry run, if you will, so now I’m afraid I have something of a mess on my hands." - Tobias Fünke
"There are just so many poorly chosen words in that sentence." - Michael Bluth
One of my favorite lines from the best TV show ever.
That was and is my favorite UFC fight… ever. Seeing BJ dominated like that in the end was priceless.
The rest... is virtually identical
by randy maverick on Mar 16, 2010 4:58 PM EDT up reply actions
Condit is awesome
from a fan perspective, cause he always goes for it. He’s not afraid to give up safe positions to try to finish the fight. That being said, he makes a ton of mistakes and so far his ability to recover has saved his butt. I like the guy, but a shark like BJ would destroy Condit once he smelled blood in the water.
I don't want to lick any butt. - GSP
Haters going to Hate but i like this move for BJ. He is never going to lose at 155. why not go to 170 where there is a chance. I mean how many guys got the balls to leave there division they completely own and move up just to have a challenge
"Frank Mir had a horseshoe up his ass. I told him a year ago. I pulled it out of him and I beat him over the head with it." Brock Lesnar
it’s alot cooler than just sitting back and saying “that guys too big for me”
by kanodogg on Mar 16, 2010 11:04 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
It’s a lot easier to move up when your division is weak, rather than being a division with tons of top contenders and elite fighters.
I’d like to see Penn against some top WWs eventually. I also think he could do very well against many of them.
by Hardcharger on Mar 16, 2010 11:08 AM EDT up reply actions
I like the way a division is seen as weak when you have a dominant champion. Take them out of the equation and all of a sudden it’ll seem like an exciting mix again.
Not like the heavyweight division back when Sylvia was still about… that I would call a weak division.
@Rahson
He’s lost in two welterweight title fights, as well as an additional bout against GSP at 170. On the other hand he’s also won the title in this division.
If coming up short in a title shot at 170 lbs and/or losing to GSP is your definition of failure, then the entire division should also leave the division.
by LBo on Mar 16, 2010 12:01 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Not exactly, since the rest of the division, especially the top contenders like Alves, Fitch, Koscheck, P. Thiago, etc, all fight the other top WW contenders every fight to earn (or lose) their right to a title fight. They’ve earned whatever spot they have at WW by fighting other WWs – all of this within the context of knowing that GSP has dominated the entire division.
by Hardcharger on Mar 16, 2010 12:07 PM EDT up reply actions
HE LOST. I don’t give a damn how well he did. You don’t get points for trying. Yeah he beat Hughes that first time, but he lost the second fight, ribs or no ribs. Penn is the only MMA fighter I’ve seen who’s legend is half sustained by shit he COULD do. The dude is THE premier lightweight in the sport and one of the baddest cats I’ve ever seen. Can’t we just leave it at that?
by Rahson on Mar 16, 2010 12:10 PM EDT up reply actions 3 recs
yes he all-caps LOST I'm not saying he gets an insta-shot at GSP
I don’t mean to start some sort of internet flame-off on the one MMA site I come to looking to not have that happen, but you’re making the wrong argument here.
NOBODY is saying he deserves to leapfrog Fitch, Alves, Kos, PT. But why the hell not throw him in the mix? His exact words are “I think I could do good against some of the top welterweights.”
They lose to GSP, he loses to GSP. Why does he have no business fighting them?
by LBo on Mar 16, 2010 1:33 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
I’m not disputing that. I think he could do very well against some of them myself. My thing is, I hear all of the time about Penn fights outside of lightweight. That’s all fine and good but he’s lost the majority of those fights. Until he competes against the new top welterweights, I just don’t feel we should put so much weight on attempts until he actually shows what he can do, not what many of us feel he can do.
Penn is the only MMA fighter I’ve seen who’s legend is half sustained by shit he COULD do.
QFT.
I don't want to lick any butt. - GSP
Penn is the only MMA fighter
who has fought well at weight classes far and beyond his body type…
If you put a any other lightweight in the ring with GSP, Machida, they get obliterated from the get-go.. Bj is a fighter the you can believe will win, even if the odds are against him. He has a fighter’s spirit, and he’s always tried to be the best fighter in the world by fighting guys he perceived as threats at the time.. its a pretty admirable quality in a fighter.
I'm like PacMan fightin you silly kids... throw ya Hatton the ring, and get knocked outlike Ricky did.
lol.
by Loot on Mar 16, 2010 2:33 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
that’s why Penn is one of my favorite fighters, he doesn’t back down and make excuses as to why he won’t fight somebody, hell he even went up against a 205er in machida, and if he had the opportunity, I’m sure he would be willing to fight fedor. true warrior spirit.
by kanodogg on Mar 16, 2010 11:03 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Damn, never knew BJ was packing so much at the time...
Always had to hear about Machida being a heavyweight at the time of the fight when Joe would be hyping an upcoming BJ fight… But he failed to mention that part…
"Well, yes, but I’m afraid I prematurely shot my wad on what was supposed to be a dry run, if you will, so now I’m afraid I have something of a mess on my hands." - Tobias Fünke
"There are just so many poorly chosen words in that sentence." - Michael Bluth
One of my favorite lines from the best TV show ever.
yeah but if you watch the fight , bj was just fat, not muscle bulked
by kanodogg on Mar 16, 2010 1:24 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
BJ 'Potato' Penn
It was hilarious. Like a beach ball grew arms and was out-striking Machida
How is that like Goulet? That dude goes out cold in a drafty room - Blackout612
by Well Read Idiot on Mar 16, 2010 1:39 PM EDT up reply actions
This made me giggle for like 5 minutes.
Walking the line between intelligence and ignorance since 1985
@deowade
Whatever. The whole point of fighting professionally is to win. I appreciate the warrior spirit as much as anybody but you get into the game to win fights, not to give it a good go.
Gray Maynard.
Though after that, not sure who else is left for him inside the UFC’s LW division.
Yeah, Gray is just not a contender and certainly not up to the task of going 5 rounds with Penn. Anyone who saw his last fight could see that he’s just not ready.
Maynard certainly is a top contender, if not the #1 contender after the April 10 fight.
Whether or not he can go 5 rounds with Penn is another issue altogether. I agree with you that he can’t, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t earned his position as a contender.
by Hardcharger on Mar 16, 2010 11:27 AM EDT up reply actions
lol dude get off maynards nuts, he’s not at that level yet. barely beating Nick Diaz in a figh that couldve easily been a draw or gone the other way does not make you a contender. even gray maynard agreed that he wasn’t ready for a shot.
by kanodogg on Mar 16, 2010 11:32 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Not at what level? A level where he can beat Frankie Edgar, who is a contender?
Based on any level of reasoning, Maynard is a top LW contender. Whether he gets a title shot next or fights another top contender remains to be seen, but he’s certainly a contender. None of that means he can beat Penn, but we also have Hardy fighting for a title at WW and Maia fighting for a title at MW, and they’re all “contenders”
by Hardcharger on Mar 16, 2010 11:40 AM EDT up reply actions
I personally don’t think Maynard or Edgar are contenders.
I always looked at a contender as someone who posed a risk.
And no LW has that going for them when they fight BJ…
"Well, yes, but I’m afraid I prematurely shot my wad on what was supposed to be a dry run, if you will, so now I’m afraid I have something of a mess on my hands." - Tobias Fünke
"There are just so many poorly chosen words in that sentence." - Michael Bluth
One of my favorite lines from the best TV show ever.
I just consider contenders as the Top 5 or so guys in a weight class who are in line for a title shot (or in line after another top win).
by Hardcharger on Mar 16, 2010 12:21 PM EDT up reply actions
Well, yeah, they are definitely contenders then in that sense.
If Aoki or Alvares (sp?) were in the UFC, we could both agree that they were contenders.
"Well, yes, but I’m afraid I prematurely shot my wad on what was supposed to be a dry run, if you will, so now I’m afraid I have something of a mess on my hands." - Tobias Fünke
"There are just so many poorly chosen words in that sentence." - Michael Bluth
One of my favorite lines from the best TV show ever.
Not Alvares.
And frankly, not Aoki…by your standard. Neither guy threatens BJ either in a general sense or on a particular skill.
I don't know...
I really have no idea who could threaten him… I thought Alvares because of his pace, but Diego proved that doesn’t work. And Aoki because of his Jits, because it’s been a while since BJ was even threatened by a Jits guy. I’m going back to my previous stance, no one can beat BJ at 155. Unless in some fantasy world, GSP was cutting to 155 instead of moving up to middleweight.
"Well, yes, but I’m afraid I prematurely shot my wad on what was supposed to be a dry run, if you will, so now I’m afraid I have something of a mess on my hands." - Tobias Fünke
"There are just so many poorly chosen words in that sentence." - Michael Bluth
One of my favorite lines from the best TV show ever.
I’d like to see him go up against Kawajiri, Melendez, Aoki, Alvarez and Hellboy myself.
by Polyhedron on Mar 16, 2010 12:03 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
There isn't 5 total rounds
of fighting there.
by Riney on Mar 16, 2010 1:19 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
That’s strange, since Penn went 4 and 5 rounds in his last 2 fights, and hasn’t had a 1st round stoppage in forever. It’s a nice prediction, but the most recent results would indicate otherwise (not saying your prediction is impossible, just improbably).
That doesn't prove anything.
I’d say Florian finishes all 5 of those guys (though not in 5 rounds).
And Diego would probably go 4-1 or so.
So BJ dominating those two fighters for 9 rounds total (and he did dominate every single round against Kenny & Diego) doesn’t show much in my mind.
(Then again, I think non-UFC LWs other than maybe Aoki are hugely overrated)
I never remotely stated it proved anything, just as the assertion that BJ would beat 5 guys in less than 5 rounds isn’t remotely provable. The only evidence we have suggests actually the opposite, that BJ wouldn’t finish any of them in 1 round, let alone less than 1 round for each of those 5 opponents.
I’m not arguing for Penn to beat them, just how fast, since that was quite the bold prediction.
I was stating that your argument (about going to round 4 w/ florian, and 5 w/ Diego) didn’t prove your point. IMO, it’s a sloppy comparison to simply say Fighter A didn’t finish Fighter B quickly, therefore he won’t finish fighter C quickly.
The evidence that should be looked at isn’t how many rounds BJ went against other fighters, but what strengths & weaknesses he has demonstrated, vs. the strengths & weaknesses of his opponents. Aoki, for example, has certainly demonstrated the ability to lose a fight quickly.
I’d lay money on 5 or fewer rounds for those dudes.
Hellboy – come on, he ain’t even mid tier (and didn’t he just go down to 145?)
Aoki – very good, but his chin would be destroyed by BJ.
Alvarez – maybe the best shot at winning, but I put his chances of beating BJ about as high as I put Hardy’s chances of beating GSP. Very low.
What the hell is that supposed to mean? Have you cleaned out the lightweight division? Are you close, personal friends with Penn? Are you his career advisor? If not, please try a lot harder to prove your point.
The whole point of fighting professionally is to win.
Some fight to be the best, he’s not content beating LW’s. If he wants to “give it a go” why not? I’m glad he’s stayed at LW for this long.
Do you really need to be close friends with someone to understand what they’ve said?
It helps more than you think. Of course you fight to be the best and he’s the best at lightweight. Nobody’s disputing that. The only person that can’t seem to catch the clue is BJ and a lot of his fans. There’s nothing wrong with being the best at lightweight. Regardless of what anyone says, it’s one of, if not the, deepest divisions in MMA. And I personally have no problem with BJ going up to welterweight. But you and him need to remember that when he goes up a weight class, the other guy “being bigger” cannot be an excuse or a reason for a loss. If he gets beaten, he gets beaten, period. Penn’s the only guy I know that if he beats (or even simply does well against) a bigger fighter, it’s because of how good Penn is. But if he somehow, magically loses, it’s because the other guy was bigger and nothing else. That’s not logical or fair.
Fighters Obsess over their losses
BJ wants to smash GSPs face into hamburger meat, having beat him twice. Problem is that he’s not just facing an uphill battle physically, but GSP is a chessmaster when it comes to having a gameplan for his opponents
Yeah, GSP is just going to be that one that got away for BJ.
He is never going to win that one, ever.
Penn will not vacate LW championship. He’ll bitch, whine and sue to keep it just so he can be the first guy to hold two belts at the same time.
by Monday Morning Martial Artist on Mar 16, 2010 3:15 PM EDT reply actions
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