Penn and Stevenson Vie for Vacant Title
Penn vs. Stevenson
Jan 17, 2008
The latest overseas offering from the UFC features what any mixed
martial arts fan can only hope to be the first step toward
returning sanity to the lightweight division as well as a rematch
between two of Brazil's finest and also more Europeans than a Jane
Austen movie adaptation (insert audible groan here).
So whether you're looking forward to the European Union claiming the undercard as its own or hoping against hope that this is the fight that begins B.J. Penn (Pictures)'s lightweight reign of terror, just sit back and enjoy the ride … or else.
Seriously, I can track your IP address.
Joe Stevenson vs. B.J. Penn (Pictures)
Business as usual for a division that has been either inactive or in chaos for the past five years, but with a pair of premier contenders vying for the newly vacated title, the division may yet beat out Iraq in the race for stability.
Stability has long been the missing ingredient in B.J. Penn (Pictures)'s (11-4-1) otherwise brilliant career. Having made stops in three different divisions to go with an ill-advised open-weight match against Lyoto Machida (Pictures), Penn is finally back in the division he was supposedly destined to conquer.
An expected submission win over Jens Pulver (Pictures) announced Penn's return as well as his intention to claim the title that has already eluded him twice over.
Those past failures can be traced back to Penn reverting into the Hawaiian equivalent of Ferris Bueller in the face of adversity, a habit that the UFC's precocious up and comers will look to exploit.
As the UFC-appointed figurehead of the division's new guard, the task falls to Joe Stevenson (28-7) to usher in yet another new era for the lightweights. It is a role that Stevenson stumbled into following his time on "The Ultimate Fighter" as, of all things, a welterweight.
Despite emerging as the welterweight champion of the reality bonanza's second season, Stevenson's own erratic nature rose to the surface in his bout with Josh Neer (Pictures). What was considered a formality for Stevenson morphed into disaster as he lost an uninspired unanimous decision.
Seemingly well on his way to becoming the first certifiable Tony Mandarich-level bust of the post-TUF era, a move to the lightweight division was seen as Stevenson's last chance to make good on his potential and he has yet to disappoint, having racked up a 4-0 record inside the Octagon as a lightweight.
Beating out the likes of Yves Edwards (Pictures) and Kurt Pellegrino (Pictures), however, is hardly akin to taking on a freakish talent the level of Penn. Worse yet is Stevenson's preference for taking fights to the ground, which means he'll be putting himself right in Penn's wheelhouse.
Crazy as it may sound, that is probably Stevenson's best hope against Penn. We all saw Penn treat Matt Hughes (Pictures) like a jungle gym in their rematch and we all saw what happened when Hughes proved he wasn't afraid of putting Penn's conditioning to the test, even at his own expense.
The country boy kamikaze approach could pay off handsomely for Stevenson, but he lacks the wrestling ability and strength advantage that Hughes held over Penn. Being a more savvy grappler certainly helps his cause, but rolling around with Penn is like mocking tigers in the San Francisco zoo: You'll look cool for a while before, as Chris Rock put it, the tiger decides to go tiger.
Don't be misled by Penn's at times stereotypical Hawaiian surfer boy attitude. He is wildly competitive, and the idea of losing out on the lightweight title for a third time will bring out the same "Prodigy" that toyed with Takanori Gomi (Pictures) and just about anyone else who stood in his way.
The inexplicable streak of upset success for TUF alumni will come to an end quickly as Penn scores a rear-naked choke early in the second round on an overmatched Stevenson. Satisfied with his time as a lightweight, watch for Penn to reverse his usual course and announce a move to the bantamweight division.
So whether you're looking forward to the European Union claiming the undercard as its own or hoping against hope that this is the fight that begins B.J. Penn (Pictures)'s lightweight reign of terror, just sit back and enjoy the ride … or else.
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Joe Stevenson vs. B.J. Penn (Pictures)
With Sean Sherk (Pictures)'s anabolic follies having left
the UFC lightweight division in total disarray once again, Dana
White will hand the future of the division to B.J. "The Prodigy"
Penn for a third time while Joe "Daddy" Stevenson tries to remind
everyone that "Ultimate Fighter" alumni have been known to score an
upset or two.
Business as usual for a division that has been either inactive or in chaos for the past five years, but with a pair of premier contenders vying for the newly vacated title, the division may yet beat out Iraq in the race for stability.
Stability has long been the missing ingredient in B.J. Penn (Pictures)'s (11-4-1) otherwise brilliant career. Having made stops in three different divisions to go with an ill-advised open-weight match against Lyoto Machida (Pictures), Penn is finally back in the division he was supposedly destined to conquer.
An expected submission win over Jens Pulver (Pictures) announced Penn's return as well as his intention to claim the title that has already eluded him twice over.
Those past failures can be traced back to Penn reverting into the Hawaiian equivalent of Ferris Bueller in the face of adversity, a habit that the UFC's precocious up and comers will look to exploit.
As the UFC-appointed figurehead of the division's new guard, the task falls to Joe Stevenson (28-7) to usher in yet another new era for the lightweights. It is a role that Stevenson stumbled into following his time on "The Ultimate Fighter" as, of all things, a welterweight.
Despite emerging as the welterweight champion of the reality bonanza's second season, Stevenson's own erratic nature rose to the surface in his bout with Josh Neer (Pictures). What was considered a formality for Stevenson morphed into disaster as he lost an uninspired unanimous decision.
Seemingly well on his way to becoming the first certifiable Tony Mandarich-level bust of the post-TUF era, a move to the lightweight division was seen as Stevenson's last chance to make good on his potential and he has yet to disappoint, having racked up a 4-0 record inside the Octagon as a lightweight.
Beating out the likes of Yves Edwards (Pictures) and Kurt Pellegrino (Pictures), however, is hardly akin to taking on a freakish talent the level of Penn. Worse yet is Stevenson's preference for taking fights to the ground, which means he'll be putting himself right in Penn's wheelhouse.
Crazy as it may sound, that is probably Stevenson's best hope against Penn. We all saw Penn treat Matt Hughes (Pictures) like a jungle gym in their rematch and we all saw what happened when Hughes proved he wasn't afraid of putting Penn's conditioning to the test, even at his own expense.
The country boy kamikaze approach could pay off handsomely for Stevenson, but he lacks the wrestling ability and strength advantage that Hughes held over Penn. Being a more savvy grappler certainly helps his cause, but rolling around with Penn is like mocking tigers in the San Francisco zoo: You'll look cool for a while before, as Chris Rock put it, the tiger decides to go tiger.
Don't be misled by Penn's at times stereotypical Hawaiian surfer boy attitude. He is wildly competitive, and the idea of losing out on the lightweight title for a third time will bring out the same "Prodigy" that toyed with Takanori Gomi (Pictures) and just about anyone else who stood in his way.
The inexplicable streak of upset success for TUF alumni will come to an end quickly as Penn scores a rear-naked choke early in the second round on an overmatched Stevenson. Satisfied with his time as a lightweight, watch for Penn to reverse his usual course and announce a move to the bantamweight division.
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