BJ Penn's Trainer Says Penn Had a Sinus Infection, Wants a Rematch With Frankie Edgar
by Anton Tabuena on Apr 13, 2010 9:00 AM EDT
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BJ Penn's Coach, Rudy Valentino says that while Frankie Edgar deserves credit, BJ Penn's performance was hampered by a Sinus infection:
One judge scored every round for Edgar but what I saw in the fight when I was watching it, and I haven’t watched it again on tape, but watching it as it happened, I felt that BJ won the first three rounds. The fourth round was even and I think he lost the last round. So I feel BJ won the fight. He was also battling a sinus infection and was on antibiotics, so he was not one hundred percent. I’m not making any excuses, that is just what happened. I didn’t see him lose that fight but I did see him lose the last round. As for effectiveness of punches, I thought BJ had it. Frankie got two takedowns but BJ got up real fast and nothing happened on the ground there, so I don’t know if they could score the fight based on those two takedowns.
I’m not taking anything from Frankie Edgar. He fought a real good fight and had a good strategy. His stand-up was good, he was moving a lot in and out real fast. Frankie fought a very good and strategic fight. I don’t want this to be about criticizing Frankie because I like him and he fought well.
He says that infections aside, he thinks that Penn still won the bout, but felt that BJ should've taken things to the ground, instead of countering with one punch at a time:
One of the mistakes, well, I wouldn’t say mistakes, but one thing that BJ couldn’t this fight was get his combinations off. He would throw one punch at a time. It was one punch and then come back with one punch. When he came back in the corner in between rounds I told him to try and get more punches in and to go from punches to takedowns - to work something on the ground. From the second round on I was telling him to take it to the ground. I even told him that if Edgar took him down to keep it on the ground that way as well. Once I saw that Edgar was doing pretty good with his standup, I thought it was a good idea to take it to the ground.
Going into the 5th round I told BJ that he had to win this round to win the fight. But sometimes things don’t go the right way. Being on antibiotics and struggling to get better from being sick and having a fever over the course of two weeks, these were some of the factors that slowed him down. That wasn’t the BJ Penn that we had in camp for three months going through sparring partners the way he did. We never took Frankie Edgar like he wasn’t a world contender. We took him very serious. We knew he could do damage to BJ in stand up and with takedowns. We were working BJ Penn wasn’t 100 percent, what you saw in the fight was him battling being sick. He didn’t want to call Dana three weeks before the fight and cancel because he was sick. BJ being the champion that he is just went in there and fought.
But yeah, in my opinion, BJ was countering too much and just waiting. What happened was he was trying too hard in a couple rounds. He needed to relax a little bit more. He could feel something was going wrong in the fight.
Like what his trainer said, BJ did look like he was landing the more effective shots in the first few rounds, and Frankie seemed to get the better of the exchanges towards the end. Penn might have still done enough to win the fight, but I agree with him saying that taking things to the ground might have been the better approach to things.
valentino also went on to say that Penn looking a bit softer compared to his last few fights, wasn't from moving his camp back to Hawaii, or from taking Edgar lightly. He says they ran the camp and Penn's conditioning program the same way they did the last two bouts, but the infection had prevented him from training well for a couple of weeks.
He finished up by saying that Penn isn't thinking about moving up to 170, and that he wants a rematch with Edgar:
we had long talks about what he was going to do and he wanted to stay 155 to make his legacy in that weight division. We are now just waiting for Dana to give us the call for Frankie Edgar again... I was talking to BJ and we are looking for a straight automatic rematch. We don’t know when but we’d like it in Hawaii. There is no moving up right now. That is not in our plans BJ wanted to have another fight in 155 after Edgar before trying welterweight again. I just spoke to him and he has no plans to move up again. We want to fight Frankie again as soon as possible.
The loss may also turn out to be a good thing, as Penn seems to be more focused on getting his belt back and building his legacy at lightweight, instead of thinking about jumping around in different weight classes to face bigger challenges.
While BJ Penn did look sluggish and slower than usual, it is almost impossible for us to confirm - or dispute - these statements from his trainer. That being said, even if I felt that Valentino's assessment of the fight was pretty fair, I'm pretty sure people are still going to knock on Penn and his camp for "coming up with excuses" for yet another loss.
HT: cagepotato
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These comments do not seem far fetched at all and based on what happened in the fight I think it is entirely reasonable to believe what he says.
That's fine but...
I’m so tired of hearing after every single fight…I’m not trying to make excuses but…blah blah blah…I’m sorry but that’s called making excuses where I come from. People that keep their mouth shut and take what they got for fighting less than 100%…they’re the ones not making any excuses. BJ is getting to be almost as bad as Tito with this crap.
"To me, MMA is like a ballet, except there's no music, no choreography and the dancers hit each other."
by Buster Bluth on Apr 13, 2010 8:17 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
BJ hasn't said anything..
Tito is 100% back, right until the second the decision is announced.
by Anton Tabuena on Apr 13, 2010 8:25 AM EDT up reply actions
BJ will annouce his excuses soon
right after he confirms his story with his mom.
"To me, MMA is like a ballet, except there's no music, no choreography and the dancers hit each other."
by Buster Bluth on Apr 13, 2010 10:26 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
I think when a trainer says “we won the fight” there is a difference. It’s not like Tito who complained when he lost. BJ won that fight and that is a key part of this.
BJ didn’t win that fight. You can tell because Edgar is the current champion.
Catapultam habeo. Nisi pecuniam omnem mihi dabis, ad caput tuum saxum immane mittam.
by FRANKIE on Apr 13, 2010 10:21 AM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
There isn’t really an excuse.
I think he won 48-47 with a fucking sinus infection and on antibiotics, and I think Penn got the short end of the stick by the judges being unable to see the effective shots due to all the speed and Frankie’s wrestleboxing movements that made everything look great from his side.
Sure, it’s a reason why he may have slowed down, but I still think Penn won 3 out of the 5 rounds.
Follow me on Twitter @lelandroling
"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I’m not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
by Leland Roling on Apr 13, 2010 9:02 AM EDT up reply actions 21 recs
Bazinga.
Got the Summer hatin on me cus I'm hotter than the sun. Got the Spring hatin on me cus I ain't never sprung. Winter hatin on me cus I'm colder than ya'll; and I will never I will never I will never Fall.
by Patrick Tenney on Apr 13, 2010 9:36 AM EDT up reply actions
Exactly. I wonder why the trainer wasn’t asked about the knee brace/wrap thing.
by IImastersII on Apr 13, 2010 11:26 AM EDT up reply actions
It's not an excuse
No fighter goes into a fight 100% and if they show up to fight, they go as is. Normally I would say Frankie was the better fighter that night, but I too think BJ won 3 rounds.
There's excuses
and then there’s explanations. It was clear to everyone out there that something was wrong with BJ, and we wanted to know why. Following the fight, BJ had a great attitude, even the article gives Frankie credit for showing up to fight and sticking with a great gameplan.
Still, the fans knew that something was up, and BJ owed it to them to answer their questions. He’s not talking about how he would have crushed him otherwise, he’s not saying he’s a better fighter than Frankie, he’s not saying that Frankie is undeserving, he’s just saying that he had a sinus infection.
Last time I had one of those, I felt like I got hit by a 2×4 in the face, my balance was gone, and I had zero energy. I’m pretty sure if I ever had to fight someone while having a sinus infection, I’d look a lot like BJ did.
by Shaun32887 on Apr 13, 2010 2:17 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
not really, this actually fits with the fact that BJ won rounds 1 and 2 and then started to tire in round 3 , whereas in his previous 2 fights against Florian and Maynard that wasn’t the case at all.
I have no means to prove or disprove Valentino’s words, but this thought comes to mind: is anyone ever really 100% come fight day? Fighters battle various ailments simply because they are human and are obviously working their bodies at near maximum level. Hence, come fight day, it’s always two fighters in the shape and condition they are on that particular day. There’s no rule saying fights can only happen when both participants are at 100%.
In closing, I don’t think Penn being sick is a very good reason for an immediate rematch. Even if he has to beat Florian or Maynard before another crack at the title, few can doubt he’ll get his shot.
by Monday Morning Martial Artist on Apr 13, 2010 7:22 AM EDT reply actions
BJ being sick isn’t the reason he deserves an immediate rematch; the jobbing at the hands of a couple of judges is a valid enough reason. That, and the fact that he’s the best LW on the planet.
All homerism aside though, Penn/Edgar II is a far more interesting and marketable fight than Edgar/Florian or Edgar/Maynard, IMO.
by Ryjo on Apr 13, 2010 7:40 AM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
A sinus infection is going to be much different from being “hurt” everyone fights with soreness, pain, minor injuries. But a sinus infection would impact your energy levels quite severely.
Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.
MMA Editor - SBNation.com
by Brent Brookhouse on Apr 13, 2010 9:57 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
I agree
Watch the fight again and you will see big dark bags under BJ’s eyes durring the walk-out. He looked like he was in a haze and not really with it.
by Roll for Life on Apr 13, 2010 11:25 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
U're not getting what BJ's saying
BJ means that the sinus infection made him become much more slippery from all the fluids thus greasing Frankie in the process and not enabling him to use his jiujitzu .
EDGAR GREASED !!!!!!
by JoelMan on Apr 13, 2010 7:31 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs
that sucks
Last grappling tournament I did I had a sinus infection. I felt ok until I started to really move and take large breaths. Once that happened, flem started moving from my sinus’ to my throat. I guess because it was thicker than usual flem it dried my throat instantly and I thought I was going to die. I’ve done some sucky things in my military career, but competing with a sinus infection is one of the worst experiences I had in my life. I’d take a broken finger, toe or ugly sprain over it any day when it comes to competition!
That said, this does seem to explain penns more lethatgic look. I think a rematch could be interesting as edgar would probably be a bit more confident and do things he wouldn’t dare try the first time.
I am an edgar fan, but I equate this to serra beating gsp. Edgar fought the right fight and found some chinks in bj’s armor. It won’t happen like this again next time.
by JaeeJaee on Apr 13, 2010 7:40 AM EDT via mobile reply actions 1 recs
Don’t even bother, man.
90% of this community will say it’s an excuse, which is absurd. Penn won the fight anyways, even with a damn sinus infection. And I wouldn’t want to do anything as taxing on the body as fighting with a sinus infection either. But hey, people just believe it’s a big excuse. He still won in my mind without that excuse.
Follow me on Twitter @lelandroling
"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I’m not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
by Leland Roling on Apr 13, 2010 9:04 AM EDT up reply actions 5 recs
So “everyone else” shouldn’t bother, because in your mind, it wasn’t an excuse, and Penn actually won, whereas in reality, it IS an excuse and Penn lost on every judges scorecard by an average of 4 rounds to 1 in favor of Edgar. Foolproof logic you’ve got going on there.
Hardcharger again...
Chargin in hard with his BJ-hatin GSP war wagon!!!
by jawz10 on Apr 13, 2010 9:17 AM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
Yes, it’s “hating” to point out that Penn actually lost, and that the excuse is actually an excuse. How far removed from reality are you Penn cult followers?
I'm not even a big fan of his
I just hate that any reason at all given for even the most uncharacteristic of performances immediately gets classified as making excuses.
Penn officially lost, but that doesn’t change the fact that it was a close fight and so it’s reasonable to expect a large number of people saying that they think he won. Expect it, deal with it.
Or the Fact that
BJ himself has done nothing but congratulate.
As I said, this was the equivalent of GSP being beaten by Serra. Did that mean Serra was the better fighter and GSP was over rated??? NO, this just means that for whatever reason(physical or otherwise) Edgar was the better man that night. That being said, common sense should dictate that 9/10 times BJ takes Edgar.
This is a great moment, because david slayed goliath. But history will not repeat itself for these two again.
Everyone else shouldn’t bother with what? Talking about how a sinus infection actually hurts your performance? The interesting part about all of this is that when someone loses and actually is sick or fighting hurt… the community decides that it’s either bullshit, a giant excuse, or they are lying.
Even if it is an excuse, Penn still won. And using the “average of 4 rounds to 1” argument is silly. Crosby’s card alone skews that anyways, and everyone knows that’s a delusional individual in a spot of power.
Follow me on Twitter @lelandroling
"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I’m not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
by Leland Roling on Apr 13, 2010 9:37 AM EDT up reply actions
Nice argumentum ad populum. No, Penn didn’t win. He lost on all judges cards. The other 2 judges had the fight 4 rounds and 3 rounds to Edgar. At least you’re now admitting Penn is issuing yet another excuse, which is his modus operandi every time he loses.
where is BJ making an excuse? or are your eyes so terrible that you think Rudy Valentino and BJ Penn are the same person?
by BradCr on Apr 13, 2010 2:34 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Leland, I love ya but you’re off-point here.
Penn did not win the fight. At least not by any standard that matters. I personally scored it in Penn’s favor but Frankie Edgar won the fight.
And yes, this IS an excuse. But is that such a terrible thing? No. Nowhere did Rudy say, “Penn was sick but if he wasn’t, he would have won.”
Everyone who watched that fight knew something was up with Penn. His performance was not up to par and now we know why. Maybe a fresh Penn beats Edgar next time. Or maybe Edgar’s boxing and speed still get the better of The Prodigy. Who knows?
But continuously stating that Penn won the fight, Penn won the fight is starting to get ridiculous.
by Applejack McNeil on Apr 13, 2010 10:05 AM EDT up reply actions
And yes, this IS an excuse. But is that such a terrible thing? No. Nowhere did Rudy say, "Penn was sick but if he wasn’t, he would have won."
Maybe I’m wording my argument wrong here, but that’s what I’m saying.
Follow me on Twitter @lelandroling
"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I’m not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
by Leland Roling on Apr 13, 2010 10:39 AM EDT up reply actions
No, I know where you’re coming from. It’s more a case of me phrasing my comment poorly as I agree with you as far as “making excuses” is concerned.
Honestly, I wish fighters/trainers never divulged this kind of stuff because it only serves to fan the flames of discontent following an upset/close fight as evidenced by the multiple “Penn Excuse Train” comments already made.
by Tap or Snap Radio on Apr 13, 2010 11:28 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
And Anderson Silva had a hangnail against Maia, that’s why he couldn’t punch the last two rounds.
by ufc4 on Apr 13, 2010 8:31 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
I really hope you guys aren't comparing sinus infections to stubbed toes and hangnails
Jokes are fine, but sometimes I can’t tell on these boards
Not a BJ defender by any means
But anybody who watches that fight can tell that that is not BJ. He had none of the tenacity he usually does.
by fozo on Apr 13, 2010 7:49 AM EDT reply actions 3 recs
not saying I predicted this but....
2 minutes into the fight I thought that BJ looked slower, mysteriously had a knee brace on, and it looked like he was pale, with black circles under his eyes. Something was definitely off with him. winner of florian v edgar, and maynard vs penn.
by mid.vill.queens on Apr 13, 2010 8:07 AM EDT reply actions
Admittedly i'm a big BJ Penn fan
But I think it was clear to everyone he seemed tired and drained even early inside the first and second rounds. A sinus infection will effect speed, conditioning, all sorts of stuff. In saying that, I stil think he edged the fight. I agree with others however in saying Edgar should have a chance to defend before the UFC grant BJ with an immediate rematch.
Goldberg: "He's got him in some kind of strange choke I've never seen before!"
Rogan: "That's a rear naked choke."
Why wouldn’t BJ get an immediate rematch? Shogun did!
Faber, Florian, Nick Diaz, 'Mayhem', Mousasi, Fedor
Because
I wouldn’t call this fight a robbery on the scale of Shogun/Machida. I wouldn’t call the fight a robbery full stop. The 50-45 scorecard was disgraceful, but I can fully understand people scoring a close fight for Frankie. With Shogun/Machida, Dana said he didnt agree with the decision and that an immediate rematch would be granted. He hasn’t questioned this one.
Goldberg: "He's got him in some kind of strange choke I've never seen before!"
Rogan: "That's a rear naked choke."
Shogun vs Machida was a robbery and Mitrione vs Junk was a great fight. White said it.
by dancingChicken on Apr 13, 2010 8:46 AM EDT up reply actions
read my tag
everything dana white says is a complete lie
by slantedwindows on Apr 13, 2010 9:02 AM EDT up reply actions
You give him too much credit. He says a lot of stupid things and I’m sure he does mean it.
by dancingChicken on Apr 13, 2010 10:54 AM EDT up reply actions
you mean things like “i didn’t sign crocop” or “i didn’t buy pride”?
everything dana white says is a complete lie
by slantedwindows on Apr 14, 2010 1:11 AM EDT up reply actions
I wasn’t trying to make out that I agree with everything Dana White says, more just highlighting the fact that if he thinks a rematch is deserved, he can and will make it happen. In saying that, i agree with him regarding the Machida/Shogun fight. I certainly thought Shogun won it and want to see them fight again.
Goldberg: "He's got him in some kind of strange choke I've never seen before!"
Rogan: "That's a rear naked choke."
Shogun/Machida was very close as well, not robbery. This fight was also in the same context, close, but not robbery. Albeit, the 50-45 score was fucked.
Follow me on Twitter @lelandroling
"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I’m not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
by Leland Roling on Apr 13, 2010 9:05 AM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
So there would be TWO UFC champs who got gifted the title instead of one?
Machida and Penn both deserved to win close fights. I give Shogun and Edgar a lot of credit for bringing the fight when no one gave them a chance, but both fights should have been first three rounds to champ, fifth round to challenger, with the fourth round as a toss up.
by HarmlessNinja on Apr 13, 2010 10:22 AM EDT up reply actions
Pretty much all judging is fucked...
Even when the right person wins we still see split decisions with two judge scoring completely in the opposite directions or a complete lack of consistency on which round was scored in the favour of which fighter.
If a fight is close, I expect bad judging and am pleaantly surprised when it doesn’t happen. Watching the fight I knew it would be scored anywhere from 49 – 46 Edgar to 49 – 46 Penn. That’s just how the system works. Same thing with the MAchida / Rua fight.
defeated sigh
I agree, it’s frustrating. What’s most exasperating is Crosby going 50-45 to Edgar. I mean that’s just ridiculous.
by HarmlessNinja on Apr 13, 2010 10:24 AM EDT up reply actions
Yeah, I am not surprised though...
When you see a fight scored 30-27 for fighter A on one card and 30 – 27 for fighter B on another, you know they system is broken.
Ignoring any potential sinus infection, the fight itself was close enough that I think an immediate rematch is in order. Almost everyone is pretty much in agreement that BJ won 2 rounds and at least 1 if not 2 of the other were very close and could have gone to either fighter. Combine that with BJ’s recent dominance over Sherk, Florian and Sanchez and I think Penn vs. Edgar and Maynard vs. Florian makes far more sense than any other combinations.
I agree, Penn vs. Edgar and Maynard vs. Florian for contender is the best match up right now.
by HarmlessNinja on Apr 13, 2010 10:25 AM EDT up reply actions
Why is it making an excuse if you just tell what happened?
The scoring was horrible, and BJ was sick. THOSE 2 things REALLY happened. How is that MAKING an excuse. Those are 2 real things. Just like GSP’s corner rubbing grease on his chest. It really happened.
by JimJoe on Apr 13, 2010 8:45 AM EDT reply actions 8 recs
People are acting like BJ is always making excuses for his losses. It seems relevant to bring up in my opinion.
"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 don’t think people should jump all over this and say he’s making excuses. Many people thought that there was something off about how BJ was performing. Valentino just sid he was fighting with a sinus infection and that he thought BJ still should have won 3/5 rounds. It was left in the hands of the judges and he got burned. BJ himself came out and congratulated Franky for his win. He had the opportunity to mention he was sick then but didn’t. People asked what was going on Valentino told them. He had an off day and the better man won the fight that day. Of course BJ would want a rematch.
no wonder he didnt look a 100% percent…bj didnt say anything ,it was his trainer who said it…i think its obvious coz compare the fights he had with diego or florian with the edgar fight..bj really looked different,he was like 50%
Bj looked different because he was fighting Frankie’s fight, not his.
I really don’t like where this is going. Now that Machida and Shogun or getting a rematch, everyone will now start demanding rematches for close title fights.
everyone has always demanded rematches for close fights
everything dana white says is a complete lie
by slantedwindows on Apr 13, 2010 9:03 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Bj always fights that way...
he just didn’t seem as sharp, or as fresh…
I'm like PacMan fightin you silly kids... throw ya Hatton the ring, and get knocked outlike Ricky did.
lol.
Sounds about right , I thought maybe it was the heat that got to him
But this sounds more probable, It is true that BJ didn’t look himself in the fight and I thought the scoring of the rounds was suspect. I say give Maynard a shot then BJ or vise versa it doesn’t matter cause BJ will take the belt back
by doonerthesooner on Apr 13, 2010 8:55 AM EDT reply actions
I love the pre-emptive strike by the authors for commenting on Penn’s trainer’s excuses, when that’s what they are – excuses. Every single Penn loss is immediately followed by excuses. Every one. And trying to knock anyone who points out the continued pattern of excuse making by Penn and his camp doesn’t change the fact that they are excuses.
It's an excuse.
And a legitimate one.
I don’t see why it’s a negative on him if his trainer explains why he had a bad performance.
You’d better tell the rest of the Penn fans on here that it’s an excuse, as they’re dug in resisting the notion that Penn once again gave another excuse for a loss. It’s well established that Penn never really loses a fight, because there’s always some excuse offered forth by his camp as to why he lost.
I think in any circumstance
Where a fighter breaks a rib, sees his opponent rubbed down with grease, or may be fighting with some sort of infection it has some legitimacy. For BJ, he always has to deal with naysayers such as yourself coming in to repeat yourself without really saying anything. This isn’t even nearly that big of a deal. His trainer said Frankie fought a good fight, and he also said that he thinks BJ should have fought differently late. Everyone thought BJ looked different from the first bell, and I think that an explanation as to why is due, even if its only meant for rational minded fans, and not BJ Penn haters
I even saw people defend Hammill for Jon Jones breaking his shoulder on a throw… There has been no shortage of Nog defenders crying foul since his loss to Mir by TKO via Staph Infection. You don’t like BJ, blah blah blah.
I'm like PacMan fightin you silly kids... throw ya Hatton the ring, and get knocked outlike Ricky did.
lol.
by Loot on Apr 13, 2010 1:01 PM EDT up reply actions 5 recs
But this time it is a legit excuse
If it’s a legit excuse I don’t get in a twist over it.
Against Hughes he did pull a rib. That is a fact. GSP did grease. And while I agree that BJ was a little bitch about it, that is a fact.
The GSP ordeal is the only time I think he was out of line.
Against Hughes it was clear that he was beating Hughes’s ass until he pulled a rib. Against Edgar he was clearly not all there. No need to act like he’s an asshole for telling the truth. I can’t remember a fight where a guy loses and there isn’t some sort of excuse.
BJ just gets more heat because of the shit he talks and because of the aftermath of the GSP fight.
It’s not legit, it’s an excuse for getting beat. Does Edgar get a chance to level the playing field and issue his own list of reasons why his performance was affected? Penn looked off because Edgar was better than him, and fought his fight, and Penn wasn’t diverse or good enough or didn’t have a good enough gameplan. And when a guy is a notorious excuse maker as well as trash talker, the backlash he receives for losing and then making another excuse is going to be amplified.
by Hardcharger on Apr 13, 2010 10:28 AM EDT up reply actions
Sure he did. Or, it was because he faught a quicker fighter with great standup and great trainers, who approached Penn’s 1 dimensional gameplan brilliantly and out-faught him. It couldn’t be because Edgar is that good and presents problems Penn has problems solving. No, it’s never that Penn really loses.
by Hardcharger on Apr 13, 2010 10:43 AM EDT up reply actions
From personal experience
I can say, as one poster has pointed out, that a sinus infection is an absolute killer when it comes to fighting. Not only does it sap your cardio, strength, and dexterity, but it makes you hesitant to explode or go for openings that you would typically capitalize on. Sure, Edgar was fast, but BJ was still catching him often (fightmetric showed that BJ landed more punches in every round). He just lacked the explosive pop on his punches that he usually uses to tear down his opponents (see Sanchez, Diego). Bj’s body language, droopy eyes, slow movement, etc. were all indicative of a physical ailment. When the fight was over, he walked over to his corner absolutely exhausted. BJ Penn post-GSP II has never looked tired after a fight, all 3 of them title fights that were more physically taxing than anything Edgar put him through.
That being said, he chose to fight. If you choose to fight, the noble thing to do is shut up if you lose and give no excuses, WHICH HE HASN’T. BJ was shockingly gracious after the fight when they announced that Edgar had won. He had nothing but good things to say about Edgar after the fight and called him a great champion. He even clapped when they announced that Edgar had won the fight. I had a feeling that he was doing this not because he thought Edgar had actually won the fight, but because he was really happy that the fight was over.
That said, when I saw the fight live I scored it 3 rounds to 2 for Penn. When I watched the replay, I scored it a draw. I had no problem with the decision and it could be that Edgar comes back in the rematch and does the exact same thing to a healthy Penn. Only time will tell, and I, for one, am excited for the rematch.
If they rematch, that’s fine with me. I don’t care for all the fans trying to insist that Penn won and is the champ at this time, as if they reside in some alternate universe. I also have great disdain for the Penn and Penn fan excuse brigade, which is so easily predictable that there are polls before every Penn fight regarding which excuse he will use. It’s to the point of comedy because he’s a known excuse maker. Don’t try to diminish what Edgar did.
I disagree regarding how the fight went down, and how and why Penn was tired, especially compared to his 2 (not 3, as you claim) fights since he gassed against GSP.
As it stands there will probably be a rematch. If Penn wins, I highly doubt Edgar will get an automatic rematch though.
by Hardcharger on Apr 13, 2010 12:01 PM EDT up reply actions
As it stands there will probably be a rematch. If Penn wins, I highly doubt Edgar will get an automatic rematch though.
I don’t remember Serra getting a rematch against GSP.
by Johnnynumber5 on Apr 13, 2010 4:13 PM EDT up reply actions
I don't really care wether these comments are an excuse or not, but I remember after Nog fought Mir:
Nog asked people not to say anything to anyone about his staph infection because he didn’t want people to think he was making excuses… The news didn’t leak out til months later.
Yeah it's an excuse,
But what if say I don’t know Faber had said after his 2nd fight with Brown " Oh well if I didn’t break both my hands I would have done better in the fight." would you really hold that against the guy. Of I’m sorry a better example is the Nog/Mir fight. Are you really gonna say Nog was making excuses fighting with a staph infection?But I do know what you mean, BJ never looses because a fighter is better than him. It’s because they were greasing.
by doonerthesooner on Apr 13, 2010 9:28 AM EDT up reply actions
It’s only an excuse to BJ haters. No matter what he says the haters will hate. Most on here who comment and say it is an excuse have NEVER competed except on the couch (especially in a 5 round MMA fight with a sinus infection). No matter, excuse or no excuse BJ still won the fight. Not to metion he thrashed and made Florian quit less than a year ago so let’s give him the next shot, that makes a ton of sense. Maynard had no desire to even fight for the title until he saw that BJ lost and a Maynard v Edgar fight will do about 150k PPV buys, that sounds exciting. Plus he lost to Diaz in Jan. in most peoples eyes. BJ is the only choice for an immediate rematch, how you can argue with that means you have forgot or chose to forget that last 9 years of complete dominance at 155.
Choo-Choo!!!! Here comes the BJ Penn Excuse Train!
The sinus infection was so bad that he didn’t hear his trainers say to "Take him down!", like I heard while watching between rounds on TV thousands of miles away.
you're a moron.
I'm like PacMan fightin you silly kids... throw ya Hatton the ring, and get knocked outlike Ricky did.
lol.
i can only judge you by how you've represented yourself...
and if I’m wrong I apologize.
I'm like PacMan fightin you silly kids... throw ya Hatton the ring, and get knocked outlike Ricky did.
lol.
Has anybody ever gotten an immediate rematch?
by doonerthesooner on Apr 13, 2010 9:51 AM EDT reply actions
Wonder if Edgar had any injuries, etc...going into the fight.
They only seem to be brought up if you lose, unless your Tito and then the come up even when you win.
I don't think it's ever happend before, at least in the UFC
by doonerthesooner on Apr 13, 2010 9:54 AM EDT reply actions
Arlovski got an immediate rematch with Sylvia after their second fight.
They had both won a fight each, and since there were no other hw contenders they created Arlovski vs Sylvia 3. What a match it was.
by funkywanderer on Apr 13, 2010 11:36 AM EDT up reply actions
Sinus Infection?
If you’ve ever had one it’s not that big a deal. BJs camp and BJ himself will always keep grasping at straws. I could fucking murder someone if I had a sinus infection.
Oddly enough..
I was sat watching the event and it cut to Penn back stage and the bags under his eyes are huge. Seriously, go back and check it out. They are unusually dark and at the time I actually thought; Penn looks pretty ill.
Not that this excuse takes anything away from Edgar, fighters compete less than 100% all of the time, and I mean, all of the time. I personally thought Penn won, just, but it was a close fight and Edgar deserves all the praise he gets.
Another point to note:
When Machida beat Shogun we had Goldberg declaring “Well to be the champ, you gotta beat the champ” etc etc. Although I spectacularly disagree with this premise – the winner of the title fight, however close, should be the champion – it’s strange how this wasn’t mentioned once during the broadcast. They literally mentioned it 4 or 5 times throughout the last few rounds of Machida and Shogun.
cause that was a stupid line,
and I’m glad they don’t say it anymore.
by Anton Tabuena on Apr 13, 2010 10:19 AM EDT up reply actions
I say BJ Penn should get the rematch. I was going for Edgar. And I think it could have gone either way, depending on how you judge a fight.
You have to tak in mind that UFC is a business. How can the UFC milk this for as much $$$ as they can? I as an MMA fan would like to see Maynard vs Edgar first, for obvious reasons (Maynard beat Edgar). But that makes for a weak UFC Event. This would have to be a Co-main fight, and would need GSP or Brock as a main event.
BJ vs Edgar 2 makes more sense $wise.
But let’s give Edgar the respect he does deserve. No one gave him a chance.
by Gattsuberserk on Apr 13, 2010 10:19 AM EDT via mobile reply actions
Sinus infection affects your breathing
makes it harder to breathe through your nose, I don’t consider this a loss to BJ. I won’t even refer to it in past tense as a loss, it was more of a robbery.
With a sinus infection you have to breathe a lot more through your mouth. The fact that he still beat Edgar with the infection is a sign of his greatness.
THE TRUTH
The sinus infection was so bad that he couldn’t stop licking his lips on the way to the ring.
Which caused severe chap lips.
How can a man expect to fight at 100% with chapped lips?!!
Rematch please.
Penn’s abit different but…..remember Faber talking about moving up…then he lost…..Torres talked about moving up….then he lost….BJ was going to go back to 170…..then he lost.
guys demolish a bunch of guys in their class, the sky’s the limit…then they face a guy they should beat….and they lose. kinda endemic when u think about it retrospectively.
Gatti. Dekkers. Pele. Aoki. Kang. Vanderlei. Basillio. Harry Greb.
by theworldsoldestsport on Apr 13, 2010 11:44 AM EDT reply actions
but BJ didn't lose
And those other guys you are talking about got their ass kicked
by kibbled_bits on Apr 13, 2010 11:48 AM EDT up reply actions
wake up
BJ lost.
It’s in the books that way…deal with it.
by justbleed9999 on Apr 13, 2010 11:50 AM EDT up reply actions
Pictures?
Also, my friends and I all noticed that BJ’s eyes looked horrible walking into the fight. Like he had been out all night drinking or the obvious now, a sinus infection. I think everyone knows that he wasn’t himself, it’s not an excuse. May lord have mercy on edgar’s soul for fight 2
Opinions are opinions
mine is that the fight was a draw or that Penn won 3 rounds to 2. I’m actually happy to hear that Penn had a sinus infection because he didn’t look like himself at all. My friends and I have been speculating on what the injury could’ve been because that wasn’t a Penn performance. It was a close fight (really close) and I don’t have a huge issue with Edgar winning the fight on the cards. But, scoring it 5-0 and 4-1 is retarded. If anything, thats 3-2 at best for Edgar or Penn.
At least this explains the performance. I also applaud Penn for being gracious in defeat and giving Edgar all the credit and NOT making any excuses as that one hater hardcharger (probably a GSP fanatic as most Penn haters are) is claiming.
Initially I wanted to see Florian vs Edgar and Penn vs Maynard but now I want to see Penn vs Edgar rematch to see whats really up. I thought Penn would beat Edgar handedly but he wasn’t his usual self. If Edgar wins the rematch then we know the first fight (infection or not) was legitimate although I feel thats not the case.
Typical BJ Penn excuse after losing this guy, Nog and Tito should all form a club because they can never lose without having to make up a reason as to why aside from just getting beat.
Really? Nog made ONE "excuse" his career.
and that was for his bout against Mir, where he was hospitalized days before the fight… That “excuse” he had only came out months after the bout happened… yeah, sounds like he’s just making shit up…
oh and guess what, his other 5 losses, including the one against Cain, he didn’t say a thing too… so I guess, he was just “making excuses” in your book… *rolls eyes
by Anton Tabuena on Apr 14, 2010 4:32 AM EDT up reply actions
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