Python
10-06-2006, 10:16 PM
Just over a week after his disappointing loss to Matt Hughes at UFC 63, former UFC Welterweight Champion B.J. Penn joined SoundOff Radio host Damon Martin and co-host Jeff Cain live from Hawaii - where he’s “takin’ it easy” - to discuss the outcome of the fight with Hughes, the injury he believes he sustained in that fight, a possible match up between he and Diego Sanchez, and his contract and future in the UFC. B.J. also gave his opinion of the UFC’s lightweight division, former (and only) UFC lightweight champ Jens Pulver, and so much more on Tuesday’s edition of MMAWeekly’s SoundOff Radio.
B.J. ‘The Prodigy’ Penn is a fighter who has a highly acclaimed propensity for the fight game, and has achieved some impressive accomplishments, which validate that these accolades are indeed well deserved. Penn’s move up from the lightweight division in 2004, and his domination of a seemingly unbeatable fighter in champion Matt Hughes, is a feat that is, without much doubt, high on Penn’s list of achievements.
UFC 63 was an opportunity for Penn to prove that his UFC 46 win over Hughes was no fluke, and that he beat Matt simply because he was the superior fighter. If Penn could beat Matt Hughes twice - both times for a championship belt - it would likely be one of the biggest two-time upsets in UFC history.
Matt Hughes proved to the world in his and Penn’s rematch that he doesn’t like to be a stepping-stone for someone to achieve greater fame, publicity, or glory, though.
In their first match-up Hughes admitted to overlooking Penn as someone he could easily overpower and dominate. This time would be different. Hughes didn’t underestimate Penn coming into this fight, and it was Penn, not just Hughes who was faced with overcoming tremendous adversity during the contest.
In the second half of Round 2, B.J. tried to take Matt’s back, and as he did he sustained an injury that, according to Penn, left him in “excruciating” pain.
“I knew something was wrong. I was like, something just happened. I’ve got to finish this fight right now… I was trying to finish the fight as soon as possible. I knew something was wrong,” said Penn.
Penn worked for a triangle choke and then an armbar, but he couldn’t secure the champ with either.
“I didn’t really have the arm where I was going to break the arm, you know, he kept twisting it and defending it well, you know… but it is kind of disappointing that something like that would have to happen on a night that I felt so great; on one of the nights that I thought could have been one of my greatest fights ever,” said Penn.
Penn couldn’t finish Hughes in Round 2 and was thus faced with the arduous task of facing a much fresher Hughes at the start of Round 3.
Whether it was the injury that affected Penn, or he was just out of gas, something was drastically different with Penn when he came out for the third round.
Penn said, “Coming out for Round 3… I felt hurt. I felt weakened. And yeah, I spent a lot of energy in Round 2, but I was in great shape… I was like, earn your title… be a man… earn it, let’s go,” said Penn.
Hughes’ pressure in Round 3 was simply too much for the Hawaiian to overcome, though. As Hughes had Penn in a quasi crucifix he rained down 40-something unanswered blows into the Hawaiians face, which forced ‘Big’ John McCarthy to step in and stop the fight at the 3:53 mark of Round 3.
Penn seemed disappointed about the fight, but he also looked to the future and a possible match up between he and Diego Sanchez. “Diego is a great fighter. That would be perfect. I know Diego is a cardio machine,” said Penn.
When asked for details on his contract and his feelings about a Penn/Hughes trilogy, B.J. said, “I’m only under contract with the UFC right now. I have a bunch of fights left as far as this contract goes,” said Penn. He continued, “I was beating up the champion. I was in the best shape of my life. Of course I think I can be the welterweight champion again,” said Penn.
While Penn said that because of his injury it is unlikely we will see him inside the Octagon again this year, hopefully this taste of defeat will lead B.J. to come back as a better, more highly-conditioned fighter than he ever has been before.
Penn still has high hopes of being the ringleader of the welterweight division, though.
“I was dominating the first two rounds. Everybody knows I can beat Hughes. I want to go back… and I want to go back to the welterweight division… it left a bad taste in my mouth, said Penn.
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B.J. ‘The Prodigy’ Penn is a fighter who has a highly acclaimed propensity for the fight game, and has achieved some impressive accomplishments, which validate that these accolades are indeed well deserved. Penn’s move up from the lightweight division in 2004, and his domination of a seemingly unbeatable fighter in champion Matt Hughes, is a feat that is, without much doubt, high on Penn’s list of achievements.
UFC 63 was an opportunity for Penn to prove that his UFC 46 win over Hughes was no fluke, and that he beat Matt simply because he was the superior fighter. If Penn could beat Matt Hughes twice - both times for a championship belt - it would likely be one of the biggest two-time upsets in UFC history.
Matt Hughes proved to the world in his and Penn’s rematch that he doesn’t like to be a stepping-stone for someone to achieve greater fame, publicity, or glory, though.
In their first match-up Hughes admitted to overlooking Penn as someone he could easily overpower and dominate. This time would be different. Hughes didn’t underestimate Penn coming into this fight, and it was Penn, not just Hughes who was faced with overcoming tremendous adversity during the contest.
In the second half of Round 2, B.J. tried to take Matt’s back, and as he did he sustained an injury that, according to Penn, left him in “excruciating” pain.
“I knew something was wrong. I was like, something just happened. I’ve got to finish this fight right now… I was trying to finish the fight as soon as possible. I knew something was wrong,” said Penn.
Penn worked for a triangle choke and then an armbar, but he couldn’t secure the champ with either.
“I didn’t really have the arm where I was going to break the arm, you know, he kept twisting it and defending it well, you know… but it is kind of disappointing that something like that would have to happen on a night that I felt so great; on one of the nights that I thought could have been one of my greatest fights ever,” said Penn.
Penn couldn’t finish Hughes in Round 2 and was thus faced with the arduous task of facing a much fresher Hughes at the start of Round 3.
Whether it was the injury that affected Penn, or he was just out of gas, something was drastically different with Penn when he came out for the third round.
Penn said, “Coming out for Round 3… I felt hurt. I felt weakened. And yeah, I spent a lot of energy in Round 2, but I was in great shape… I was like, earn your title… be a man… earn it, let’s go,” said Penn.
Hughes’ pressure in Round 3 was simply too much for the Hawaiian to overcome, though. As Hughes had Penn in a quasi crucifix he rained down 40-something unanswered blows into the Hawaiians face, which forced ‘Big’ John McCarthy to step in and stop the fight at the 3:53 mark of Round 3.
Penn seemed disappointed about the fight, but he also looked to the future and a possible match up between he and Diego Sanchez. “Diego is a great fighter. That would be perfect. I know Diego is a cardio machine,” said Penn.
When asked for details on his contract and his feelings about a Penn/Hughes trilogy, B.J. said, “I’m only under contract with the UFC right now. I have a bunch of fights left as far as this contract goes,” said Penn. He continued, “I was beating up the champion. I was in the best shape of my life. Of course I think I can be the welterweight champion again,” said Penn.
While Penn said that because of his injury it is unlikely we will see him inside the Octagon again this year, hopefully this taste of defeat will lead B.J. to come back as a better, more highly-conditioned fighter than he ever has been before.
Penn still has high hopes of being the ringleader of the welterweight division, though.
“I was dominating the first two rounds. Everybody knows I can beat Hughes. I want to go back… and I want to go back to the welterweight division… it left a bad taste in my mouth, said Penn.
[Only registered and activated users can see links]