Roundtables
ROUNDTABLE (pt. 1 of 2): What's next for B.J. Penn and Kenny Florian after their UFC 118 losses? Matthew, Hyden, Hobaugh, Leet and Hansen
Sep 1, 2010 - 12:54:02 PM ROUNDTABLE (pt. 1 of 2): What's next for B.J. Penn and Kenny Florian after their UFC 118 losses? Matthew, Hyden, Hobaugh, Leet and Hansen

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What's next for B.J. Penn and Kenny Florian after their UFC 118 losses?

SAM MATTHEW, MMATORCH COLUMNIST

Once considered the greatest lightweight ever, B.J. Penn has fallen down several rungs of the ranking ladder with back to back losses in which he simply didn’t look like even a shadow of his former self. While a matchup between both Penn and Florian - coming off such miserable losses - would make sense timing-wise, neither fighter really deserves a game Top five opponent. A reasonable test for Penn on his comeback might be against Evan Dunham or George Sotiropoulos, while Florian deserves a rematch with Sean Sherk or a good battle with Tyson Griffin to gauge how his wrestling develops.

FRANK HYDEN, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR

Well, the road back is easier for Kenny Florian. I don't know where B.J. goes from here. He told us all how he was going to beat Frank Edgar and it wasn't going to be close, etc. What happened was Edgar beat him down. At least neither guy got finished. I don't know if B.J. can return from this. Does he have the heart to rededicate himself? I would hope so, but you never know.
I think Kenny goes back to square one and tries to better himself. He's picked himself up off the ground before, and he'll do it again. Given the right circumstances, he could win a title in the UFC. He'll need a better stylistic match-up, however.

ERIC HOBAUGH, MMATORCH SPECIALIST

It is sad when time catches our favorite fighters. Chuck, Matt, Rich, Randy; I could go on. B.J. is no different than those all time greats. He was just younger when it happened. I don't feel like he has lost any of his skills, but MMA today evolves at a pace that is hard for most of these pioneers to stay current with. The younger fighters like Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard are light years ahead of most other lightweights, including the greatest of all time, B.J. Penn. Those younger, stronger and more determined fighters are the future of the division. I think B.J. moves back to welterweight and has some success in his first few fights. B.J. was no match for the class of the division, as he showed in his January 2009 match against Georges St. Pierre. As much as I want B.J. to stay on top, his run as a champion is over. Kenny Florian never lives up to his potential, and for that reason, he stays a second tier fighter.

LARAMEY LEET, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR

I think many will say that these two need to fight, but their first fight was not that interesting. B.J. won hands down and there is no need for a rematch. Penn has suffered back to back losses for only the second time in his career, and Frankie Edgar is only the second man to beat B.J. Penn twice. GSP has done it as well. Kenny Florian will look into getting in the cage ASAP, as Penn has said he will. I think he will try and take the next available fight. I have a good feeling it will be Florian vs. Tyson Griffin in December.

RICH HANSEN, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR

B.J. is in a pickle now. While he may still be the most talented lightweight of all time, and he's still just 31 years old, he can't beat the current champion. Put them in the cage ten times, and Frank Edgar wins 9 times (and according to the incompetent judges in Abu Dhabi, ten times). But if he moves to welterweight, he's already lost twice, legitimately, to Georges St-Pierre. And if you put B.J. in the cage with GSP ten times, B.J. loses all ten. So where indeed do we go from here?

IF B.J. stays at lightweight, he needs to win every fight he takes until Frank Edgar drops the title. That might take a long time. Penn has to beat top lightweight competition so that when Edgar drops the title, he'll be first in line. Jim Miller makes sense, depending on the result of his fight with Gleison Tibau. I'm not in the Gomi camp, because every fight B.J. takes needs to move him forward, and I don't see Gomi giving him any problems.

IF B.J. moves to Welterweight, he has to know that he's not even one of the first five guys in line for a title shot. So that would be a vanity project for him. He'd be moving up to take fights that intrigue him. Gee, that sounds like Matt Hughes' current career path. I think that's the fight to make. If he loses again, it's because he's done. If he wins, then he can be matched up against a borderline contender and we'll go from there.