BJ Penn
Age: 30 (Born Dec 13, 1978)
Nickname: The Prodigy
Height: 5 ft 9 in
Weight: 155 lbs
Reach: 70.0 in
Fighting Style: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Boxing
Fighting Out Of: Hilo, HI
Affiliation: Team BJ Penn’s MMA
Weight Class: Typically fights at 155 lbs, but has competed at 170 lbs (and even higher) earlier in career
Professional Debut: 2001
Organizations Fought In: UFC, K-1, Rumble on the Rock
Fight Odds: -285 (subject to change)
Fight Odds Movement: At Bodog, Penn’s line had risen as high as -340 (on 12/6), but solid money is now apparently moving in on Sanchez to push the line down to -285
Overall Record: 14-5-1
Record in Last 5 fights: 4-1
Record in Major Organizations of MMA: 10-4-1
Last Fight: def. Kenny Florian (+220) via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) – Round 4, 3:54 – UFC 101: Declaration, August 8, 2009
Notable Wins: Takanori Gomi, Matt Hughes, Renzo Gracie, Sean Sherk, Kenny Florian
Notable Losses: Jens Pulver, Lyoto Machida (29 lbs weight disadvantage), Georges St-Pierre (2), Matt Hughes
MMA Accomplishments: Current UFC Lightweight Champion, former UFC Welterweight Champion, hasn’t lost at lightweight in the last seven years
Non-MMA Accomplishments: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt (achieved in three years), first non-Brazilian to win the black-belt division of the World Jiu-Jitsu Championship
Strengths: World-class Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, strong boxing (trained by Freddie Roach), unmatched flexibility and balance within MMA
Keys to Victory: Cardio (preparation) and push to end the fight early. On paper, Penn should hold a significant advantage over Sanchez when the fight goes to the ground due to his expertise in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu or while standing because of his strong boxing. However, while no one questions Penn’s impressive skill set, his preparation and overall commitment to being his individual best has been questioned in the past. Several of Penn’s losses were at least partially due to him gassing at keys times during the fight and he faces an adversary in Sanchez who’s known for his conditioning, brutal camps, and a motor that’s always running. An in-shape Penn is likely to pick apart Sanchez standing, or on the ground, but an ill-prepared Penn may find himself in trouble. Penn should look to end the fight as early as possible; otherwise, a long fight may benefit Sanchez.
* Versus *
Diego Sanchez
Age: 27 (Born Dec 31, 1981)
Nickname: The Nightmare
Height: 5 ft 11 in
Weight: 155 lbs
Reach: 72.0 in
Fighting Style: Wrestling, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Muay Thai
Fighting Out Of: San Diego, CA
Affiliation: The Arena
Weight Class: Now exclusively fights at 155 lbs, but has competed at 170 lbs earlier in career (185 lbs for The Ultimate Fighter 1: Middleweight show)
Professional Debut: 2002
Organizations Fought In: UFC, King of the Cage, other smaller regional organizations
Fight Odds: +225 (subject to change)
Fight Odds Movement: At Bodog, Sanchez supporters have brought the line down from a high of +260 at Bodog to +225
Overall Record: 21-2
Record in Last 5 fights: 4-1
Record in Major Organizations of MMA: 10-2
Last Fight: def. Clay Guida (+240) via Split Decision (28-29, 29-27, 29-28) – UFC: The Ultimate Fighter 9 Finale, June 20, 2009
Notable Wins: Jorge Santiago, Kenny Florian, Karo Parisyan, Joe Stevenson, Clay Guida
Notable Losses: Josh Koscheck (fought with staph infection), Jon Fitch
MMA Accomplishments: Former King of the Cage Welterweight Champion, The Ultimate Fighter 1: Middleweight Champion
Non-MMA Accomplishments: Gaidojutsu black belt (Jackson), Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu brown belt, previously engaged to Ali Sonoma (kidding!)
Strengths: World class cardio, well rounded with constantly improving striking and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Affiliated past (Jackson’s Submission Academy) and present (The Arena) with fantastic camps that fuel his competitive spirit and improvement.
Keys to Victory: Push the fight into the later rounds. The fact that the fight is a title fight (5 rounds) could work in Sanchez’s favor. Sanchez doesn’t quite have the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu or boxing that Penn has, but he does have a decided advantage in his gas tank. Sanchez has shown an ability to go at high speed for entire fights and will likely need to leverage his cardio advantage and motor that never stops to push the pace against Penn and wear him down. The longer the fight goes, the better Sanchez supporters should feel because Sanchez may control the later rounds if still fighting. Granted, Sanchez doesn’t have the wrestling that UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre has, but should look to implement a similar game plan (wrestling, push the pace, work into later rounds) for his best chance at pulling the upset.
