During the UFC 73 post-fight press conference, UFC President Dana White mentioned that BJ Penn has decided to fight at 155 pounds and that he could challenge UFC Lightweight Champion Sean Sherk in November.
Penn, of course, recently dispatched of Jens Pulver in a lightweight bout at The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 5 Finale last month — his first dip down to the weightclass in years. Since that second-round submission win, “The Prodigy” has been noncommittal about his future plans, expressing an interest to avenge losses to Matt Hughes and Georges St. Pierre in the welterweight division.
After rumors emerged that he was in talks to fight Diego Sanchez at UFC 74, which were quickly debunked by his camp, Penn said that an announcement regarding his future would soon be made via his Web site, BJPenn.com.
No such announcement has yet to appear.
Sherk successfully defended his belt for this first time over the weekend, outpointing challenger Hermes Franca on all three judges scorecards in a five-round struggle. The champion overwhelmed and controlled the jiu-jitsu specialist — sans a few well-timed knees — for a majority of the 25 minutes.
Let’s wait to see what BJ has to say about this recent revelation from White. Penn has a history of being unpredictable, and this situation could be no different.
But the lure of another championship opportunity — in addition to the 170-belt he captured in 2004 — could keep Penn in the division for at least one more fight. And it would certainly be a good one against Sherk.
The rumored destination for a November show is The Prudential Arena in Newark, N.J.
46 Comments »
Do you think the UFC could pair the Middleweight and Lightweight titles again and put this fight in October? 4 months off for BJ and 3 for Sherk seems reasonable to me. November could have a Heavyweight title match … all these are assuming no big injuries
FIGHT OF THE YEAR IF THIS IS TRUE!!!!
good. Im sick of Sherk laying on people for 25 mins already. What a lame champion he is. I cant take his crap anymore. DJ Penn is the man. Nuff said
[quote comment=”101060″]good. Im sick of Sherk laying on people for 25 mins already. What a lame champion he is. I cant take his crap anymore. DJ Penn is the man. Nuff said[/quote]
hey atleast Sherk can take some punishment, Those knees were brutal, and thats way more than you can say for Rich Franklin. Anyway I hope BJ wins this fight.
I think this is because he wont get a WW title shot anytime soon, so might as well stay at LW and go for the gold.
Whay is every fight a title fight? What happened to cultivating talent? I guess thats what the IFL and the WEC (which the Fertita’s own) are for. Granted BJ deserves a shot after a few more fights. Not sure where he is ranked, he should bet the #2 guy if he isn;t already that person.
[quote post=”2687″]hey atleast Sherk can take some punishment, Those knees were brutal[/quote]
No doubt. Sherk withstood some vicious knee strikes! That said, if you can mount at will, there is no excuse not to finish by GnP TKO.
[quote comment=”101064″]I think this is because he wont get a WW title shot anytime soon, so might as well stay at LW and go for the gold.[/quote]
Plus, he has already made the weight cut and looks to be in great shape at 55. IMO BJ needs to stay at 55 as long as possible to remain in shape. If he goes back to 70, he needs at least 6 months to build up instead of just laying around the house with a joint and a twinkie.
I think and hope BJ will be a dominant champ at 55 and relinquish the belt to move to 70.
dipullout,
DJ Penn is the man. Nuff said
It is BJ.
If BJ comes in as ready mentally and physically for this fight like he came in for Pulver, he will no doubt dominate and take that belt away from SHREK….
[quote post=”2687″]If he goes back to 70, he needs at least 6 months to build up instead of just laying around the house with a joint and a twinkie.[/quote]
That’s so funny and true at the same time
This is good news. Penn is truly the only possible threat to that title right now. Sherk is a beast, but Penn will figure it out.
[quote comment=”101058″]FIGHT OF THE YEAR IF THIS IS TRUE!!!![/quote]
Hell yes….
If Penn still stays focus and maintains the shape he is in, he could easily win. But you cant count Sherk out… Guy still mangles being knocked out by knees…
smart move by bj, he deserves a chance to go after the lw belt that he never got, he better work hard on his conditioning though because sherk can go full speed for a long long time, bj did well against hughes and gsp who were bigger and stronger guys than him, so he should be able to more than hold his own against sherk, this will be a sick sick fight, can’t wait…
[quote comment=”101068″]Whay is every fight a title fight? What happened to cultivating talent? I guess thats what the IFL and the WEC (which the Fertita’s own) are for. Granted BJ deserves a shot after a few more fights. Not sure where he is ranked, he should bet the #2 guy if he isn;t already that person.[/quote]
Are you kidding me? There has only been like 5-6 title fights this YEAR and two of them were saturday. There are a LOT of none title fights that are amazing and quality fights. So out of the what? 35-40 some fights that have occured this year in the UFC, 15-20% of them have been title fights. The word ‘every’ to me… means just that.
I think the UFC is doing a great job in ‘cultivating’ talent. GG.. Guida, Griffin (tyson), Fitch, Kos, Evans..there FIELDS of great UFC fighters out there…that fight more frequently then title holders do.
Both these guys are studs, but Id have to give this one to BJ. He is a genetic freak that can do stuff with his hips and legs that no other BJJ fighter can do. There like another pair of arms! Also BJ’s guard is WORLD CLASS! Id go so far as to saying his guard is probably the best in the world. Far above Franca who was basically passed at will on saturday.
BJ is also nearly impossible to take down, he has the ability to get up from a lying position with only one leg (the other was in a Matt Hughes bear hug). Incredible balance. Also, BJ’s striking is superb.
Sherk however does have great takedowns, hes very quick with them two. He does have to work on avoiding those knees though, especially if he fights BJ. I also like how he wastes no time in passing to side control once he gets the takedown. This is good because he gives no chance for the other fighter to close guard and prevent the pass.
Sherks biggest advantage over BJ (the one that could get him the win) is his conditioning. BJ looked good in his last fight, but he still seemed tired at the end. Hes no good at the long battles of attrition that Sherk likes to force.
Very hard to call a winner here, before last saturday I would have gone with BJ 100%. But now I’m not so sure, they are both great fighers. I will still go with BJ because he is the more well rounded fighter, and he will be able to do on the ground what Franca could not do.
[quote comment=”101060″]good. Im sick of Sherk laying on people for 25 mins already. What a lame champion he is. I cant take his crap anymore. DJ Penn is the man. Nuff said[/quote]
Ah so tired of this bs.
Hey if you cannot stop from gettin taken down, too freaking bad. Sean Sherk is a f-ing beast and it doesnt matter how you win, but as long as you do it then the haters can dry with there blogs here. If BJ Penn steps in that octagon against Sherk he will face all 25 minutes of btual punishment.
Sean Sherk proved that if he gets you to the mat, you have no shot. Fighting requires a certain intellect. You go with what works for you. Can you tell Chuck Liddell to stop striking, how about telling Kenny Florian to stop using his elbows, maybe we should tell BJ Penn to stop using his BJJ ?
Sean Sherk is a good wrestler and throws some hard shots both standing and on the ground. If you fight him, you better bring your balls. He aint no 145 pound Jens Pulver. Better strap up BJ, and make sure you have the cardio to go all 25 minutes because it wont finish one second sooner.
Kevin “cuts” Kelly
[quote comment=”101147″]Hey if you cannot stop from gettin taken down, too freaking bad. Sean Sherk is a f-ing beast and it doesnt matter how you win, but as long as you do it then the haters can dry with there blogs here. If BJ Penn steps in that octagon against Sherk he will face all 25 minutes of btual punishment.
Sean Sherk proved that if he gets you to the mat, you have no shot. Fighting requires a certain intellect. You go with what works for you. Can you tell Chuck Liddell to stop striking, how about telling Kenny Florian to stop using his elbows, maybe we should tell BJ Penn to stop using his BJJ ?
Sean Sherk is a good wrestler and throws some hard shots both standing and on the ground. If you fight him, you better bring your balls. He aint no 145 pound Jens Pulver. Better strap up BJ, and make sure you have the cardio to go all 25 minutes because it wont finish one second sooner.
Kevin “cuts” Kelly[/quote]
I am sure “SHREK” will take BJ down but who is to say BJ does not want it to go down to the mat? BJ’s jiu jitsu is phenomenal like no other and sorry to tell you Kelly, but Hermes is no BJ by any means so SHREK is going to have to bring it if he wants to keep his belt, I do agree w/ the cardio comment though……
IMO i think Sherk broke Franca mentally early in that fight. you could just see it in Hermes eyes that he didn’t know what to do with the strength and technical ability of the Muscel Shark (except from throwin a few brutal knees). But i don’t think BJ will have that problem at all, hes been in many tough fights before so a fight wit Sherk is nothin he hasn’t seen before
Bj’s in trouble if this is true, the difference will be cardio for sure. Sherk is a BJJ killer
Im hopin this is true cuz it would be an insane fight! i hope BJ takes it and gets the title he almost had when he faught Pulver. And after he gets the LW Title he moves up to WW to beat Matt Hughes(assuming he beats Serra) and pulls of a “Hendo” and hold both titles in each weight class haha
I think that BJ should have to fight one more time at lightweight before he gets the chance at the title. I think that they should have a number 1 contenders match with him and Joe Stevenson or maybe Roger Huerta.
Maybe have Huerta and Stevenson fight for 1st dibs at BJ once BJ whoops SHREK and takes that belt away from him…..
If you all are sick of seeing Sean Sherk on the ground, then stop watching MMA. If all you want to see is striking, then watch boxing. If all you want to see are head kicks or leg kicks, then watch kickboxing. Ground game is what Sean Sherk employs, and at will I must say.
He proved that any fight he is in will and is intended to go for all 25 minutes. He is an athlete and if you arent up for the cardio challenge that you better have a heavy hand. As we saw this past saturday night, even a heavy ass knee wont take him out. Just ask Hermes Franca.
Maybe we should ask Chuck Liddel to stop striking, or lets see what happens if we take away BJ Penn’s BJJ skills. A fight is a fight and anything goes in a fight. This is MMA. If all you want to do is throw fists around like a couple of bafoons, check out your local prison circuit.
Sean Sherk will without a doubt be toooooo much for BJ Penn to handle. Seriously lets all hop off of BJ’s c0ck, after all when you slice it, he beat a 149 pound Jens Pulver who is “on paper” 5′7″.
Don’t blame Sherk for “laying” on Franca the entire time, blame Franca for not being able to do anything about it.
You can whine all you want, but the boring fighter is the one on the bottom.
[quote comment=”101064″]I think this is because he wont get a WW title shot anytime soon, so might as well stay at LW and go for the gold.[/quote]
I definitely agree. There are too many guys in the welterweight division that have been waiting for a title shot and are deserving of one as well. 155 still seems to be devoid of any serious contenders who have fought their way up, with the possible exception of Joe Stevenson.
Put it this way,
Penn beat Matt Hughes…..then lost a very competitve fight
Matt Hughes beat Sean Sherk
Matt Hughes is, I think a better wrestler and overall stronger fighter than the Muscle shark
BJ VS Sean = BJ wins va submission!
BET ON THAT!
Kelly isnt SHREK like 5′4″?? Their encounter will be a technical ground game fight……BJ has a PHD in ground game and SHREK only has a bachelors…….
[quote comment=”101168″]Sean Sherk will without a doubt be toooooo much for BJ Penn to handle. Seriously lets all hop off of BJ’s c0ck, after all when you slice it, he beat a 149 pound Jens Pulver who is “on paper” 5′7″.[/quote]
Wow really sounds like a man crush on the MUSCLE SHARK
So what he beat Jens at 149, not his fault the UFC doesnt hvae a lighter weight class. Not his fault that Jens cant keep the weight up.
[quote comment=”101168″]Sean Sherk will without a doubt be toooooo much for BJ Penn to handle.[/quote]
I think you need pump your breaks and back that train up bro! WAS MATT HUGHES or GSP too much for him, honestly please come up with facts! Fact is he can keep up with Sean and based upon his fight history has a great chance to beat him!
JUMP…..back on the bandwagon!
This would definitely be an awesome fight…. I was a little disappointed that Franca could not defend the mount better. I think BJ will be a MUCH better matchup. Damn I hope this pans out.
[quote comment=”101196″]Put it this way,
Penn beat Matt Hughes…..then lost a very competitve fight
Matt Hughes beat Sean Sherk
Matt Hughes is, I think a better wrestler and overall stronger fighter than the Muscle shark
BJ VS Sean = BJ wins va submission!
BET ON THAT![/quote]
Rock beats scissors, scissors beat paper, paper beat rock…
Im not saying BJ or Sherk would win. Sherk is STRONG, very very strong at 155. BJ has great standup, and stupid sick jujitsu. If Sherk cant capitalize on his positiosn with BJ, he is dead… But if he can smother BJ out from a full mount (considering he had what ? 3 full mounts against Franca?) he can beat BJ… and shut the haters up.
Sherk has only lost to some of the best in the world, including GSP and Matt Hughes… But thats then. Both these guys are for real…
BJ Penn is a serious threat to Sherks title for sure, but just because Penn beat Hughes and Hughes beat Sherk doesn’t mean Penn will beat Sherk. That logic doesn’t work in the world of MMA its more like rock,paper,scissors. Sherk is similar to Hughes but he’s his own guy and there are differences. Sean has never been submitted and I doubt Penn will submit him, could happen but Sherk is ridiculously hard to submit. And I say this with confidence, if it goes to a decision Sherk will win, the mans cardio is so far out of Penns league its crazy. Penns only chance to win in my book in earlier on in rounds one or two the longer the fight goes the worse things will go for Penn. No way will he be able to match Seans tempo in the later rounds, if he does I’ll be extremely shocked. Penn has always fought the same in any fight I can think of, he comes out like a mad man in the first round then gets progressively worse each round, I hope he proves me wrong but I feel his cardio will be his undoing in his fight with Sherk.
[quote comment=”101249″]BJ Penn is a serious threat to Sherks title for sure, but just because Penn beat Hughes and Hughes beat Sherk doesn’t mean Penn will beat Sherk. That logic doesn’t work in the world of MMA its more like rock,paper,scissors. Sherk is similar to Hughes but he’s his own guy and there are differences. Sean has never been submitted and I doubt Penn will submit him, could happen but Sherk is ridiculously hard to submit. And I say this with confidence, if it goes to a decision Sherk will win, the mans cardio is so far out of Penns league its crazy. Penns only chance to win in my book in earlier on in rounds one or two the longer the fight goes the worse things will go for Penn. No way will he be able to match Seans tempo in the later rounds, if he does I’ll be extremely shocked. Penn has always fought the same in any fight I can think of, he comes out like a mad man in the first round then gets progressively worse each round, I hope he proves me wrong but I feel his cardio will be his undoing in his fight with Sherk.[/quote]
So Sean has never been submitted just like Marqaurdt had never been knocked out right????
This fight would be a worse possible situation for BJ. Sean is short with short muscular limbs. Very hard to submit. He also has a very strong neck. Very hard to choke out. He has a hard chin (just ask Hermes Franca’s knees). And lets not forget that Jens Pulver was able to get out of BJ’s triangles in the first round and able to hit him a few times from inside BJ’s guard. It wasn’t much but it was something and I don’t think that Jens ground and pound is as good as Sean’s. And Jens was probably out weighed by BJ by about 20 pounds and Jens is nowhere near as strong as Sherk. And BJ’s cardio is bad and thats one of Sean’s strong points. I’m not saying that BJ can’t win this fight but don’t count Sean out of it just yet.
[quote comment=”101249″]BJ Penn is a serious threat to Sherks title for sure, but just because Penn beat Hughes and Hughes beat Sherk doesn’t mean Penn will beat Sherk. That logic doesn’t work in the world of MMA its more like rock,paper,scissors. [/quote]GREAT way to put it…
[quote comment=”101258″]
So Sean has never been submitted just like Marqaurdt had never been knocked out right????[/quote]Ok, what does Nate Marquardt (which, that is the way to spell his name) or Anderson Silva have to do with Sean Sherk and BJ Penn? Oh I know…!!! Yer trying to be funny! Great addition to the insight here killah!
[quote comment=”101258″][quote comment=”101249″]BJ Penn is a serious threat to Sherks title for sure, but just because Penn beat Hughes and Hughes beat Sherk doesn’t mean Penn will beat Sherk. That logic doesn’t work in the world of MMA its more like rock,paper,scissors. Sherk is similar to Hughes but he’s his own guy and there are differences. Sean has never been submitted and I doubt Penn will submit him, could happen but Sherk is ridiculously hard to submit. And I say this with confidence, if it goes to a decision Sherk will win, the mans cardio is so far out of Penns league its crazy. Penns only chance to win in my book in earlier on in rounds one or two the longer the fight goes the worse things will go for Penn. No way will he be able to match Seans tempo in the later rounds, if he does I’ll be extremely shocked. Penn has always fought the same in any fight I can think of, he comes out like a mad man in the first round then gets progressively worse each round, I hope he proves me wrong but I feel his cardio will be his undoing in his fight with Sherk.[/quote]
So Sean has never been submitted just like Marqaurdt had never been knocked out right????[/quote]
I never said he couldn’t be submitted, its certainly possible but my point was he’s freaking very hard to submit and I’d be surprised if Penn submitted him. Penn has a better chance than any one in the division to beat sherk, I just don’t think its in the bag for Penn and wouldn’t be surprised if Sherk beat him by decision.
I think Silva koing Marqaurdt was a LOT more likely than Penn submitting Sherk, in my opinion Silva is THE most dangerous striker in MMA period, Marqaurdt was way out of his league. I don’t feel than way with Sherk and Penn, Sherk is a freaking animal and think the fight could go either way. Don’t get me wrong I like Penn and think he’s incredibly talented but unfortunately talent isn’t always enough to win. I personally think he’s a better fighter than Sherk pound for pound but Sherk has strength and conditioning on him, which sometimes can be enough to win. I
This is a real MMA fan’s dream match. Two of the best technicians in the game. They’re gonna put on a clinic. This one’s a toss-up IMO. BJ has beaten a lot of good wrestlers, but none as well-conditioned and tough as Sherk. Sherk has beaten BJJ black-belt, but none have the insane abilities that BJ has. BJ’s conditioning is suspect, but he looks a lot fitter at 155. And while Sherk proves way too big for the LW competition so far, BJ has faced guys stronger and a lot bigger than Sherk.
Just how good are these guys? BJ’s brains and skills Sherk’s body and training = MMA god lol
[quote post=”2687″]Whay is every fight a title fight? What happened to cultivating talent? I guess thats what the IFL and the WEC (which the Fertita’s own) are for. Granted BJ deserves a shot after a few more fights. Not sure where he is ranked, he should bet the #2 guy if he isn;t already that person[/quote]
BJ won 1 of his last 3 fights. Not exactly the norm for a guy getting a title shot,but who else has a chance at Sherk. Although I don’t think BJ has a great chance. Sherk is to strong , to good of cardio and way to HARD of a head.
[quote post=”2687″]Im hopin this is true cuz it would be an insane fight! i hope BJ takes it and gets the title he almost had when he faught Pulver. And after he gets the LW Title he moves up to WW to beat Matt Hughes(assuming he beats Serra) and pulls of a “Hendo” and hold both titles in each weight class haha [/quote]
Your forgeting GSP (ok maybe Kos) gets first crack at Matts head , I mean title.
[quote post=”2687″]I think you need pump your breaks and back that train up bro! WAS MATT HUGHES or GSP too much for him, honestly please come up with facts! Fact is he can keep up with Sean and based upon his fight history has a great chance to beat him![/quote]
Yah they were to much for him , he lost. Based on fight history stronger guys power out of BJ’s subs and Sherk powered out of every sub ever put on him ,especially at LW where his strength advantage is HUGE.
[quote post=”2687″]I think Silva koing Marqaurdt was a LOT more likely than Penn submitting Sherk, in my opinion Silva is THE most dangerous striker in MMA period, Marqaurdt was way out of his league. I don’t feel than way with Sherk and Penn, Sherk is a freaking animal and think the fight could go either way. Don’t get me wrong I like Penn and think he’s incredibly talented but unfortunately talent isn’t always enough to win. I personally think he’s a better fighter than Sherk pound for pound but Sherk has strength and conditioning on him, which sometimes can be enough to win. I [/quote]
Well said, another exellent post Nathan.
I think BJ is the one man to shit on Sean’s parade.
Lets recall that Penn beat Hughes in 2004. Penn lost the rematch last fall and totally was on fumes. He flat out gased out against Hughes after 12 minutes (mid round 3). He didnt look overly in shape against Pulver and even was beginning to breath from his mouth in Round 2. I am really not trying to discredit BJ Penn I just feel that many of you treat him like he’s the Micahel Jordan of MMA. He may be an all time great a la Oscar Robertson but he aint no MJ.
By the way very funny man cruch comment MMAFAN204 nice low blow haha. Sean Sherk overwhelms BJ Penn for 25 minutes you heard it from me first.
Kevin “cuts” Kelly
Kevin Kelly, BJ hired a strength and conditioning coach, and looked to be in the best shape of his life against Jens. If he lives up to how he looks, 3-4 rounds of hardcore fighting shouldnt be a problem. Is he gonna be AS conditioned as Sherk? Doubtful… guy is a maniac. Just needs to fight more.
Point taken