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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
B.J. Penn and Frankie Edgar will step across the cage from one another for the second time this Saturday at UFC 118 in Boston, Mass. After a razor thin meeting in Abu Dhabi earlier this year, both fighters are looking to prove that they are the best lightweight fighter in the world.
For Penn, this fight is about more than regaining his belt. This fight is about living up to his own expectations, and he sees something special happening at the TD Garden on Saturday.
"I feel like I'm going to blow a lot of people away on Saturday night," Penn said at the pre-fight press conference in Boston on Wednesday. "They're going to be surprised at who B.J. Penn is."
Edgar is trying to prove that his win in Abu Dhabi was no fluke, and he understands that a finish in this fight could be what he needs to shut the mouths of the doubters.
"I know [B.J.] has this aura about him and everything, but I put that aside and just approached this as another fight," Edgar said. "[A finish in this fight] would definitely give me much more respect... if I can get the finish that would be great."
Penn says the belt isn't his motivating factor into this fight, and actually he's simply wanting to test himself as a fighter first and foremost.
"Really, after I beat Frankie i know it's UFC policy that I have to take the belt; but I want to beat the best fighters," he said. "I have eight belts at home - I don't want to be known as a Champion, I want to be known as a fighter from now on."
As for what the current Champ can expect come fight night on Saturday, Penn kept it short and sweet.
"He's going to see speed, he's going to see strength and he's going to see somebody coming to finish the fight, that's what he's going to see."
UFC 118 airs live on pay-per-view this Saturday night, and Spike TV features an hour long Prelims Live special ahead of the pay-per-view broadcast.
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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