Penn vs Florian at UFC 101

[KJ Brophy]

The anticipated showdown between UFC lightweight champion B.J. Penn and number one contender Kenny Florian will finally take place. A blog post on Penn's official website stated that Florian has already signed his bout agreement and "as for B.J., we received the bout agreement (Friday) afternoon and plan on making this fight happen."



The post states the bout will headline UFC 101 on Aug. 8 in Philadelphia.



The bout will be Penn's first defense of his lightweight title since defeating Sean Sherk at UFC 84 in May of last year. It will also mark his first action in the Octagon since a loss to UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre at UFC 94 in January, which has been mired in controversy over accusations of improper usage of Vaseline by St. Pierre's camp.



"I look forward to the challenge," Penn stated about the defense.



Florian earned his title shot – the second of his UFC career – by building a current six-fight winning streak, which includes back-to-back victories over Joe Stevenson and Roger Huerta in his most recent fights. He has been waiting for this opportunity for nearly a year while the Penn vs. St. Pierre mega-fight ran its course.



Earlier this week, Florian stated, "It has been a long road back and I am very grateful for the opportunity. Rarely does one get the chance to fight for a championship belt in the UFC and it's even more infrequent to fight a legend.



"B.J. Penn has been someone I have looked up to for a long time. He has accomplished many amazing things. So I am looking forward to testing myself against one of the greatest if not the greatest lightweight fighter in the world."



The bout and event have yet to be officially announced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship, but several sources had already indicated the likelihood of UFC 101 taking place in Philadelphia instead of Portland, Ore., as first thought.

Source:http://www.mmaweekly.com/absolutenm/templates/dailynews.asp?articleid=8461&zoneid=2

BJ is going to hurt Kenny and hurt him bad.

[Rated]

I think Penn will win but you got to be really bias if you think he's going to whoop Kenny. While Penn's boxing is better than Kenny, he has looked flat-footed in his previous fight. I think Kenny can hold his own on the feet and on the ground.

[PirateNinja415]

this is going to be a great fight, hopefully bj shows up in shape and 100% mentally because kenny will definitely give him a run for his money

[RileyTP17]

Glad to see they finally made it official, I was a little worried BJ was going to keep delaying. If BJ comes in at 100% physically and mentally, he should win this. Ken-flo can definetly make an upset though.

[JT42]

Thats definitely good news. Now lets hope Kenny keeps progressing like he has in his last few fights and comes out to beat BJ

[vikingpride]

Good to see this is fight is nearly signed. Seems like i have been
waiting for this forever.

While Bj is great at 155 kenny has constantly been improving (like JT said). If there is someone who can beat BJ at 155 i think Kenny is the guy.

The fight also has a great classic dynamic.

You have the Natural talent who sometimes doesn't like to put the work in vs the guy who might not be the most naturally talented, but works his ass off to become better every day.

[Pearce]

Hurrah - i'm also glad this fight is also getting a date at last.

Florian definately has the skillset to beat BJ but if Penn turns up in good shape both physically and mentally then I think i'd give Penn the edge in this fight.

It'll be really interesting to see how a fighter like BJ, who seems to be very insecure recovers mentally from the smashing that GSP gave him.

[Suizida]

As people are saying KenFlo is constantly improving in everyfight, which i luv to see in fighters.

If BJ is still hung up about the 'greasegate' saga, then we will have a new champ, which im kinda of banking on :D

CMON KFLO

[bbjd7]

Kenny has a lot of skills but unless he does a lot of clinch work I think he's outmatched here.

BJ's has the much better hands and is the better grappler.

Leg kicks and Clinch work are Kenny's only shot.

[southpaw447]

I'll be going to see this live, if I can get the money in time.

[Pearce]

I'll be going to see this live, if I can get the money in time.

Awesome man, should be a great night. Hopefully you'll get to see BJ get wtfpwned :D.

[kamikaze145]

This will be a war, they both have advantages over each other it will be great. Kenny has better footwork, is more elusive, better kicks, much better conditioning. BJ is probably physically stronger, better hands, better bjj i would think but we will see. Very excited for this

[Jack]

I dunno how much better Florian's cardio will be TBH, yeah BJ's never in brilliant shape but he's never had real conditoning issues at 155, especially not recently.

I'd give BJ the advantage in BJJ, wrestling (TDD and TD's of his own), and proabably standup aswell cos while Kenny's got a more diverse striking game, Penn has much better hands, more power and a better chin.

Unless BJ comes in in really bad shape or GSP has actually stolen his soul then the only way I see Florian winning is by frustrating BJ standing and staying on the outside for a decision.

[vikingpride]

Kenny has a lot of skills but unless he does a lot of clinch work I think he's outmatched here.

BJ's has the much better hands and is the better grappler.

Leg kicks and Clinch work are Kenny's only shot.

Yeah thats just about how i see it.

Kenny needs to stay moving on the outside and constantly work Bj over with a ton of Kicks. When BJ does close the gap and gets inside he;s gonna need to tie him up and work some clinch game. Then of course when BJ breaks Kenny's gonna need to fire some elbows on the way out.

While this is pretty much Kenny's only chance I still feel he can do it because if Kenny has shown one thing. It's that he's always prepared and follows good game plans and doesn't veer to far away from the Original plan.

[southpaw447]

Awesome man, should be a great night. Hopefully you'll get to see BJ get wtfpwned :D.

That would make my entire year to see him get pwned

[zzTIGERzz81]

Kenny has looked really good lately and could be the better fighter all around, but i have yet to see BJ look bad at LW so I will continue to pick him unless the odds are really great for Kenny like a +400 or something

[Aaron]

Kenny has looked really good lately and could be the better fighter all around, but i have yet to see BJ look bad at LW so I will continue to pick him unless the odds are really great for Kenny like a +400 or something

lol no....u'll be lucky to see odds better than +220

[zzTIGERzz81]

yeah i know...those are what should be there too. I was saying that would be the only way I pick Kenny. What kind of nuthugger would I be if it were any different?

[MJB23]

I'll be going to see this live, if I can get the money in time.

Same here hopefully.

[Flak]

I've been calling Kenny to win this fight ever since he completely and utterly owned Joe Daddy. We can argue over the skillsets all day long, but one thing that can't be argued is that Kenny wants this fight BAD. He wants to beat BJ BAD, and we all know he is training his arse off to do it.

If Bj shows up even a little off his game, or only puts in 90% effort in the run up to this fight....he will lose. Natural born talent will get you a long way, but there is absolutely no substitute for hard fkn work.....and Kenny has that in spades.

[Suizida]

I dunno how much better Florian's cardio will be TBH, yeah BJ's never in brilliant shape but he's never had real conditoning issues at 155, especially not recently.

I'd give BJ the advantage in BJJ, wrestling (TDD and TD's of his own), and proabably standup aswell cos while Kenny's got a more diverse striking game, Penn has much better hands, more power and a better chin.

Unless BJ comes in in really bad shape or GSP has actually stolen his soul then the only way I see Florian winning is by frustrating BJ standing and staying on the outside for a decision.

I would say that Kflo's cardio is the equal 2nd best cardio at LW after sherk and equal with Diego and Clay. KenFlo is a machine at cardio that people tend to overlook see he has mad skills

[zzTIGERzz81]

I would say that Kflo's cardio is the equal 2nd best cardio at LW after sherk and equal with Diego and Clay. KenFlo is a machine at cardio that people tend to overlook see he has mad skills

I think Diego, Clay, and Griffin all have better cardio then Kenny. Kenny was throwin pillows on a mounted J-Lau in Colorado...that wouldn't have happened to either of the other three. I would even venture to say that Maynard, Fisher, and Gamburyan do too. Kenny's is good, but he was spent after two rounds with Sherk.

[Aaron]

I think Diego, Clay, and Griffin all have better cardio then Kenny. Kenny was throwin pillows on a mounted J-Lau in Colorado...that wouldn't have happened to either of the other three. I would even venture to say that Maynard, Fisher, and Gamburyan do too. Kenny's is good, but he was spent after two rounds with Sherk.

that fight was quite awhile ago....and kenny has shown alot of improvement in his game since then...it'd be silly to think that his cardio hasn't improved along with it....

he fought 3 very good smart rounds against huerta....and that's important b/c that fight went everywhere....standing, on the ground....in start contrast to say penn's fight w/ sherk where he was fighting at a calm and collected pace while only using his muscles for fast twitch stuff...

[PunchDrunk]

I think Diego, Clay, and Griffin all have better cardio then Kenny. Kenny was throwin pillows on a mounted J-Lau in Colorado...that wouldn't have happened to either of the other three. I would even venture to say that Maynard, Fisher, and Gamburyan do too. Kenny's is good, but he was spent after two rounds with Sherk.

I'm pretty sure after the Sherk fight Kenny picked up a S&C coach to help him improve. I'm not sure how good his cardio compares to some of the others in the LW division though because many are cardio machines.

[zzTIGERzz81]

I just don't think cardio is going to play a big role here. I think the big questions are how can Penn deal with Kenny's muay thai and how will kenny deal if BJ gets on top. Beyond those everything else is just less important.

Kenny has improved leaps and bounds since getting pwned by Sherk, but his cardio has only really been shown in two fights (Lauzon and Huerta)...neither of which made it look like it was 2nd in the division to me. And I wasn't comparing the cardio Florian showed against Sherk to BJ's because like you said those were two separate fights.

[PunchDrunk]

I just don't think cardio is going to play a big role here. I think the big questions are how can Penn deal with Kenny's muay thai and how will kenny deal if BJ gets on top. Beyond those everything else is just less important.

I kinda agree. I think the cardio factor is being overblown in this fight, mainly because BJ isn't fighting at WW this time. He's where he is supposed to be now and Florian isn't going to be able lean on BJ and wear him down as effectively as GSP was able to. What matters to me is whether BJ will be aggressive and impose his will on Florian instead of letting Florian dictate the fight.

[Aaron]

I just don't think cardio is going to play a big role here. I think the big questions are how can Penn deal with Kenny's muay thai and how will kenny deal if BJ gets on top. Beyond those everything else is just less important.

Kenny has improved leaps and bounds since getting pwned by Sherk, but his cardio has only really been shown in two fights (Lauzon and Huerta)...neither of which made it look like it was 2nd in the division to me. And I wasn't comparing the cardio Florian showed against Sherk to BJ's because like you said those were two separate fights.

i didn't say you were...what i was trying to say to explain that kenny's fight w/ huerta was a pretty demanding pace...and since kenny was able to still be in good shape by round 3 says alot

[Brad.Taschuk]

You have the Natural talent who sometimes doesn't like to put the work in vs the guy who might not be the most naturally talented, but works his ass off to become better every day.

Not trying to pick on you, it was just the first example in the thread, but I hate when people say this about Kenny. It's public knowledge that he was a D1 Soccer player, right? That's not exactly an unathletic background, but like with Lauzon, people see him and just assume he's not athletic, which is ridiculous.

Florian definately has the skillset to beat BJ but if Penn turns up in good shape both physically and mentally then I think i'd give Penn the edge in this fight.

I'm interested in what this mythical "skillset" is that is tailor-made to beat BJ. So far he's been beaten by: 1) Jens, basically by being outwrestled and outworked in the final 3 rounds because he thought he would breeze by Jens. 2) Machida, and Kenny is not Machida, nor is he naturally 40-50 pounds bigger than BJ. 3) GSP, by being outwrestled, outsized and gassing because he was fighting at a weight he shouldn't have been at. 4) Hughes, by being outwrestled, outsized and gassing because he was fighting at a weight he shouldn't have been at. 5) GSP again, by being outwrestled, outsized and because he was fighting at a weight he shouldn't have been at (didn't so much gas that time though).

There's a trend here, and it's not one that Kenny can duplicate.

It'll be really interesting to see how a fighter like BJ, who seems to be very insecure recovers mentally from the smashing that GSP gave him.

I've always been all over BJ (the bad kind), but now that everyone else has turned on him, I find myself coming around to him. I actually see him as very secure, he just hates losing so much that he makes excuses to the public. Other than following the first GSP loss by losing to Hughes, BJ has actually always come back as a better fighter after a loss or disappointment. After Pulver, he got a little more dedicated. After Uno 2, he destroyed Gomi and beat Hughes. After Hughes 2, he got serious, moved to LW and began destroying folk there. I think he'll actually come back better in this fight.

Kenny has a lot of skills but unless he does a lot of clinch work I think he's outmatched here.

I really see Kenny being outmatched too. I see this a lot like the Penn-Stevenson fight (Kenny is obviously better than Joe, but bear with me). Everybody is back to doubting BJ, just like when an absurd amount of people (myself included) thought Joe could hang with BJ, and pull it out late in the fight. I don't see Kenny being able to wear BJ down like everyone else that has beat him has been able to do.

[vikingpride]

Not trying to pick on you, it was just the first example in the thread, but I hate when people say this about Kenny. It's public knowledge that he was a D1 Soccer player, right? That's not exactly an unathletic background, but like with Lauzon, people see him and just assume he's not athletic, which is ridiculous.


I see what your saying, but i stand by what i said.

Yes i know Kenny did play D-1 soccer which is impressive. However Soccer is alot diffrent in terms of athletic ability then MMA (yeah could have worded that better).

Kenny is not anywhere near the natural MMA athlete Penn is. Penn has crazy flexibility, and good power (things that he was most likely born with at least to an extent).

Plus i never said Kenny had no natural talent. I just said he "might not have the most" as opposed to a guy like Penn. Who seems to have just about everything you could ask for in terms of natural talent.

[LeeM]

Penn is going to finish this with a sub in the first or second.

[zzTIGERzz81]

i didn't say you were...what i was trying to say to explain that kenny's fight w/ huerta was a pretty demanding pace...and since kenny was able to still be in good shape by round 3 says alot

I know I just thought you might have thoguth I was hinting at it...no big deal though we are on the same page.


There's a trend here, and it's not one that Kenny can duplicate.

I've always been all over BJ (the bad kind), but now that everyone else has turned on him, I find myself coming around to him.

Yeah I think everyone really sees the trend, but BJ getting dominated is so fresh on their mind they can't forget it. What people forget though, is like you said, BJ comes back ten times better after losses. Even in the Hughes fight he was beating up Hughes like no one ever had until the separation...but he still lost so it is overlooked. He really exposed Matt's weaknesses and without that fight, GSP might not have been able to dominate Matt like he did either. Because the gameplan to do it wasn't there yet.

I think BJ gets a RNC half way into round two in this one. Kenny may be good on the ground, but BJ eats black belts for lunch. His movement while on top is the best in the LW division IMO. No one has been able to stop him and when Franca went to train with him he left with nothing but puzzled feelings of how the hell did he do that kind of thoughts.

[FunkYou]

Kenny is a very good LW. BJ however is a Great LW. His conditioning never really looks bad at his proper weightclass. Kenny will present a challenge but I don't see it being enough to beat or even go the distance with BJ.

[ThatGuyJae]

Being from MA i've always l liked Kenny, I think he is a great fighter and just an overall good guy. However I'm also a huge Penn fan and realistically in my mind even an out of shape BJ takes this fight. I don't think we are going to see that though. BJ has better hands, better chin, better wrestling and better grappling. Kenny has pretty good footwork and stayed outside against Huerta, but Huerta was a brawler where as BJ is a good technical boxer. I see this fight ending in the 2nd or 3rd by RNC or TKO.

[FunkYou]

Possibly the only area that I think Florian is better is off his back. Unfortunately BJ is better on top than Kenny is on his back.

[ThatGuyJae]

Possibly the only area that I think Florian is better is off his back. Unfortunately BJ is better on top than Kenny is on his back.

I wouldn't even say Kenny is better off his back, BJ just doesn't like to work from there since watching Charuto lose the decision to Hueghes. I think BJ prefers to go for sweeps and work top control vs working from the bottom and losing on the judges score cards.

[FunkYou]

I wouldn't even say Kenny is better off his back, BJ just doesn't like to work from there since watching Charuto lose the decision to Hueghes. I think BJ prefers to go for sweeps and work top control vs working from the bottom and losing on the judges score cards.

Probably true. Either way I cannot see Kenny putting BJ on his back.