MMA Spotlight 9.04.08: Georges St. Pierre Doesn’t Have to Fight B.J. Penn (Part 2)

Posted by Reuel Mante on 09.04.2008

Continuing on with last week’s article, I will touch base on the fighters who deserve their opportunity to face “The Prodigy” B.J. Penn for the UFC lightweight title.





B.J. Penn has already proven that he's as dominant as ever now that he takes his fighting career serious. His impending fight with GSP has many fans excited however there are a few fighters in the lightweight division who deserve a shot at his belt. Unfortunately, they'll have to wait until next year.



1. Kenny Florian- Yeah, this is a foregone conclusion. I have never been a huge Ken-Flo fan but I have to admit, he's racked up some serious wins since losing to Sean Sherk. Mishima, Robinson, Thomas, Lauzon, and now Roger Huerta. However, this win streak should give Kenny something to think about as he must believe that none of these men will ever be B.J. Penn. Five victories mean nothing when the champion is as dangerous and talented as "The Prodigy" is. The only thing that these wins mean is that Florian is one of the elite in the lightweight division. Whenever he gets his shot at the title, the only thing that could save him is his Muay Thai. Let's face it, having a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is great but when fighting Penn, you might as well be Melvin Guillard on the ground. If he were to strike and move like he did with Huerta, I believe he could outpoint Penn in 25 minutes. Not wanting to rest for too long, Kenny has accepted a fight with Joe Stevenson at UFC 91. If he wins, there is no question as to Florian's right as number one contender. Once again, he will just have to wait.

2. Tyson Griffin- This mini Randy Couture has all the tools necessary to be a champion one day. An elite member of Xtreme Couture, his strength, cardio, and wrestling have given him victories to erase his lone loss to Frankie Edgar. If he is to be victorious against Sean Sherk at UFC 90, Griffin will have a strong bid to be the number one contender. Another thing to consider is that Tyson is very young. He's constantly learning and evolving and under the tutelage of Randy Couture, he is developing the art of the game plan. Regardless of whether or not he becomes the top contender to the lightweight title in the near future, I guarantee he will get there eventually.

3. Rich Clementi- Riding a six fight win streak including victories over Anthony Johnson, Sam Stout, and Terry Etim, it's a travesty that "No Love" is on the under card of UFC 90. Rich has a wealth of experience and win at any cost attitude that the UFC should capitalize on with marketing. On any given day, Clementi possesses the necessary tools to become a champion. If he is successful in giving Gray Maynard his first loss in October, I'd say one high profile win will be enough to plea his case for top contender status. If Rich were to fight B.J. Penn for the title, he would have to use his strength to take the champ down and control him from there. Formally a welterweight, Clementi may have a size advantage on Penn. Should he choose to strike with B.J, well we all saw what happened to Sherk when he wanted to show off his boxing. Rich would have a small chance of winning the belt but at least his work as of late shows he deserves his shot.

4. Nate Diaz- Just two weeks from now, Diaz will be headlining his first event against Josh Neer. This brown belt in Gracie Jiu Jitsu has proven that he may not be the lesser Diaz after all. Four wins since winning the Ultimate Fighter 5 including a victory over Kurt Pellegrino, Nate is on a hot streak. Fighting much like his brother Nick, his boxing is crisp and his submissions are dangerous. I say they should give Diaz a fight with Guida or Edgar and then we'll see how well he handles pressure. If all goes well after that, then Nate would be a good contender to fight B.J. He could use his size and long arms to keep Penn at a distance, peppering him with punches as the champ tries to close the gap. On the ground is a different story. "The Prodigy" holds the distinction of having one of the most dominant top control games in MMA. Once again, Diaz needs to be tested with a strong wrestler but once he is tested, there is a strong case for him to fight for the title.



And that does it for this list. Yes, I know it's odd to have a top four list but can you make a case for anyone else? Roger Huerta has only one victory over a top ten fighter. Gray Maynard only has six fights to his name. Thiago Tavares is a loser now. Frank Edgar needs a few more wins since dropping his first loss to Maynard. The four names I've picked are the fighters that I believe can give B.J. a good fight as well as giving the UFC someone they can promote as a serious threat to the title. They do that all the time when they know for a fact that the champion is head and shoulders above the rest. That's what they did with Jon Fitch against GSP. Each of these four fighters has a claim to fight for the title with impressive wins to their names. Do I honestly believe that on their best day, any of them could unseat Penn? Yeah right. But as we've seen before, never count anyone out. Right, Matt Serra?

That's all for this week! Thank you for your comments last week. I honestly appreciate them positive or negative. Next week will begin a series of articles that I've been waiting to write for you all. For the next several weeks, I'll be honoring/bashing/roasting MMA legends who have made their mark and cemented their names in history for whatever reason. Until next time!