Tag: B.J. Penn (Page 2 of 3)

      Penn challenges Shields, Shields accepts

      May 17, 2011 /

      nullSee what fun can come through Twitter?

      On Monday night B.J. Penn released the following statement on his Twitter account:

      @jakeshieldsajj I would never challenge one of Cesar Gracie’s guys, but you’ve been calling me out for years.Let’s do it! I’ll contact Dana

      This was a challenge to Jake Shields, who is coming off a decision loss to Georges St. Pierre at UFC 129.

      Shields was quick to answer with this:

      @bjpenndotcom even better, let’s make it the first 5 round non-title fight

      B.J. then had his last reply:

      @jakeshieldsajj If that makes you feel more confident….. sure.

      This fight would be good for both men as Penn needs a marquee fight to get back into the hunt in the welterweight division and Shields needs to get a big-time win in the octagon after two shaky performances in the UFC.

      A matchup with Penn and Shields would feature arguably the two best jiu-jitsu fighters in all of MMA and certainly in the 170-pound category.

      Now, just because these two agree to fight on Twitter doesn’t mean the UFC will make it happen, but this is a fight they will have to strongly consider.

      Fighters, News, UFC

      Despite poor showing, St. Pierre still one of the best in MMA

      May 1, 2011 /

      nullLet me start by once again stating that I am a Georges St. Pierre fan (pictured, AP Photo).

      I know this article may come off as fandom, but I am merely sticking up for a great fighter.

      While I will even admit that St. Pierre’s performance at UFC 129 was anything but impressive against Jake Shields, I don’t think that the long-reigning UFC Welterweight Champion deserves to be as criticized as he has been.

      Finishing fights is a big aspect of MMA and a big part of the reason why fans love fighters like Anderson Silva. However, everyone has their flaws or even their bad fights.

      I would compare GSP’s performance on Saturday night to the likes of Silva’s performances against Demian Maia or Thales Leites.

      Clearly St. Pierre was the better fighter on Saturday, but he didn’t go for the kill when it was there. And after his eye was damaged, he balled up into somewhat of a shell.

      But, I don’t think that his performance at UFC 129 was typical of his other performances.

      Continue reading »

      Events, Fighters, UFC

      Hughes vs. Sanchez in the works for 2011

      April 28, 2011 /

      nullIn a little bit of surprising news, MMAMania is reporting that the UFC is working on a future bout between welterweights Matt Hughes and Diego Sanchez.

      Hughes, a current UFC Hall of Famer and former welterweight champion, is coming off a 21-second knockout loss to B.J. Penn at UFC 123, but had won his last three fights prior to that.

      Sanchez is coming off back-to-back decision wins over Paulo Thiago and Martin Kampmann. He is 2-1 since making his return to welterweight after losing to Penn for the lightweight championship back in December of 2009.

      This fight would be intriguing as Sanchez has a high motor and is somewhat reckless. He relies on his grappling and pressure to really win fights, but will be facing a stronger grappler in Hughes. Hughes also shows more composure and patience with his fighting.

      I am a little surprised to see Hughes taking this fight as I felt like he was leaning toward retirement following the loss to Penn. If he was to fight again, I thought it would be more along the lines of another fight with Matt Serra or a fight against an older fighter to allow himself a better chance to go out on a win. This is a tough fight for Hughes, but is still one that he can win.

      Events, Fighters, News, UFC

      Top 10 Welterweight Rankings

      April 27, 2011 /

      nullThis week I turn my rankings to the welterweight division.

      Like my middleweight rankings, the No. 1 spot is quite obvious and everyone else isn’t really all that close.

      Still, here is my take. If you need to go back and find my pound-for-pound, heavyweight, or light heavyweight rankings, click on the links.

      1. Georges St. Pierre (21-2) – GSP is the clear leader of this group and close to being the best fighter in any weight class. I would argue that St. Pierre is the most complete fighter in all of MMA as he exhibits diverse striking, superior wrestling, and solid submission skills. The beauty of GSP is, he is always looking for ways to evolve and stay ahead of the game and I am curious to see how he attacks his UFC 129 fight with Jake Shields this Saturday.

      2. Jon Fitch (23-3-1) – Fitch is the fighter that can do no right. All he does is win, for the most part, but he isn’t able to do it in a flashy fashion, so he is often overlooked. He dominated B.J. Penn in the third round of their fight in February, but a slow start forced a draw and unfinished business. If St. Pierre is to beat Shields and move up to middleweight, I would suspect that Fitch is the favorite to become the new 170-pound champion in the UFC.

      3. Jake Shields (26-4-1) – I am still a little unsure of what to think about Shields. He has some impressive wins, but I think he is kidding himself if he thinks getting St. Pierre to the ground is going to be a walk in the park. He is a world-class grappler, but I would dare say he is one of the worst strikers in the division. You would think a guy of his talents would really work at striking to become a complete fighter, but he still clerly lacks in that department. A win over St. Pierre on Saturday would be an upset, but it would surely catapult him to the top of my rankings.

      Continue reading »

      Fighters, Strikeforce, UFC

      White open to overtime for UFC bouts

      April 1, 2011 /

      nullDraws are hard to come by in a MMA fight—especially bouts in the UFC.

      Judging is gauged on a 10-point must system over an odd number of rounds, so in most cases there should be a winner when the bout goes to a decision.

      However, recently there has been a pair of main events in the UFC to land a draw. Most notably was the Frankie Edgar-Gray Maynard lightweight title fight at UFC 125.

      A draw leaves a bad taste in everyone’s mouth, including Dana White’s.

      MMAMania.com recently made note that the UFC President made the following statement during the UFC’s web series “The Aftermath”, a show that airs after each episode of The Ultimate Fighter.

      “I hate draws. I think it’s such a waste of everybody’s time and energy. (An overtime round is) something that I would definitely explore.”

      The draw at UFC 125 was a problem for a couple reasons. For one, there was no winner. Secondly, Anthony Pettis was scheduled to face the winner in a unification bout.

      Continue reading »

      Fighters, News, UFC

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