FACEBOOK TWITTER RSS APP PODCAST Opinion & Analysis : Amadi's Take AMADI: B.J. Penn's place in the pound-for-pound discussion is not at the top

Apr 6, 2010 - 7:44:46 PM

By; Jason Amadi, MMATorch Columnist

Now that Georges St. Pierre has turned in his latest dominating performance and we’re approaching UFC 112 where B.J. Penn and Anderson Silva will be competing, the most infuriating MMA topic imaginable, the pound for pound discussion, is back in full swing.

Most rational thinkers, for the sake of their own sanity, have called it a three-way tie between Anderson Silva, Georges St. Pierre, and Fedor Emelianenko. Unfortunately this three way tie has left the greatest lightweight in the world, B.J. Penn, on the outside looking in when it comes to pound for pound supremacy. However, recently I’ve heard a few whispers about B.J. Penn being the greatest pound for pound fighter in the world again, and I must admit that I’m perplexed as to why that is.

In the interest of impartiality, I’m not going to disclose who I feel is the pound for pound best in the world, but obviously I don’t think that it’s B.J. Penn. Whether you’re basing your pound for pound picks on skill level, or the dubious “if they were all of equal size” argument, I just don’t see how when you add it all up, you get B.J. Penn.

Based purely on skill, Penn is very close to the perfect fighter, but he isn’t. Skill wise, Penn is probably better rounded than Fedor Emelianenko and Anderson Silva due to the glaring wrestling holes in their game; but just like when they met in their two outings, in this area, Penn has been bested by Georges St. Pierre.

St. Pierre is the most complete fighter in the world, bar none. He is widely considered to have the best functional wrestling in MMA, even taking into account Division I All-Americans and Olympic medalists. Unfortunately, we don’t see it as much as we used to, but St. Pierre is also the quite proficient striker. On the ground there is no guard that GSP can’t pass, and while Penn does get the edge in this area because of his elite grappling credentials, GSP is just the total package, at least on paper.

In terms of record and legacy, I still don’t see how you get B.J. Penn. The 31 year old “Prodigy” is just as dominant at 155 as all the other pound for pound kings are in their weight classes. Problems for Penn only arise when he attempts to actually put his pound for pound skills to the test.

Penn has lost three out of his four forays into the UFC’s welterweight division, and outside of the UFC, Penn lost to a 206 lb. Lyoto Machida, which is just insane to think about. Really, had he never fought outside of his weight class, he’d have just one blemish on an otherwise dominant career. But he did, so he doesn’t.

Fedor Emelianenko routinely fights and defeats opponents much larger than himself, such as the 7’2 “Techno Viking” Hong Man Choi, the 6’8 Tim Sylvia, and the 6’11 kickboxing legend Semmy Schilt. Anderson Silva, who has fought as low as 167 lbs in the past, now regularly moves up a weight class, and dominates in that weight class, while maintaining his svelte physique at 185 lbs. where he remains Champion.

The problem I have with placing BJ Penn at the top of the pound for pound list is that he really has tested the theory that is being discussed, and he’s come up short quite a few times. You can’t really hold it against him too much because the size difference is very real, and he has the guts to actually fight much larger men, but you can’t really place him above the rest because of it either. Well, at least not yet.

At UFC 112 Penn might notch what could end up being his final 155 lb. performance for the foreseeable future. Penn has suggested more than a few times that, should he defeat Frankie Edgar this Saturday, he would be looking to move back up to 170 lbs., but this time putting on the weight properly. If Penn really moves up properly, and dominates the 170 lb. division, I could definitely see some pound for pound points swinging back in his direction. But as of now, B.J. Penn is in fourth place. Perhaps trying and failing isn’t really better than just being content in your weight class after all. Well, only if the fictional pound for pound argument means anything to you.

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