St. Pierre vs. Penn

[Gabe]

Who you got? Jan. 31 on PPV.

[mat]

GSP is certainly the better athlete and fighter but tends to have trouble finishing a fighter off. One of the promotional fight shows said GSP is training very hard and Penn is slacking. Penn has tons of talent though so it should be a great fight.

[Gabe]

If Penn is not taking this serious, he is in trouble. You would think he would want this even more than GSP. A win over GSP would sky rocket Penn.

[Gabe]

I'm very ready for this fight.

[Guest baseball25]

Striking: Advantage goes to penn...Although he doesn’t possess the hand speed or reflexes of his Canadian counterpart, the Hawaiian does have the best “you can’t teach that†talent in the game. His boxing can be sloppy at times, but he has developed one of the fiercest jabs in the UFC.

Grappling: i'll give it to GSP...When it comes to world class jiu jitsu, there is nobody on the UFC roster more highly praised than BJ Penn.  Bj was on his back the last fight and couldn't do anything becasue he was so out of shape....GSP is a better ATHLETE so thats why i think his Grappling is better and he's a better wrestler.

Experience:  its Even can't go wrong with there resumes..

The prediction WILL BJ come in shape is the main concern...If penn comes in to fight 5 rounds then its going to be a heck of fight.....but GSP will be in shape to go all night long and his physical strength, take downs, and control of the fight will help GSP get the decison or 3rd round stoppage........I could be wrong here.......Its a pickem fight if penn comes in shape

[Gabe]

I heard Penn once again isn't taking the fight as serious as he should as it goes with training. You know GSP is.

[Guest baseball25]

Oh yeah u know gsp is so i guess penn wants a ass kicking and the check and he sttill will retain the 155 belt. But this could b a ploy or just a excuse for penn.

[Gabe]

This isn't the first time he has done this either though. He has all the talent in the world and sometimes doesn't try as hard as he should but when he does - he is by far one of the best.

[the sports guy]

St. Pierre looked like a train hit him the last time they went at it, but he still won.  I dont think Penn will let up this time.

[Guest baseball25]

Oh i know penn did that hes a lazy ass but they could b just saying to play head games witg gsp. I saw the fight he was tired quick. Hes top 5 in the world but he has to beat gsp to be pound f pound best.

[LUFAN]

Grappling: i'll give it to GSP...When it comes to world class jiu jitsu, there is nobody on the UFC roster more highly praised than BJ Penn.  Bj was on his back the last fight and couldn't do anything becasue he was so out of shape....GSP is a better ATHLETE so thats why i think his Grappling is better and he's a better wrestler.

Experience:  its Even can't go wrong with there resumes..

Baseball how long have you been watching MMA??? BJ Penn is one of the best on the ground... GSP just got his black belt in BJJ...

Penn has won multiple world championships in submission grappling... IE the mundials...

Lastly... BJ will look pudgy at 170... He always has at 170...

Finally.. BJ may not train as extreme as GSP not many people do... but GSP's tough training camp is 6 to 8 weeks like that...

Penn has been training and preparing for 5 months...

Penn should win if he is truly prepared like he says he is...

[Gabe]

It wouldn't shock me if Penn won but the edge is to GSP in my mind. No fighter in the UFC has looked as good and poised as GSP over the last year.

[Guest baseball25]

Ur exactly gabe i mean its gsp fight to lose i think it could end up like fitch fight but gsp needs to finish this one.

[LUFAN]

I do not see how it can end up like the fitch fight.... GSP out struck Fitch... but Penn will surely out strike GSP much like the 1st fight.... Penn has a sick guard.... I wish I was as flexible as him... then I would not have to use a butterfly guard...

[Guest baseball25]

Been watching it since ufc 1 and i havent miss a pview yet and my cuzing talk to tito ortiz and he said the same thing. I mean how do u know hes been training 5 monhs have u been in camp wit him? Nobody knows that there been people saying hes taking it lightly.

[LUFAN]

Who cares who your cousin talked to.... My lord...   

Have you been in the camp with GSP???

You can only go by what they say.... That is the info that was portayed in the upcoming ufc show about the fighters... You act like you have been his grappling partner... Come on now.. Bj Penn is not dumb... he does not want to lose to GSP again... He is not going to want to get robbed again... He is going to want to smash gsp so there are no more questions...   

Have you ever trained in any mma technique ala kick boxing or ju jitsu or wrestling??

[Guest baseball25]

I sure have. My cuzing only just hangs out wit those guys and goes to the mma shows and sits front row wit donald trump.  So i got good sources

[Gabe]

I dated Jessica Alba once.

Sorry, I had to do it. Keep up the conversation. That's just my reply for those kind of statements to anyone 

[Guest baseball25]

Clay buchholz is my first cuzing we are like brothers so i got alot of good sources

[mat]

You can't argue Penn's talent and natural ability.

GSP is an unreal athlete. He can go five rounds and still finish with a back flip.

GSP's speed and quickness makes a good case for the need for slow motion replay.  ;D

Man he's fast.

It WILL be good fight.

[LUFAN]

Man come on.... At least when you try to pull off a name drop you need to learn how to spell... what is a cuzing????    TITO is in neither camp.... and what would Donald Trump know??  He is part of a competing organization...   

This is going to be one of the best fights in a long time... I hope it is a little longer than most of these title fights that have been on the cards lately... There are parts of me that want to see GSP win so we can see him fight Anderson Silva. 

I am pulling for BJ because I cannot stand hearing GSP talk...

[Guest baseball25]

I am not in eng 1301...I don't need  to impress my prof....They prob know alot more than we do..I mean they are involved in the mma world..

[Gabe]

Man come on.... At least when you try to pull off a name drop you need to learn how to spell... what is a cuzing????    TITO is in neither camp.... and what would Donald Trump know??   He is part of a competing organization...   

This is going to be one of the best fights in a long time... I hope it is a little longer than most of these title fights that have been on the cards lately... There are parts of me that want to see GSP win so we can see him fight Anderson Silva.   

I am pulling for BJ because I cannot stand hearing GSP talk...

It's obvious I'm sure I'm a big GSP fan yet I agree, when he talks after his matches I go outside and smoke so I don't hear it  .

I too want him to win to set up a fight with Silva. Can you imagine the draw that will be? Would have to be the biggest of all time.

[Guest baseball25]

Here are some mma sites predictions

Georges St-Pierre ( Welterweight Champion) -185 Vs. BJ Penn (Lightweight Champion) +130

This is one of the most anticipated rematches in UFC history. It has all the makings of a true blood feud. St-Pierre and Penn legitimately dislike each other, their first fight was won on a split decision, and both men are current UFC champions.

If you look at common opponents both men have fought Sean Sherk, Matt Hughes, and Matt Serra. They both beat Sean Sherk by TKO, so no advantage there. They have both beaten Matt Serra, but Penn did it in his first try (decision). St-Pierre got unlucky in their first fight and lost to a TKO, but followed it up with a dominate TKO victory in the rematch. I have to give Penn the advantage there.

Things get interesting as we look at Matt Hughes. Penn submitted a near his prime Hughes in ‘04, but then got TKO’ed to a past his prime Hughes in ‘06. St-Pierre was submitted by a near his prime Hughes in ‘04 and then submitted a past his prime Hughes in ‘07. I think St-Pierre gets this one because losing to Hughes in ‘04 isn’t anything to be ashamed of, but losing to him in ‘06, via TKO no less, is probably a bit of a blemish. While on the subject of Hughes, Saturday night will be the 5 year anniversary of Penn’s win.

The first match between Penn and St-Pierre was a split decision that saw St-Pierre win, but a split decision isn’t much to go off of. Looking at common opponents also wont give you much. I say go with your gut. Mine says St-Pierre wins. He works harder then Penn, seems to take his career more seriously then Penn, and he scares me more then Penn. All that being said, this fight could really go either way. Both are solid standing up and on the ground, both have a blood lust, and both are insanely competitive. I think Penn’s ego gets in his way and St-Pierresomehow pulls it out in the 2nd.. lets say by submission.

My Pick: Georges St-Pierre

Predictions:

B.J. Penn vs. Georges St. Pierre

Penn is a more skilled mixed martial artist than St.-Pierre: He has better pure boxing skills, and he has better pure Brazilian jiu jitsu. St.-Pierre is, as we've heard a million times in the run-up to this fight, a better athlete who takes his conditioning more seriously. I think this will ultimately come down to the size advantage that St.-Pierre has: He'll use his superior reach to land kicks effectively, and he'll out-muscle Penn if it goes to the ground. I like St. Pierre to finish Penn in the fourth or fifth round.

George St-Pierre (-185) vs. BJ Penn (+166)

Tough fight to call. My heart and the Canadian in me thinks GSP, but my brain tells me BJ. GSP will look to impose his will on BJ in this fight using his superior wrestling and cardio. BJ on the other hand boasts advantages in the jujitsu department, and the striking.

Pick: I'm going to have to ignore my brain once again and go with GSP via 4th round TKO.

Striking: Freddie Roach has referred to BJ Penn as the best boxer in all of Mixed Martial Arts. Although he doesn’t possess the hand speed or reflexes of his Canadian counterpart, the Hawaiian does have the best “you can’t teach that†talent in the game. A natural scrapper, Penn has displayed a natural toughness that allows for opportunities to land dramatic short punches (particularly his monster uppercut that nearly finished Joe Stevenson in the opening moments of their 2008 contest) from a distance that others generally stay away from. His boxing can be sloppy at times, but he has developed one of the fiercest jabs in the UFC. GSP will have the better kickboxing and heavier punches, but it’s the unique style of BJ Penn that will be most telling in this fight. 

Edge: Penn’s Boxing Early in the Fight

Grappling: A contrast of styles makes this category the most interesting in the fight. When it comes to world class jiu jitsu, there is nobody on the UFC roster more highly praised than BJ Penn. The Hawaiian’s genetic gifts, such as flexibility and the ever popular “dexterity,†make his guard one of the most active and dangerous in the sport. It’s a weighty load for any fighter, except maybe Georges St. Pierre. With a tight submission game of his own and a significant strength advantage, GSP will use superior wrestling to control Penn from inside the guard and punish him with shots. In their first bout, Penn was on his back for much the fight and never showed anything threatening with an offensive guard. Dominate victories over Josh Koscheck and Jon Fitch have given the Montreal native a major claim to being the best wrestler in the welterweight division (despite having no amateur wrestling experience.)

Edge: St. Pierre’s Strength and Pressure Inside Penn’s Guard 

Experience: BJ Penn has been performing at the top levels of the sport since his UFC debut in 2001, however “Rush†has looked unbeatable in recent months. Both men are two time UFC champions and have been under the lights before. These two men have met before and won’t back away from a fight. There will be no edge gained by experience in this one. In Montreal or Hilo, it wouldn’t matter to either champion where the fight goes down. 

Edge: Even Playing Field 

The Verdict: Georges St. Pierre. This fight comes down to one thing…conditioning. BJ Penn’s move to 155 lbs. was a blessing in disguise for the simple fact that making the lightweight limit would guarantee him being in top shape. The Hawaiian has made a similar venture into higher weight classes in the past and has appeared content to let his waistband venture as well. If Penn comes ready for a five round fight we are in for a real treat. Expect GSP’s conditioning to make him dangerous in rounds 6, 7, and 8 (even though this is a five round fight.) His physical strength, takedowns and ground control will prove to be the most telling in the judge’s eyes. 

Look for St. Pierre to stop Penn late after an accumulation of punishment from the top position

[LUFAN]

I am really looking forward to the Machida fight... That guy should be the next LHW championship contender.. I think that he would give Rashad Evans fits..