BJ Penn - A Chance to Fix Everything
When a major fight gets scrapped due to injury, there is an inevitable letdown, and usually a dip in the quality of the replacement bout. That wasn’t the case this past week though, when the September 23rd welterweight title fight between Matt Hughes and Georges St. Pierre was replaced by an intriguing rematch pitting Hughes against the last man to beat him, BJ Penn.
Penn’s reaction was what you would expect it to be.
“I can’t believe I’m gonna be the world champ again,” he exclaimed last Wednesday afternoon. A groin pull forced St. Pierre out of his long-awaited return bout with Hughes, and when Penn – who was already training for an October 10th UFC bout – got the phone call, his decision to fight the dominant welterweight of this era on a month’s notice was a no-brainer.
“As soon as I got the phone call, I was crying tears of joy for like 15 minutes when it finally hit me,” said Penn. “I’ve got a chance now. I did all these things in my life to get where I am and that’s why I got this shot, but I got a chance now to correct everything, to go back, beat Matt Hughes, get the belt back, beat St. Pierre, and go and do what I have to do. I’ve got a chance to correct everything and fix it all, and I know I’m gonna do it.”
Penn’s career has been a storied one, beginning with his winning of the jiu-jitsu Mundials (he was the first non-Brazilian to do so) and his stirring UFC debut in 2001. Thought to be unbeatable, Penn would lose his first title shot to Jens Pulver, but his legend grew with the upset win over Hughes in 2004, which came in his first fight at 170 pounds. After a contract dispute caused him to abandon the welterweight title, Penn stayed active and finally made a return to the Octagon in March against St. Pierre. Penn would lose a close split decision to the Canadian, but for the pride of Hilo, Hawaii, it was a wake-up call.
“My performance was low against Rodrigo (Gracie), Lyoto (Machida), Renzo (Gracie), and St. Pierre,” admitted Penn, who went 2-2 in that span. “I don’t want to make any excuses because they are all just great fighters and world-class people and I don’t - in any way, shape, or form - take away anything from them, but I just feel like I get burned out. I don’t want to be there, I’m not happy being there, so now I just have to do it like a high school kid – show up and fight after school at the park.”
In response, Penn has given up traditional, or as he calls it ‘professional’ training.
“I just gave up training professionally for a fight,” he said. “Either you’re a fighter, or you’re not. And every time I train professionally I just get so burned out that I don’t want to do it anymore. So I’m just gonna be in shape and train kinda like how I used to train when I won the jiu-jitsu world championships – just go there in the night, train, and go home. I’m not gonna go push myself to go running and do these thousand rounds of sparring and stuff. I fight best when I’m having a good time and after my last fight I was so burned out by the time I got there that now I’m just gonna take it easy and have fun.”
It could be a risky tact to take against a man Penn calls, “the greatest welterweight champion ever in the UFC,” but diehard fans believe that if anyone can pull it off, it’s ‘The Prodigy’, who already stunned the mixed martial arts world once when he submitted Hughes with a rear naked choke at UFC 46. How has the champ improved in Penn’s eyes since their first fight?
“He’s more experienced and he’s had a couple of big fights, but the reason I believe why Matt has stuck around so long and done so well is because he hasn’t changed,” said Penn. “He does what he does well and he doesn’t say ‘okay, today I’m gonna be the kickboxer,’ or ‘today, I’m gonna be this person’. He does what he does and he doesn’t stop. That’s what I attribute his success to, and I also attribute it to the fact that he doesn’t train all year round. He does whatever he does, and then when he hears that he’s got a fight, he goes and works out. So he doesn’t get burnt out.”
Ask Hughes the same question about Penn, and you can tell that the veteran titlist has got more than a little fire in his belly to get some payback.
“Well, he’s coming off a loss, that’s for sure,” said Hughes when asked how Penn has changed as a fighter since their first bout. “I think he’s pretty arrogant and that could be a weakness on his part. I’m sure technically he’s improved from when we fought last, as I have too. It could be a very different fight. I’m actually looking forward to it going the whole time.”
Read between the lines and that could mean that Hughes is looking to deliver a 25 minute beatdown on his rival. Does it add a little more to the motivational pot for the champ to have the opportunity to get even with Penn?
“Sure, everybody wants to avenge a loss, so I get to go back and fight somebody who beat me and somewhat scratch that loss off my record if I can get a win against him, and that’s what I’m looking forward to doing,” said Hughes.
As for Penn, fighting a top-quality fighter like St. Pierre is big, but fighting Hughes for the title is even bigger, and he expects his performance on September 23rd to reflect that.
“You can see it in my performance when I got a big person, when I’m up for something and really want to fight for something,” he said. “I’ll go out there and do it. I thrive on these big fights, and I thrive on pressure. I got my black belt one week before I won the world championships in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and I thrive off that; that’s when I perform my best.”
It’s hard to believe that Penn, at 27, is almost hitting the big 3-0. But his appeal has not diminished in the least, and he still remains one of the sport’s most intriguing fighters. It’s a quality only a select few in the fight game possess, and he knows it.
“It’s because everybody knows a true fighter when they see one,” said Penn. “This fight is bigger than the St.Pierre-Hughes fight and St. Pierre’s a great guy and a great fighter, but there’s just something about BJ Penn that gets people amped up. You don’t know what’s gonna happen, but something’s gonna happen. He might disappoint you, he might make you happy, he might make you cry, he might make you jump out of your chair, but he’ll do something to you.”
Happy Birthday to Cage Rage
Happy Birthday to Cage Rage Championships
Yes, it's been 4 years since that very first show on September 7th 2002 when Cage Rage was born. From The Elephant & Castle via Streatham High Street to Wembley Arena, what a journey it has been. 20 shows later and selling out to crowds of 7,000 plus just 3 weeks before our biggest event to date, I think we can all rightfully celebrate
We at Cage Rage Championships never sit back and our continuous ambition and drive to compete and move forward, backed by a team that never seems to sleep, ensures that we are always looking to improve in bringing you the biggest and best shows featuring some of the world's leading MMA fighters.
We have already confirmed a huge show at Earls Court for December 9th 2006, plus 6 more shows at Wembley Arena for 2007. There will also be 5 London based Cage Rage contenders nights to look forward to.
Cage Rage Championships are realising their potential in becoming a leading player in the global MMA market with television deals in Europe, Brazil and the US and will feature heavily on the new Fight Plus channel.
Cage Rage Championships are becoming an integral part of any fighters ambitions to be able to top the bill at a Cage rage championship event fighting for a British or world titleTo keep you up to date on other news, our profile is growing massively, with Cage rage Championships featured heavily in the new British flick "Sucker Punch". The Cage Rage ring girls laid bare in the film “Clubbed to death" filmed at Cage Rage 16 and “12 dead men" which will feature footage from Cage Rage 18. We also have some cameo appearances in Hotel Babylon Series 5 and Highlander 5.
We are currently producing issue 5 of the Cage Rage Championship newsletter, packed with fighter info, exciting features, up and coming events and of course cage Rage Babes. The newsletter has grown to a huge circulation of 20,000 plus and if you don't already receive it, register on the Cage rage website to receive your FREE copy. If you run, own or work in a gym, MMA club or shop, let us know and we will send you a newsletter package.
Although we have come a long way in 4 years, we still have a journey in front of us, to spread the word of MMA and make Cage Rage Championships and our fighter’s household names. With our ever increasing fanbase and support that we receive from you, we will continue onwards to make it a harder, faster and more exhilarating ride. HAPPY BIRTHDAY CAGE RAGE
More UFC 64 rumours
- Nathan Marquardt vs. Thales Leites
- Keith Jardine vs. Mike Nickels
- Yves Edwards vs. Justin James
3 more rumoured match ups for UFC 64.
Not really anything to get too excited about, but solid. Discuss on the rumour forums here.
Don’t tell Anderson Silva he hasn’t been in the UFC long enough to deserve a title shot
After an impressive debut taking out Chris Leben with a devastating knee, the UFC newcomer says he owes no explanation for getting a shot at middleweight champ Rich (Ace) Franklin at UFC 64.
"They gave me a chance to fight for the title and I'm going to take it," says the Muay Thai specialist.
"They've given other people a chance to fight for the title but they didn't make the best of their opportunity. Me, I'm going to make sure I make the best of it."
Franklin's last title defence was a lopsided scrap against Canadian David (The Crow) Loiseau.
Franklin chased Loiseau around the Octagon for much of the fight as the Canadian tried in vain to duck Franklin's relentless onslaught.
Franklin, who won the fight by unanimous decision, broke his foot and suffered other injuries in the March 4, 2006, bout that kept him out of commission for months.
But in his absence, the notoriously weak middleweight class has failed to produce an obvious No. 1 contender.
Enter Silva.
The 31-year-old Brazilian — whose overall mixed-martial arts record is 16 and 4 — has fought in PRIDE and is a four-time middleweight champ in Cage Rage.
He's no stranger to big fights and has tasted championship glory.
Still, the father of four, who gets his nickname for his love of Spiderman, says getting a shot at the UFC belt is a dream come true.
Though he admits the man standing between him and the top prize, is one of the best in the world.
"Rich Franklin is a great fighter and a great person and he needs to be respected because right now he is the champion," says Silva.
"I'll probably be training twice as hard as I normally do."
The two will fight Oct. 14 in Las Vegas.
FIGHT NOTES:
- The UFC has come under fire recently for its low purses paid to fighters. Many undercard fighters are getting as little as $5,000 to fight. By contrast, light-heavyweight champ Chuck Liddell made $250,000 for disposing of Renato (Babalu) Sobral at last week's UFC 62 in a mere 95 seconds. That's $2,631.58 per second. Chuck is obviously not complaining about his paycheque.
- Mark Friday Sept. 29 on your calendar. King of the Cage returns to the Calgary Corral with a solid card including a KOTC World Lightweight title match between champ Mac Danzig and John Mahlow. The gals are also back to scrap again as Thricia Poovey tries to avenge her loss against Rebecca Sweeney. Tickets are available at Ticketmaster 770-0000.
- Former UFC lightweight champ Jens Pulver — the only man to ever hold that title — will fight at UFC 63 in Anaheim Sept. 23. It will be Lil Evil's first time in the Octagon in four years. He will take on Joe Lauzon. The UFC did away with the lightweight division years ago but has recently reintroduced it.
- The full UFC 63 card is as follows: Champ Matt Hughes vs. B.J. Penn in welterweight title match; Mike Swick vs. David Loiseau; Jens Pulver vs. Joe Lauzon; Rashad Evans vs. Jason Lambert; Gabe Ruediger vs. Melvin Guillard; Jorge Gurgel vs. Danny Abaddi; Tyson Griffin vs. David Lee; Roger Huerta vs. Jason Reinhardt; Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Mario Neto.
Tito Ortiz likes to be in the middle of things
Former UFC light-heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz finds himself right in the middle of things in the UFC’s 205-pound division.
That’s right where “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” likes to be.
Ortiz was in the Octagon moments after UFC light-heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell scored another dominant first-round TKO over Renato “Babalu” Sobral last weekend at UFC 61 in Las Vegas.
UFC president had already announced that Ortiz would face his arch-rival Ken Shamrock in a rubber match at “UFC Fight Night 7” on Spike TV on Oct. 10. White announced that Ortiz would face Liddell for the title on Dec. 30 if he is victorious against Shamrock.
“ Getting back my world title is the biggest thing in my life, right now,” Ortiz said. “Getting back on top, and to do that I have to get past Liddell.
First, Ortiz has to take care of business against Shamrock. Ortiz scored a third-round TKO over Shamrock in their first fight at UFC 40 in 2002. He won the rematch at UFC 61 on July 8. Ortiz got a big takedown, then landed five consecutive elbows to the head that led referee Herb Dean to stop the fight at 1:18 of the first round. Many in the crowd believed it was a quick stoppage and pelted the ring with debris.
“ I have to get past Shamrock one more time,” Ortiz said. “That fight will be on Spike TV and it’s pretty much for the fans. I could have waited out until December and got my world title. All of those fans that were booing (at UFC 61) because they weren’t satisfied, they are going to get it again. It’s too bad it’s at the expense of Ken Shamrock’s health.”
Ortiz believes he has already proven his point against Shamrock.
“ This is to shut up his fans and make my fans happy because they thought it ended too quick last time,” Ortiz said. “It’s one of those things. I’m all about the fans and that’s why it’s free on Spike TV.”
Ortiz wasn’t overly impressed by Liddell’s first-round TKO over Sobral at UFC 62 last weekend.
“ He looked just like a normal Chuck Liddell,” Ortiz said. “Renato Babalu is not really as good as they try to make him to be. They kind of painted the picture more of what they think. I think that was a typical fight for Liddell. That fight will go the same way each and every time. The first time went 2 minutes and 30 seconds and this one went 1 minute. Renato Babalu is not really that great a fighter. He’s a great ‘B’ fighter and an average ‘A’ fighter. He’s not at the level of (Randy) Couture or Liddell or myself.”
Liddell scored a second-round KO over Ortiz in their first meeting at UFC 47 in 2004.
“ I think in this rematch more than anything it will be a similar type of tempo I had before,” Ortiz said. “I just made a mistake and I got poked in the eye. I just gotta make sure I use a lot more head movement, securing a takedown will be necessary. I’m hoping for a really tough fight. I just want my world title back and for me to do that I have to beat Liddell.”
Ortiz believes his stand-up game is much better since the first time he faced Liddell.
“ I think I’m a lot better (with the stand-up),” Ortiz said. “You know, you’ve been up to camp with me a few times. You’ve seen my hands get a lot faster. I think I’ll surprise him with a lot of things with my stand-up. But when he thinks I’m going to stand-up, the takedown is there.”
TUF 3 middleweight winner Kendall Grove, TUF 3 alum Matt Hamill and TUF 2 veteran Josh Burkman are all full-fledged members of Ortiz’s Team Punishment. They will train with him in Big Bear and prepare for fights on the Ortiz-Shamrock undercard on Oct. 10.
“ Hamill is coming out here next week,” Ortiz said. “Kendall is already training up in Big Bear. I’m going up there on Monday. I can’t wait. It’s going to pretty much be Team Punishment against the world.”
Bonnar Tests Positive for Steroids After UFC Bout
The Nevada State Athletic Commission on Wednesday filed a formal complaint against light heavyweight Stephan Bonnar, claiming the UFC 62 competitor tested positive for Boldenone, a banned anabolic agent commonly used by veterinarians to treat horses on the mend, MMAweekly.com reported Wednesday.
Bonnar, best known for his Ultimate Fighter season one runner-up performance, lost a unanimous decision to Forrest Griffin before allegedly providing the tainted sample.
According to the NSAC complaint, Bonnar has 20 days to respond. Should he do so, a hearing in front of the NSAC will be set at which time the five-member regulatory body would make a ruling on the Chicagoan's status.
Source: Sherdog
UFC 63 & 64 Updates - Franklin vs Silva and Sherk vs Florian
Fresh off the back of a good show at 62, am already looking forward to the upcoming events in Sept & Oct.
Really excited about 63, already got 3 fights virtually official. With…
Hughes vs Penn II
Loiseau vs Swick
Pulver vs Lauzon
Looks like its shaping up to be a really good card. Followed up by…
Franklin vs Silva & Sherk vs Florian at 64.
Looks like the UFC are really pulling out all the stops in the wake of the recent criticism of 61 & 62.
Cant wait for the lightweight title to get back in full swing. Loads of contenders for the title.
What other fights you want to see added to these cards?
WFC II Fight Card update - What a lineup
WFC-II FIGHT CARD
30.09.2006 SPORT HALL TIVOLI
LJUBLJANA —SLOVENIA
1. A- PEDRO RIZZO (BRA) Vs RODNEY FAVERUS(HOL)
RUAS VALE TUDO TEAM SCHRIJBER
2. 95kg-ALISTAIR OVEREEM(NED) Vs MOISE RIMBON(FRA)
GOLDEN GLORY FRANCE TOP TEAM
3. 84kg-JOSE 'PELE'(BRA) Vs ALEXANDER SHLEMNKO(RUS)
PELE TEAM RUS FIGHTERS
4. 95kg-EVANGELISTA CYBORG(BRA) Vs MIKKO RUPONEN (FIN)
CHUTE BOXE ESPOON KEHAHAIT
5. -ANTONY REA(FRA) Vs BAGA AGAEV(RUS)
ELITE TRAINING CTR RUS FIGHTERS
6. A-RAFAEL FEIJAO(BRA) Vs STEVE OLIVER(AUS)
BTT-MINOTAURO TEAM MARK HUNT
7. 84kg-DAMIR MIRENIC(CRO) Vs JEAN LENOGUE(FRA)
CRO COP TEAM FRANCE TOP TEAM
8. 77kg-DENNIS SIVER (GER) Vs SAID KHALILOV (RUS)
OC FIGHT TEAM RUS FIGHTERS
9. 77kg-VENER GALIEV (RUS) Vs JIM WALLHAED(ENG)
RUS FIGHTERS CAGE WARRIORS
10.77kg-DEAN MADJAREVIC(SLO) Vs JUNIOR BARATA(BRA)
DEMA FRANCE TOP TEAM
Women :
11.60kg-ANA MARIA (BRA) Vs DINA HOVEN(NED)
BRAZILIAN T T GOLDEN GLORY
The Ultimate Fighter 5 Rumours TUF 5
MMA weekly are reporting the rumour of Jens Pulver and BJ Penn to be the coaches in the next series.
Also saying that the format will be a set out of 16 lightweights (155lbs) 8 of which being UFC Vets and 8 being rookies.
i like the idea of there being a rematch between Pulver and Penn, which is the norm for the coaches to fight. But building up the lightweights even more? I think the lightweight division is stacked at the minute without throwing in another 16 fighters.
I wish they'd build up the heavyweights more. They did not get one worthwhile heavy out of TUF2. Why not have 8 lightweights and 8 Heavy's on the show? 
Cage Rage Changes its name to CRC - Cage Rage Championships
You heard it here first.
Here's the new logo for Cage Rage. Officially its called 'Cage Rage Championships' or 'CRC' for short. Personally it sounds alot better and is now in tune with the UFC.
What do you think of the new logo? Post your thoughts here
