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i could see swick winning but penn has no chance this time around
UFC 63: SEPTEMBER 23 IN ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA
Main Card Bouts:
-Matt Hughes (#1 Welterweight in the world) vs. BJ Penn (#3 Welterweight)
-David Loiseau vs. Mike Swick
-Jens Pulver vs. Joe Lauzon
-Jason Lambert vs. Rashad Evans
-Melvin Guillard vs. Gabe Ruediger
Preliminary Bouts:
-Tyson Griffin vs. David Lee
-Jorge Gurgel vs. Danny Abaddi
-Roger Huerta vs. Jason Dent
-Mario Neto vs. Eddie Sanchez
UFC 63 looks DAMN GOOD on paper....WAY better than the last 2 UFC events looked on paper...
Besides the main / co-main, which should be great, you have 5 LW matches that should be really entertaining. Tyson Griffin is making his debut...he'll be the LW Champ within 2 yrs IMO. Huerta and Ruediger are also making their debut...excellent additions for the UFC. Melvin's fights are always entertaining. And of course the return of Jens Pulver FINALLY. I really hope they have time to show Griffin's fight. They can probably squeeze in Gurgel / Abaddi since it shouldn't last that long...Danny will get taken down and submitted easily IMO.
On paper, it's WAY better than the last 2 UFC events...
I really like Penn and Swick's chances to pull the upsets...
i could see swick winning but penn has no chance this time around
Sure he does...if he's in shape and mentally prepared, he can beat anybody...
We'll see what BJ shows up...
BJ Penn interview...he says he's in shape for this one...
Hawaii Tribune Herald Tuesday September 19, 2006...
"It seems like everything just fell in place," Penn said. "Two months before I even got the phone call, I got over going out and having a good time. I started having fun training and it all just sort of fell into place. I was two months away from my next fight with this Japanese guy (Kuniyoshi) Hironaka when I heard that St. Pierre was hurt. A week later I got the phone call. It's unbelievable. As long as I give 100 percent that's all that matters, but I've just got a feeling that something good is going to happen."
Penn, who has a first-degree assault charge hanging over him for allegedly punching a uniformed, special-duty police officer in Waikiki after Rumble on the Rock 7 in May 2005, said he doesn't think about that since it's something he has no control over. No court date has been set. He also said that he has been training harder for this fight than he has in quite some time.
"I'm in phenomenal shape," he explained. "For my last couple of fights, I had just been doing long-distance slow running. It really doesn't pay off in the ring. You need to be able to explode for five minutes and you've got to keep being able to explode. I just keep changing my training around. But you know -- even if people consider me the true champion -- if I had gone into the ring in the shape I was in for the (St. Pierre) fight, I would have gotten a rude awakening. I learned what I learned from the last fight how the judges are going to score the fight and all the different stuff that's going on. But Hughes is fighting Superman now. This fight is for me. It would be good to bring the belt back to the islands so Hilo can have a world champion."
Penn has found himself on the short end of questionable decisions at least twice in UFC bouts. One time was a draw in his rematch against Japan's Caol Uno, a fighter that he had previously knocked out in 11 seconds. The other was in his last match with St. Pierre, when the judges gave the Canadian the nod in a close fight. He is hoping to submit or KO Hughes, to make scoring academic.
"With the beating I'm going to give (Hughes), even if he doesn't get (submitted or KO'd) I've learned my lesson," Penn said. "I know how the UFC is going to judge the fight. The last couple of fights I was fighting with a 25-pound weight on my back which was extra weight and the way I'd been training. Sometimes it was hard even to get out of the chair for the next round. I don't feel that anymore. I still feel fatigue, like everyone else, but I can still find that explosion and keep exploding. It's the will the win.
"Everybody knows what Hughes is going to try to do. He's going to try to put me on my back, push me into the fence and elbow me. Every fighter at this level, you know what he's going to do. The question is, 'Can you stop it and can you stop me from what I'm going to try to do to him?'"
"I give it to Hughes, without a doubt," he said. "Two-time world champion -- almost 10 le defenses. You can call him the greatest welterweight ever, even if I beat him again, unless I decide to stick around the welterweight division that long. But I'm thinking about going middleweight and lightweight, too, so we'll see what's going to happen. But even if I do fight at a heavier weight, I'm going to stay at this weight that I'm at right now, 167, 168. This is my fighting weight, unless I go down to 155. ... He's the bull; I'm the matador. I'm going to bring speed. I'm not going to go in there and try to match power with power.
"I'm not saying I'm going to win; but I am saying I'm ready."
meh
...i want to see diego sanchez fight matt hughes. will that happen any time soon?
There's been some talk about it, but nothing is in stone yet.
Maybe Diego vs GSP for a le shot at Hughes (assuming he beats Penn), or maybe they'll just give GSP the shot he just lost due to injury? Then maybe Diego after that...
Also, the WW winner on TUF 4 gets a le shot...that'll be either Matt Serra or Chris Lytle. They have to squeeze that fight in somewhere too...
GSP has a contract for his le shot (and he is easily the most deserving contender), so he'll get it, be it against either Hughes or Penn. GSP will fight the winner, and I betcha Diego gets the loser. I hate Sanchez, but he's a good young fighter and he's got a good shot at being champ in a few years.
hughes goes down
Odds from Pinnaclesports.com...
Rashad Evans -187
Jason Lambert +177
Jens Pulver -670
Joe Lauzon +600
Melvin Guillard -187
Gabe Ruediger +177
Mike Swick -121
David Loiseau +111
Jorge Gurgel -630
Danny Abbadi +570
Tyson Griffin -625
David Lee +565
B.J. Penn +186
Matt Hughes -206
I'm surprised that Swick is favored slightly...IF I was betting I'd put my money on The Crow, even though I'll be pulling for Swick.
My picks...
Underdogs: Lauzon (longshot), Loiseau, Ruediger, Lambert, Penn
Favorites / Lead Pipe Locks: Gurgel, Griffin, Huerta
Contract or not, he should get his shot...
I think so too...hoping anyway!!
St. Pierre's match with Hughes the first time was good... he just got sloppy and got caught by an arm bar I believe. I'd like to see him go against Hughes again and see if he learned his lesson or if Hughes can catch him again.
Where are you guys? I can't be the only one who saw Jens Pulver humiliated in his return to the UFC last night.
And, love Matt Hughes or hate him, he definitely deserves to be champ.
I see Hughes won and Pulver lost... who else won?
Rashad beat Jason Lambert, Melvin Guillard beat Gabe Ruediger, Mike Swick beat The Crow (never in a million years would have seen that coming), Gurgel won a decision over Abbadi and Tyson Griffin beat David Lee easily.
Hughes is the man. When he had side mount control in the 3rd round, he delivered 48 shots to the head/face of Penn.
F'in Penn pisses me off. He's a better fighter than Hughes and GSP, but just doesn't train hard enough. He should've went to Big Bear with o and trained...
The Crow looked REALLY cautious, but you gotta give Swick credit. I like that guy...
Pulver...damn, did he just get caught or is he that bad?
Tyson Griffin dominated...looking fwd to more of his fights.
I'm so tired of Evans and his undefeated record...
All in all, a solid night of fights
Jeez dude...if all else fails, go to UFC.com...
BJ Penn separated a rib in the 2nd rd...it makes perfect sense really based on how he was standing in the 3rd...
From his website: www.bjpenn.com
Interviewer:
Take us through the second round.
BJ:
I felt great going in, Matt started trying to take me down from my right leg, it's something I expected he might do. He got me down against the fence, but I was thinking about this position alot and I was ready. When he went for a big elbow, he missed and I capitalized and started going for his back. At this moment, when I was making the turn towards his back, I felt my ribs seperate on my right side. Although I didn't know the severity of the situation. I was thinking I have to finish him now because I knew something was wrong. Matt defended himself well and got through the round. When I got up to walk to my corner, I knew something was wrong, but I didn't want to talk about it with my corner. I wanted to be the champ. I wanted to keep fighting.
Interviewer:
What about round 3?
BJ:
I remember standing up out of the corner in pain. But I was thinking, "Earn your le this is what you have to do to get your belt back, fight through the pain". I knew the oppurtunity I had with getting this fight, especially after losing my last fight. I wasn't going to quit on the corner. I kept going because I honestly believed it was destiny. When me and Matt were boxing I felt like I couldn't breathe and had no mobility in my core. But I kept thinking something good is going to happen. When Matt started dominating the stand up I tried for a takedown. I had nothing and pulled to guard. I felt like I couldn't do anything on the ground. But I was still positive. Matt hit me in the ribs from half guard. The pain was so excruciating I had to use my far hand to block it. I would rather Matt pass my guard and punch my face the hit my ribs. When Matt was in his favorite position that he likes. I was still thinking I was going to win somehow. Big John gave me plenty of time. I practiced defending against that position with flexibility, but I had none with my core. Even when Big John stopped the fight, I was still so positive I thought I escaped. Congratulations to Matt, he is a great fighter. It's not his fault that that happened, he fought like the champion he is. He deserved the victory.
It makes sense after seeing how he was standing in the 3rd round...sounds like a fluke injury.
I smell a rubber match coming on... oh no, wait. That's just big ugly farmboy sweat.
Pulver is a pretty good fighter. I think he got too emotional about coming back into the octagon and let himself slip.
Penn did an excellent job of working from the guard and better yet went to a "rubber guard" or an open guard at times that was very impressive.
It shocked me how well he fought Matt standing and he did not look like he was having problems in the corner after round two.
Some BJ Penn fans.....I have honestly never seen a worse group of sore losers in my life.
I have heard every excuse in the book so far; BJ was hurt, BJ didn't train right, BJ needs to work on his cardio...wahhhh wahhhh.
BJ Penn was beaten by a better fighter.
"Yeah, but if BJ's cardio was better, he would have finished Matt"
The above statement? Bull . BJ couldn't put Matt away in the first two rounds, when BJ is his best. So what makes you think Matt would all of a sudden get worse as the fight goes on?
Matt Hughes may have some of the best cardio I have ever seen, and he is more than willing to go five rounds. There aren't many other fighters who can do that, but Hughes can.
At UFC63, Matt Hughes proved he was the better fighter. End of story.
I agree.
Sore loser???
I don't think round 3 had much to do with cardio. At first I did but was still confused how he could go from tooling Hughes on the ground in round 2 to not being able to lift his arms in round 3. It made no sense...
The rib injury perfectly explains the reaction of Penn going into round 3. We were robbed of seeing a great fight because of it. If it was from a kick to the ribs that would be a different thing. If what Penn says is true, it sounds like a fluky injury while twisting his body around to me. I hope he gets to fight Hughes again someday because IN MY OPINION, Penn is a better "fighter." Hughes is probably in better shape, but Penn is more skilled and more fun to watch. I'm tired of Hughes wrestling / GnP...and I'm tired of Team Miletich. Hughes and Sylvia need to be knocked off...maybe on the same night at UFC 65??
GSP can do it...but I don't know about Monson...
Yes.
I wasn't personally attacking you. I should have clarified that I have read so much BS on MMA forums from BJ fans.
Does it strike no one else as odd that such an unnaturally flexible person seperated a rib going for back mount? If he was injured, I find it strange that he didn't tell his corner during the fight or anyone else until he was home back in Hilo.
I love how we're just supposed to beleive BJ with no medical proof whatsoever, and regardless - whether or not he was injured fighting, he got beat. Excuses don't change anything.
I don't think BJ is a better fighter. He got beat by GSP, and now Matt Hughes. We can talk about skills all day long, but skills are only a part of the equation of what makes a "fighter". Cardio, toughness, heart, and experiance are vital to what makes a fighter. As far as Hughes being knocked off, don't hold your breath. He has been too dominant and even though I am a GSP fan, I don't think he has what it takes to beat Hughes.
I guess we'll just have to wait until the medical report is out. If it's not on there, then he's a little . He doesn't sound like he's making excuses up to me though...
http://www.mmaweekly.com/absolutenm/...articleid=2682
MMAWeekly is a solid source...I know they're referencing Penn's site, but the fact that they put it on their site gives it some credibility IMO. Anything can happen no matter how flexible he is. He twisted really hard several times in the 2nd round to try to get out from under Matt. It seems believable, and his reaction in the 3rd round seems in line with a rib injury...
BJ was definitely NOT in shape for the GSP fight. Of course that's part of fighting...but he showed in the 1st round what he CAN do. If he turned into a cardio machine I think he'd punk GSP and Hughes all over the ring...that's my opinion. I just don't know that he has that in him based on the things he's said though...
If Hughes beats GSP he'll have a fight with the Serra / Lytle winner from TUF 4. I don't know if that will be before or after they give Diego a shot at him (if they give Diego a shot).
Serra / Lytle winner
Diego
Penn again?
Depends if Penn continues his move down to LW where I think he'll dominate, assuming he's mentally into it...
More than anything I'm pissed that we were robbed of a great fight by a fluky injury. I wanted to see IF Penn could go 5 rds. He said he was in shape but I wanted to see it...
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