Who at 155 do you think can actually give B.J. Penn a challenge? I am sure the list in your mind is not very long, as B.J. Penn has continued to dominate at 155 while looking more impressive with each fight. There is definitely a case to be made for Penn to make the move up to Welterweight full time, despite the losses to GSP.
However, I for one hope that before he does that, we get a chance to see him fight Jose Aldo, the WEC Featehrweight champion and consensus top 10 pound for pound fighter (nothing in MMA is really a consensus, but in this case it should be). So what are the chances we see this fight, when, if at all, can we expect to see it, and who would win this fantasy match up: B.J. Penn vs. Jose Aldo?
Before everyone goes too crazy about Aldo, (although there is plenty to be excited about), he is a young, vicious striker, with a black belt in B.J.J, he still has not made one title defense (this is where I can’t help but hear Rogan & Goldberg bring up the adage “you are not truly a champion until you defend it at least once” about six times during a guys first title defense).
Incidentally, his first title defense against Faber should be an amazing fight, and one worthy of PPV, whether it actually sells if they put it on PPV is a discussion for a different time. So what am I getting at? It is simply unfair to imagine this fight happening now, because if this fight were to take place today, it would be borderline disrespectful and wrong to not pick B.J. Penn. Clearly, this is a fight that if it were to happen, would not be for some time and a lot would have to happen. I think Aldo can be special, and will eventually move up to lightweight, but he has to prove it inside the cage and dominate his division first.
So for the purposes of this article, let’s imagine that Aldo cleans out his division, beating Faber, maybe Brown for a second time, and two other top contenders in the next year or two. At the same time, Penn continues to dismantle every lightweight put in front of him, maybe he fights at Welterweight also, ala Anderson Silva, while retaining his title and hold on the lightweight division.
So, after cleaning out the Featherweight division, Aldo makes the move to 155, and in order to allow him to prepare, he fights and beats up on a stepping stone type fighter (you know the stepping stone fighters - the guys the UFC uses to test the up and comers because they have some name recognition and big wins in their career, but have no real chance of making it to the top of their division at this point i.e. Keith Jardine at light heavyweight, Gabriel Gonzaga at heavyweight, Clay Guida at lightweight to name a few). So finally the match is set, two of the top pound for pound kings of MMA, Aldo vs. Penn.
I truly believe this fight would be an amazing spectacle to watch. Both of these fighters are dynamic and can attack you in numerous ways. I think it would be a back and forth fight, and mostly a stand up war. Aldo is a ferocious striker and I think he would do some damage, but Penn’s stand up is no joke either (ask Diego Sanchez). This fight would have fight of the year written all over it.
The stand up would be back and forth, while I think Penn would control the clinch, he would most likely be the stronger of the two fighters. Penn is also a superior wrestler and despite the questions about his cardio in the past, he has already proven lately that is a thing of the past, while Aldo at this point has not been tested past the third round.
My Fantasy Fight Prediction: If everything pans out the way I wrote, which of course does not take into account a lot of factors (injuries, losses etc.), the MMA fans would be in for a real treat. I am going to predict that Penn wins an instant classic in the fourth round via ground and pound. Aldo will be the more aggressive fighter in the first 3 rounds but will begin to tire himself out, and Penn will take advantage with a big takedown early in the fourth round. He will eventually ground and pound Aldo until the referee steps in, securing his place as the best lightweight to ever fight in MMA.
Quick Note: I literally switched my pick multiple times before settling on Penn. I really think Aldo may one day rule the lightweight division, but right now Penn has looked too dominant at 155 to not pick him. Remember, this is a pick for a fight down the line, not today. I look forward to hearing who you think would win this fight, please comment below or e-mail me at Adamschwartzbard@gmail.com.
[B.J. Penn art credit Cory Gould (c) MMATorch]
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This article was pointless. It is like saying if Nick Diaz wins the WW
title and defends it fours times and doesn't lose for two years and
improves he would be a huge threat against Anderson Silva. Not only is it
ridiculous to even think that in two years he wont lose but to think that
he will jump wieght and be a threat to one of the top 5 P4P fighters. It
was well written and if all of those "what ifs" were to happen it would be
a good fight. The thing is I don't see half of those "what ifs" happening.
Try writing a Nick Diaz vs GSP fight I would be interested in that.
Especailly since Diaz will win the SF WW title on Saturday. At least they
are still in the same weight class.
