Doggy Bag: The Importance of Lesnar

D. Mandel/Sherdog.com

Why go up [in weight] when you could go down? There are no opponents for B.J. Penn at 155 pounds, and it's clear a move up -- even to a catch-weight -- is no good for him. Why not go looking for a young and hungry prodigy in the lighter weights to come up and challenge the old dog. Sound familiar? With there being an abundance of talent available in the WEC, a possible match-up between Penn and Jose Aldo (or even Urijah Faber) would certainly get fans talking. It would get me exited to see a young and hungry fighter pushing Penn on the cardio front. Even with the notable improvements he's recently showcased against Diego Sanchez, I think there are some serious challengers in the lower weight ranks.
-- Ian

I do like the idea of cross-promoting some of the bigger WEC stars in prominent UFC matches, but I am not sure any of them are ready to take on Penn for the lightweight title. Penn is a guy with a special skill set who seems to have found a patch for the only hole in his game, his conditioning. He is clearly the undisputed best 155 pounder in the world and may conceivably be the best welterweight not named Georges St. Pierre. That’s something he is intent on remedying.

While I am certain guys like Aldo and Faber would love to challenge themselves against someone the caliber of Penn, I just don’t see those being competitive fights at this time. The truth of the matter is Penn will not be challenged at lightweight as long as he continues to take his training seriously. And, if he wants to avenge his losses to St. Pierre, he may have to go through a contender or two at 170.

For Penn, the only thing that matters right now is rematching GSP and proving that he was cheated. Whether you agree with his assertion that he was bamboozled in the “Greasegate” fight, I think it is pretty clear that should Penn get past a couple of solid welterweights, a third fight would not only be deserved, it would be one of the most lucrative fights the UFC could promote.