UFC 107: Nightmare’s End, Prodigy on the Mend

BJ Penn powers past Diego Sanchez

(Photo from sherdog.com)

Apparently, BJ Penn has gotten over the humiliating defeat he suffered at the hands of Georges St. Pierre almost a year ago. Penn has accepted the fact that he is a natural lightweight and that the super fight with St. Pierre at welterweight was at a distinct disadvantage to him and he better put up stakes exclusively at 155 pounds.

In UFC 107, Penn legitimized his stranglehold with a just-as-dominant win over Diego Sanchez, the same way St. Pierre put Penn in his place in UFC 94.

Just when Jo Rogan finished saying: “Freddie Roach once said that B.J. Penn has the best boxing in MMA,” Penn knocked down Sanchez with an overhand right to the jaw in 4:33 of the first round. Sanchez got up quickly, but Penn had him in a muay Thai plum and kneed him on his mean-face contest-winning mug for another fall. With his left arm around Sanchez’s waist, Penn pummeled Sanchez with fists while “Nightmare’ stayed semi-conscious on all fours probably thinking to himself the punishment he was undergoing wasn’t for real – that it was just a terrible dream he was to wake up from.

Sanchez rolled and sought a full guard with his back to the ground. Penn was too smart to get caught in a guard, and too frenzied to knock Sanchez out. Penn stepped to Sanchez’s left and kept striking. Penn wanted to get side control but Sanchez’s butterfly prevented him.

At 4:01, the two fighters found themselves on the fence in a north-south position. Sanchez pushed with both feet on the fence while trying to escape, but Penn pushed him back. Sanchez was able to get back on his feet at 3:43 when Penn let go of his hold as he went for punches to the head of Sanchez, who seemingly did not sustain much damage despite the barrage of blows.

Penn got back to stalking Sanchez. The challenger’s left roundhouse kick missed Penn by at least a foot, proving that he hadn’t fully recovered yet.

At 2:54, Sanchez rushed Penn with hand strikes and a half-assed flying knee, pushing the champion to the fence, getting hold of his right leg but was unable to take Penn down. They disengaged as Sanchez landed a left elbow on Penn’s head.

The rest of the first round had Sanchez surviving, but not before getting hit with another right to the head before the bell rang.

Rounds 2 to the fateful 5 was more of the same, as Sanchez was intent on getting a takedown and perhaps grounding and pounding or submitting Penn with a choke or armbar or something. Something is the right word for Sanchez, because that’s all he could hope for as Penn clearly showed his superiority.

A kick to the head of Sanchez inside the last three minutes of Round 5 produced an obscenely huge cut on the left side of Sanchez’s forehead. It was a good thing referee Herb Dean stepped in to stop the beating that Penn was dealing Sanchez to have the latter’s wound checked by the ring doctor who decided Sanchez had enough for the night. Penn by TKO in the 5th.

Mir vs. Kongo

In the undercard, Cheick Kongo paid dearly by keeping his hands down as he ate a left overhand punch to the right jaw that dropped him in only 4:18 of the first round. Mir followed Kongo to the ground where the French kickboxer hit Mir on the rib with a rather weak shin kick followed by a right single-leg takedown attempt.

Mir missed with two hooks but trapped Kongo’s neck in a guillotine choke in a half guard. Kongo got back on his feet, but Mir took him down to the ground holding on tight while falling on his back. Referee Herb Dean lifted Kongo's right arm which went limp as he called a stop to the fight at 3:49 of the round.

Other results:
Jon Fitch over Mike Pierce via Unanimous Decision in 3 rounds; Kenny Florian over Clay Guida, Submission (choke) R2 (2:19); Stefan Struve over Paul Buentello, Majority Decision 3R; Alan Belcher over Wilson Gouveia, Technical Knockout, R1 (3:03); Matt Wiman over Shane Nelson, UD 3R; Johny Hendricks over Ricardo Funch, UD, 3R; Rousimar Palhares over Lucio Linhares, Submission (leglock), 2R (3:21); DaMarques Johnson over Edgar Garcia, Submission (choke) 1R (4:03); TJ Grant over Kevin Burns, TKO, 1R (1:57).

UFC 107: Penn versus Sanchez

Prodigious Ego Versus Nightmarish Attitude

BJ Penn once believed he was the world’s MMA pound-for-pound best fighter, the reason he went on a rather unsuccessful rampage taking on heavier fighters like current Ultimate Fighting Championship light-heavyweight king Lyoto Machida. Diego Sanchez once believed he was God’s gift to MMA after racking up a 12-0 win-loss record including his TKO win over Kenny Florian in the Ultimate Fighter 1 Middleweight final in 2005.

Ego is no problem with both Penn and Sanchez. Ironically, ego is also their huge problem. A puffed-up opinion of oneself can help someone overachieve, it could also teach one a very valuable albeit costly lesson – you get your ass kicked. It applies to both MMA and real life.

On Sunday, the world (the MMA world, at least) will get to see self-image and self-worth take a beating as Penn and Sanchez take on each other in five rounds for the UFC lightweight belt. Penn will be defending the title

After another embarrassing foray into the higher ranks with his total domination by UFC welterweight champ Georges St. Pierre, Penn gets back to the division where he is most comfortable to try to retain the lightweight title for the fourth time in almost two years.

Sanchez also had his humdrum days, losing twice in a row after a very impressive 17-0 W-L start. Penn is seeking validation and redemption, Sanchez is burdened with only one: validation.

Many don’t see this fight going the full five-round route. Both fiery fighters are fond of early stoppages, but if the first two rounds won’t go either fighter’s way, this could become a war of attrition that will favor Penn’s Brazilian Jiujitsu expertise and experience.

Sanchez has developed a reputation for impatience and great cardio, but don’t let Penn’s pudginess mislead you. The defending champ can go 10 rounds if needed, and he has somehow acquired a passion for training and discipline. He has the edge skills-wise and in athleticism, but Sanchez has a bit of youth on his side.

Betting odds have it -300 for Penn and +220 for Sanchez.

Penn many have a 5 on his L list, Sanchez just a 2. Sanchez, who is younger than Penn, actually has five more fights than Penn, but Penn has fought better fighters in his career, some he has beaten: Matt Hughes, Caol Uno, Takanori Gomi, Renzo Gracie, Jens Pulver, Sean Sherk, the latest being the late-blooming Kenny Florian.

Sanchez has had less distinguished foes, Nick Diaz, Karo Parisyan, Joe Stevenson, and Clay Guida, all who Sanchez defeated only by decision.

Knockout and submission wins are far more impressive than mere decisions. Both Penn and Sanchez may have earned reputations for fierceness (especially Sanchez who brings in a mean look into the Octagon, “a rental,” UFC color commentator Joe Rogan once said) but it is Penn who is more accomplished. Sanchez will need all his attitude and his renowned cardio plus physical skills, of course, to put up a good fight. Penn has been steamrolling the opposition in the lightweight division since his recent reign – his last four victories were either by submission or strikes. One could say that Sanchez is hungrier than Penn, having won no significant title except for the welterweight belt in King of the Cage five years ago.

To risk embarrassment, allow me a fearless forecast: Penn will win by either submission or knockout in less than five rounds, maybe the third. The only way Sanchez can triumph over Penn is to KO the latter early on or stay away from the Hawaiian for five rounds while sniping from outside with jabs and kicks. But it will be out of character for the Hispanic fighter to get on his bicycle. He has parlayed a well-nurtured reputation for aggression into a well-paying MMA career. Too late to stop now.

This is Penn’s fight to lose. On all avenues, Penn has the edge or matches close with Sanchez. Penn is one of the best pound-for-pound fighters (MMA or otherwise) in the last 10 years. He has somehow learned discipline and has gotten serious in his training and set his sights higher. He did go up in weight to take on another pound-for-pound luminary in St. Pierre.

No result is for certain in MMA, more so than in boxing or kickboxing. Penn looks to win, but watch out for Sanchez to pull a surprise.