Georges St. Pierre vs. BJ Penn

The main event of the evening is a superfight of epic proportions, as current welterweight champion Georges “Rush” St. Pierre and current Lightweight champion BJ “The Prodigy” Penn will do battle for the second time.  Odds are -180 St. Pierre / +150 Penn Currently

The last time these two met, St. Pierre narrowly avoided disaster, capturing a razor-thin split decision after being manhandled in the first round. Has St. Pierre grown enough as a fighter to handle Penn’s potent offense? Can Penn, one of only two men to hold UFC titles in two weight classes, become the first man to hold two titles simultaneously?

Georges St. Pierre is considered by many to be the #1 pound for pound fighter in the world. His combination of effective striking, good submissions, excellent wrestling, and freakish athleticism make him one of the most formidable fighters ever to compete in UFC. St. Pierre overwhelms his opponents with aggression and pure athletic ability, never giving them room to manuever since he is so dangerous in every aspect of the game. The only chink in St. Pierre’s armor may be his mental game. In the past, St. Pierre has looked shaky at times in the biggest fights.

In his first fight with Matt Hughes, he was armbarred out of nowhere in a contest he was dominating up to that point. This suspect mental preparation may be compounded by his first fight with Penn. In that fight, Penn teed off on St. Pierre in brutal fashion in the first round. The second two rounds saw Penn completely gassed out, and St. Pierre won both, but with minimal offense. St. Pierre won the fight, but Penn did far more damage and looked more dangerous, so St. Pierre will have to find a way to make himself confident if he hopes to hold on to his title.

BJ Penn, a jiu jitsu prodigy in the most literal sense, is without a doubt one of the greatest fighters in MMA history. A natural lightweight, Penn has fought in three or four different weight classes, holding his own against world class fighters who outweigh him by more than 30 pounds. With precise, powerful boxing and unmatched grappling skills, Penn’s abilities are almost unmatched in the world. The only question about Penn has always been his seriousness.

In his first fight with St. Pierre, Penn showed up fat, and freely admitted that he did not even have a training camp before the fight. After consecutive losses to St. Pierre and Matt Hughes, though, Penn decided to take his career more seriously, upping his training regimen and even hiring a nutritionist. Since then, Penn has looked unstoppable at 155 pounds, destroying Top 10 fighters Joe Stevenon and Sean Sherk with almost comical ease.

In the end, Penn’s rededication to his trade is going to make all the difference. He completely dominated St. Pierre for the first round of their first encounter before losing his gas. There is no way St. Pierre could have survived another round of such intense punishment, so if BJ can just keep his pace going past the first round or two, he should be able to overwhelm St. Pierre again.

Penn by TKO, round 3

1.  Anthony on January 25th, 2009 9:48 am

   Hahaha no way Penn is not gonna to win this one!
   GSP = staying Champ

2.  Wesley on January 25th, 2009 1:17 pm

   I hate GSP. He must likely wil win though.

3.  scott on January 27th, 2009 8:43 am

   Thanks for the onesided review Pat! You’ll look stupid when GSP wins this fight in the second round!

4.  Disco on January 27th, 2009 9:57 am

   Good breakdown, in my opinion.

   As for looking stupid, where will you be scott if Penn does win?

   Sitting in your momma’s basement, watching porn, looking stupid.

5.  rctvguy on January 27th, 2009 11:41 am

   Either way this should be a good fight. Both are capable of winning but usaully in any king of big fight the fighter who is more able to outpoint the opponent will win. I think GSP will use his great cardio even if he gets stunned he can retreat and recover by smothering BJ with his wrestling similiar to the first fight. Also I think this GSP is even more improved then BJ is since the first fight.

6.  tex on January 28th, 2009 2:16 pm

   Pat, BJ may win, but GSP was dominated in the first roundof their first fight by an EYE POKE. Please give everyone the facts…

7.  zY on January 29th, 2009 11:34 am

   Hahaha. Where’s the objectivity?

8.  Anonymous on January 29th, 2009 4:22 pm

   GSP got so messed up in the first round cause he got his eye socket raped by BJ’s fingernails. GSP is gonna dominate Penn.

9.  Jeff on January 30th, 2009 9:40 am

   apparently they’ll let anyone write these predictions these days. i hope you dont get paid for writing this slop, Pat.

10.  mmA-hole on January 30th, 2009 9:13 pm

    GSP IS NOT IMPRESSED BY YOUR PREDICTION

11.  Roger on January 31st, 2009 3:53 am

    Ha Pat, you knew there were gonna be tons of haters when you picked Baby J to win. It’s gonna be a sick fight whoever wins but my money is on GSP on this one. Last time I went against your pick and lost but it’s time for redemption baby!

    Btw, I wonder where Jeff is from, lol. My guess is Canada….Alberta, ha.

12.  Sappy on January 31st, 2009 7:34 pm

    Penn will be the agreesor..but in the end…GSP WILL PREVAIL..

13.  Shania on January 31st, 2009 7:43 pm

    I think George will win cause he,s so freaking hot….and I told him I will give him a BJ if he wins ..inside information …..OOPS did I press enter..

14.  tex on January 31st, 2009 11:27 pm

    Sort of off on this prediction, eh?

15.  Rado on February 1st, 2009 1:00 am

    id say tex…… just a lilttle bit bahahahaha TKO in 2nd round… Penn was done in the 2nd physically and mentally