St. Pierre vs. Penn

[venom33]

bj has lost 3 of his last 7 and comes off as a complete douche so i hope a face smashing is in his very near future....gsp,gsp,gsp!! ;D

[LUFAN]

Well one fight was a very contested decision... GSP VS PENN 1... This is going to be a war..  One of those fights should have never happened... He fought Lyoto Machida... who is a LHW fighting at 205... Penn fights at a max of 170... That should not have happened.

[Guest baseball25]

Venom when BJ has his head straight he's top 3 in the world.......I like machida but dana white is all about the rating and he knows machida is boring so he don't want to give him that shot yet.....In my mind he would beat rashad evans but ole white will be licking his chops if machida loses sat...

[Guest baseball25]

More predictions

Georges “Rush†St. Pierre (17-2) vs. BJ “The Prodigy†Penn (13-4-1)- UFCMANIA.com

Greatest fight of all time? Hard to say. A quick stoppage in the first round would be a tough pill to swallow. I will say for that for me, it’s probably the most anticipated fight of all time. How often can you say that about a rematch? Penn and St. Pierre have already met inside the Octagon at UFC 58: “USA vs. Canada†in 2006, which resulted in a controversial split decision win for St. Pierre. Penn brutalized St. Pierre for much of the first round, but then “Rush†stormed back and hung on in the final two frames to get the winning nod. Most at the time felt at the very least it should have been a draw because of the lopsided opening stanza (10-8?); however, the judges ringside did not agree. Regardless, it was a great fight and the encore will likely be even better since both fighters have improved significantly over time. And that’s a scary thing to say – these are two of the most gifted pound-for-pound talents in the sport going up against one another in the prime of their careers. Its historical significance cannot be overstated. Now when I look at this contest from a distance, I have to give Penn a significant advantage in a lot of areas, including both striking and jiu-jitsu. True, GSP also has his black belt, but for reality’s sake let’s not pretend that makes him Penn’s equal. “The Prodigy†sports an iron chin and so many intangibles that it’s hard to imagine him losing. So why then, am I picking St. Pierre? Penn is meant to be a lightweight. Three of his four losses have come outside of that division and I believe that GSP will come in with the same anger and ferocity that he brought against Matt Serra at UFC 83. Expect St. Pierre to use his superior wrestling right out of the gate to avoid the stand up and effectively frustrate Penn, who may need to expend a lot of energy to avoid a barrage of knees and elbows while grounded. Eventually the higher weight will fail him, and the second he begins to lose a step, St. Pierre will capitalize and finish him. So let it be written, so let it be dumb.

Keys to victory:

St. Pierre: Penn doesn’t need a haymaker to finish you standing. His boxing may be MMA’s finest, so pick him up and dump him on his head. From there, rain down fury until he wishes he never said any of those mean things about you on “Primetime.â€

Penn: If history is any indication, you’ve got one round to pull this off. I believe, like you do, that St. Pierre can be broken. Stuff a few takedowns or draw blood in the first minute and you could be home free.

Prediction: St. Pierre by TKO

SPORTSLINE.COM PREDICTIONS

Denny Burkholder: This bout pits two of MMA's greatest -- two reigning champions -- against one another while they are each fighting at their best. Both fighters are great in virtually all areas. This bout will come down to which fighter can implement his game plan with the most success. St. Pierre is notorious for attacking his opponent's strengths. BJ is strong everywhere, but he really stands out with submissions, so I expect St. Pierre to take Penn to the mat and work the ground and pound. Taking Penn to the canvas is never a sure-fire path to success, but GSP doesn't usually look for the easy route to victory. And yet he still wins, and that's why he's so amazing to watch. Penn will probably try to stand with GSP -- and again, that's absolutely no guarantee of success. In the end, I see GSP winning via unanimous decision.

Sam Caplan: This fight is a tie on so many angles that my preference would be not to offer a prediction and just sit back and enjoy it for what it truly is: one of the greatest pure fighting matchups in MMA's brief history. St. Pierre vs. Penn II is truly an epic encounter that will serve as a huge part of the sport's legacy for years to come. Both fighters are tremendous athletes that are at the top of their game. I don't see one finishing the other as I believe this fight is destined to go to the judges. Out of hope that we get to see these two fight for a third time, I am giving the nod to Penn via split decision.

Todd Martin: Georges St. Pierre and B.J. Penn are such phenomenal fighters that it’s hard for many to believe that either man can be beaten when he is at his best. When either man loses, there is always the assumption that something must have been wrong. B.J. was carrying too much weight. Georges’ head wasn’t in it. B.J. didn’t train hard enough. Georges psyched himself out. That’s why this fight is so compelling. Both men are indisputably at their best, coming off dominant performances and as motivated as they are ever going to be. There won’t be any excuses, but there can be only one winner. Georges’ advantage lies in his size, strength and athleticism. B.J. is a born fighter with unrivaled natural instincts in striking and submissions. I expect an absolute war with each man presenting problems for the other. But ultimately, St. Pierre will wear Penn down by dictating the pace and nature of the bout.

Gary Herman: The biggest bout of 2009 could very well happen in January. With all due respect to Brock Lesnar and Frank Mir, these are two fighters that will go down as two of the all-time best in their weight classes. In the first match-up, St. Pierre took the controversial decision because Penn gassed. Even so, Penn could just as easily have gotten the decision. Since the fight, both have improved, but Penn has looked unstoppable. Also, St. Pierre has tapped out very quickly to both Matt Hughes and Matt Serra. From a talent standpoint, Penn is better both standing and with submissions. St. Pierre’s advantages are wrestling and size. As Mir once said about Lesnar, “What’s he going to do? Wrestle me to death?†No. B.J. Penn will use his superior striking ability to wear St. Pierre down on the way to a third round TKO.