With a win over Kurt Pellegrino at UFC 74: “Respect” on August 25, season two welterweight winner of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF), Joe Stevenson, could find himself fighting BJ Penn for the vacant 155-pound title later this year, according to a recent Yahoo!Sports article.
Of course, Sean Sherk would have to be stripped of his belt for the scenario to pan out. And that matter won’t be resolved until sometime in October at the earliest when Sherk appeals his suspension for using illegal steroids at UFC 73 before the California State Athletic Commission (CSAS).
Nonetheless, this report sheds some insight on what might happen if the findings on Sherk are upheld.
Here’s a snip mash:
“UFC President Dana White may have to find someone to fight B.J. Penn for the vacant lightweight title if Sherk is stripped…. White said he hadn’t made up his mind what to do because he said he believes Sherk’s denials, but he said if Sherk is suspended by the commission, he would probably strip him of the belt … [he] concedes that Stevenson may get a shot at the UFC lightweight championship later this year pending the resolution of a steroids complaint filed against champion Sean Sherk by the California Athletic Commission.”
While not set in stone, the recent developments in the division have raised the stakes significantly for Stevenson — beat “Batman” and he’s (possibly) fast tracked himself to a title shot against the Hawaiian.
Here’s a snip from “Daddy:”
“The motivating thing for me is, pushing myself to be better every day knowing that I’m getting near that (title shot) and that it’s becoming more and more of a reality for me. Now is the time more than ever I can’t afford a slip. I totally understand that. Sometimes, when you have a bad fight or whatever, you say to yourself, ‘Well, there’s another time.’ But I can’t afford right now to think that way. I have to be on top of it. I have to be impressive in everything I do now, because I know my chance might depend upon it.”
The 155-pound title fight was booked for UFC 78 on November 17 from the Prudential Arena in Newark, N.J. It’s unclear at this time whether or not that remains the case with Sherk’s appeal just one month beforehand.
36 Comments »
I really hope to go to UFC74, but I honestly would MUCH rather see Sherk – Penn. Stevenson wont stand a chance against the newly revamped BJ. I seriously believe that BJ would dominate just about everyone in the 155lb division outside of Sherk, with the only other fighters having a chance being King Fish and maybe Din with the hard fast shots they have.
BJ is gonna be the next 155lb champ… and maybe even hold the 170lb belt at the same time!
That would be a crazy fight. BJ would be throwing every submission he knows while Stevenson trys to avoid every submission that BJ throws. haha. What really can stevenson do to BJ? BJ is the better striker, better at BBJ of course, and I have a feeling BJ is better off his back than Stevenson is from guard. Only hope for Stevenson in my mind is to get mounted somehow and knock him out. Can he do that to BJ?
I really hope that Sherk doesn’t get stripped of his title. If he does and Stevenson and Penn have a fight for the belt I want Stevenson to win.
“White said he hadn’t made up his mind what to do because he said he believes Sherk’s denials, ”
What is this crap??????
“Sean Sherk is my boy so I’m going to fuck up the entire division because I THINK he’s telling me the truth.”
As the president of a major organization, doesn’t he have to be im[partial? What kind of message does that send?
I think Dana is a great guy but he’s fucking up big on this one. He shouldnt play favorites on this one. He should map out a place for IF Sean Sherk is suspended. Not say that it isnt even something he is thinking about because he thinks Sherk is an honest guy.
Makes no sense to me.
BJ will be the 155 Champ..as soon as Sherk can untangle these Roided issues.
I love it! I already placed my bet on Pellegrino (don’t laugh, I totally realize he’s the underdog) and feel even better about it now. I really think Stevenson is looking past this fight and that is always bad news.
Pellegrino has everything at stake here as this is his biggest fight. If he wins, doors for him will fly open. He’s got nothing to lose and I bet he will be ready for this fight more than ever before.
well i think sherk will get stripped of the belt, penn vs big daddy will be a good fight but i think penn is going to submit him in the first round.
Please lets just allow October to come already and have Sherk have a fair hearing. Im a big fan of his. If his claims are proved to be false and he is 100% guilty, hey it sucks but at least let his day come where he can defend himself. It in no way interferes with the date of November 17, 2007 (UFC 78).
If Sherk cant fight, I am sure Joe Stevenson will be more than prepared to fight BJ. He fights on August 24 which gives him nearly 3 months in between to rest and train.
Shouldn’t be a problem for BJ Penn either since he is ready to fight whomever being that he is the # 1 contender.
Wheter its Sherk or Stevenson who fights BJ Penn, could you ask for a better title fight at 155 pounds ? Im sure you could if you asked guys at 170 to cut down, BUT THESE ARE FIGHTS I WOULDN’T WANNA MISS
Joe Stevenson is good. Im just not sure if he is BJ Penn good. Then again I could be way off and Daddy submits Penn in the first 20 seconds.
Sherk/Penn does seem like a much better fight. Stevenson is not at that level yet. Although very impressive not at Sherk/BJ potential. Although I think Dana should of set up the first LWGP for the belt
I still think Sherk should be stripped of the title for using Roids but I would really like to see BJ vs Sherk for the belt
[quote comment="122665"]I really hope to go to UFC74, but I honestly would MUCH rather see Sherk – Penn. Stevenson wont stand a chance against the newly revamped BJ. I seriously believe that BJ would dominate just about everyone in the 155lb division outside of Sherk, with the only other fighters having a chance being King Fish and maybe Din with the hard fast shots they have.
BJ is gonna be the next 155lb champ… and maybe even hold the 170lb belt at the same time![/quote]
I kind of agree. I know this isnt always the best indicator, but if you look at how each of them (Sherk and Penn) fared against GSP, Penn not only survived, but nearly beat him. The new Penn has better cardio and wont have to deal with an opponent as large as GSP was. The reason I still agree somewhat is because Sherk is the only one that stands a chance. Stevenson has iffy standup and I dont think anyone in the world can rely on their jiu jitsu to beat Penn, who is the best in that area of the game.
Man, if Stevenson doesn’t get past Pelligrino all of these “what if” scenarios are going to fall apart. Let’s pretend for a second that Stevenson might not win his next fight and Sherk gets his title pulled (which I fully hope does not happen). Then who fights? Oh yeah, what if BJ gets locked up?? On second thought, I’d rather not consider the outcomes.
I’m hoping for Florian to beat Thomas and get the nod against BJ rather than Stevenson. Florian’s only 155-lb loss is to Sherk. Stevenson is an ox but guillitine is like his only move.
How can Sherk be telling the truth when he failed the test?
What a paradoxical statement by Dana White.
Thats great for Joe, he’s a very good fighter and definately deserves it. Plus he’s such a nice guy too, I got to met him at UFC 68 and he couldn’t have been friendlier.
[quote comment="122669"]I really hope that Sherk doesn’t get stripped of his title. If he does and Stevenson and Penn have a fight for the belt I want Stevenson to win.[/quote]
I hope he does get stripped for the tittle hes a liar and a cheater. Franca took it like a man all that sherk is doing is trying to cover it up.. Steroids BOOOOOOOOOOOOOO that man.
I think this fight will happen too soon for Joe. I like both fighters, but I think if the fight happens now BJ takes him apart. I think that Joe needs a few more fights to develop his skills…It could serve like it did for GSP though…Fighting Penn and losing might give him an indication of what he needs to be the champ and that could help him elevate his game as well…Sometimes you can learn a lot from a loss.
[quote post="2982"]Thats great for Joe, he’s a very good fighter and definately deserves it. Plus he’s such a nice guy too, I got to met him at UFC 68 and he couldn’t have been friendlier. [/quote]
That’s only because he was trying to get into your pants Amy. He’s like 23 years old with, what, like 8 kids. His wife is always pregnant – what’s a guy to do?
I think Penn should fight Florian if he gets the nod over Thomas, for an interim lw title with Stevenson getting the next crack.
The interim belt would then become the real deal if Sherk is then stripped which I’m sure he will be.
I dont think Florian deserve another shot so soon, Joe dose
Why oh why can’t Gomi be in the UFC? I know Penn beat him, but I think it would be better than Stevenson. Oh well, are there many boring 155lb fights anyway?
If Penn actually gets his cardio IN, he’ll rule the division. He’s avenged his loss to “Little Evil”, kicked the alcohol and heavy partying and has been hitting the cardio hard. He needs to be able to go 5 ROUNDS without gassing. This has always been his achilles heel. I think he’s seen the error of his ways and we should now see the best BJ ever.
This Sherk thing pisses me off. A champ shouldn’t test positive and then run around denying it… you take responsibility for your actions, you get humble, apologize to your fans and put your shoulders behind cleaning the sport up in some way (amends) and commit to adhere to the rules of the game. Then you come back and fight your way back into title contention. What other road is there? This would earn the respect back of many fans.
As for “Joe Daddy”… this guy looks good to me. He’s at the top of the food chain of this division. He looked good in his last couple of fights. I’d like to see him and Florian. I think Joe would win that one.
As for Daddy vs BJ, I give BJ the win (BJ’s got heavy hands, great balance, flexibility and great Jiu-Jitsu). But this IS MMA friends and look how this last year has been with all the upsets…. anything is possible.
[quote post="2982"]This Sherk thing pisses me off. A champ shouldn’t test positive and then run around denying it… you take responsibility for your actions, you get humble, apologize to your fans and put your shoulders behind cleaning the sport up in some way (amends) and commit to adhere to the rules of the game. Then you come back and fight your way back into title contention. What other road is there? This would earn the respect back of many fans.[/quote]
I understand your fustration but what if he was right all along. Maybe something could’ve been “off” with the tests.Maybe?
Damn. This is the worst for me. Aside from Penn, Joe is my favorite lightweight. I’d vote for Penn, he’s my favorite, and I believe he will hold the 55 and 70 titles, and even challenge for the 85. Man this sucks, love stevenson, but he will lose.
BJ Penn, the best LW in the world!
[quote comment="122677"]“White said he hadn’t made up his mind what to do because he said he believes Sherk’s denials, ”
What is this crap??????
“Sean Sherk is my boy so I’m going to fuck up the entire division because I THINK he’s telling me the truth.”
As the president of a major organization, doesn’t he have to be im[partial? What kind of message does that send?
I think Dana is a great guy but he's fucking up big on this one. He shouldnt play favorites on this one. He should map out a place for IF Sean Sherk is suspended. Not say that it isnt even something he is thinking about because he thinks Sherk is an honest guy.
Makes no sense to me.[/quote]
I do not think that Dana is not be ing impartial as much as he is trying to be optimistic. I mean think about it. Here is Sherk, a friend of Dana White, and Dana supports Sherk to the max. Giving him the title fights, the best fluffer fights, make him a poster boy of sorts for the UFC, and he is his “FRIEND”. Then he throughs Dana under the bus with a super positive roids test. Not even a slghtly elevated positive but an unhumanly amount positive. So I think Dana is just giving him the benefit of the doubt. Like danm I really hope my boy would not ruiin all the hard work I have put into making this company ligitmate. That is my personal opinion anyway.
I like Pellegrino to win. I was impressed by Joe’s last win, but I still think he is overrated. BJ owns all the other lightweights no matter who the opponent is. Sherk vs Penn would have been good.
It almost seems unfair that Penn can fight at 155lb. Heck, he bloodied up GSP even when his cardio was soft. With his training in check, I don’t see anyone beating Penn. The guy could of been the 170lb champ if he wasn’t such a putts. Now that he has grown up, I think he’ll take the belt at 155 and 175.
[quote comment="123759"]Now that he has grown up, I think he’ll take the belt at 155 and 170.[/quote]
I agree and here’s an interesting possibility…
BJ takes the 155 title and then moves up to 170 and fights…. Matt Hughes again (who by now has regained the title) in a “Matt vs BJ – III” rubber match. [could hit a million PPV buys on that]
Who wouldn’t want to see that fight again? Watching their last fight where BJ was shutting down Matt’s take-downs, beating him in the stand-up and putting on a Jiu-Jitsu clinic…. PRICELESS. Seeing him gas in later rounds…. HEARTBREAKING.
BJ needs a big game or he gets bored. A shot at both belts is just the game he needs to KEEP him on the straight and narrow. If he stays disciplined, he can have it all (for a while at least)
[quote post="2982"]Seeing him gas in later rounds…. HEARTBREAKING. [/quote]
Oh good lord……
[quote post="2982"]BJ needs a big game or he gets bored.[/quote]
Just that idea that he gets bored is lame (of him). Like I said before, he needed to grow up. I know his family has money and all but stop acting like a weirdo and get to work already. He needs to be gracious vs. running out of the ring or saying “if you want to know what BJ Penn feels…”. It’s just lame.
If I hear I’m bored after he wins a belt, I’m gonna find him and kick him in the nuts. Even BJ would buckle!
[quote comment="122885"][quote post="2982"]Thats great for Joe, he’s a very good fighter and definately deserves it. Plus he’s such a nice guy too, I got to met him at UFC 68 and he couldn’t have been friendlier. [/quote]
That’s only because he was trying to get into your pants Amy. He’s like 23 years old with, what, like 8 kids. His wife is always pregnant – what’s a guy to do?[/quote]
LOL he’s 25 with 4 kids. I think he needs a couple more fights against some tougher competition then a title shot. It might be a little to soon for him right now.
Tatica Stivenson je najjaÄÂi momak na svijetu
I am a big Sean Sherk fan. He is alot better fighter than Joe Stevenson without a doubt. I Think Penn is not only the best in lightweight but also in the welterweight divsion expect gsp. I Know Hughes dont want to fight him again. Sherk and Penn the best two in that 155 divsion more experience Sherk was once a top 5 welterweight contender penn been the champion in welterweight let them fight.