Stakes Rise for BJ Penn and Jon Fitch at UFC 127
Posted On Wednesday, February 16th, 2011 By admin
In the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s 170-pound title, Jon Fitch or BJ Penn will get another shot. UFC President Dana White said that at welterweight, the winner of a Feb. 26 bout between Fitch and Penn would be named the No. 1 contender. In 2008, Fitch unsuccessfully challenged champion Georges St. Pierre and in 2009, Penn did the same. Both will fight in the main event of UFC 127 inside the Acer Arena, Sydney, Australia.
Fitch is an American Kickboxing Academy product, who has rattled off a five-fight winnibg streak since his loss to Georges St. Pierre in August of 2008. In his 14-fight stint inside the octagon, the “Fight of the Night” performance Jon turned in remains his only blemish, which includes victories over Diego Sanchez, Paulo Thiago, and Thiago Alves (twice). Since losing to St. Pierre, Fitch has won five consecutive bouts. For welterweights, the USA TODAY/SB Nation consensus rankings list Fitch at No. 2. Fitch finally appears poised for another chance at a title. He is currently riding a five-fight win streak.
Since returning to the division with a vengeance, Penn meanwhile has reasserted himself into the 170-pound title picture. Penn moved up to the welterweight class for a rubber match with rival Matt Hughes last November, after dropping back-to-back bouts to current lightweight champion Frankie Edgar. He scored a 21-second knockout over the UFC Hall of Famer. Only St. Pierre and lightweight champion Frankie Edgar have beaten Penn since 2007. He is the consensus No. 9 welterweight.
Fitch said that more than fighting B.J, he does not want to waste any time thinking about anything more. He added that he has certain advantages in sizes but he is aware that it will not be enough. To make sure that there are not any mistakes in this fight, he had to work a lot on speed, explosiveness and keeping everything tight.
The latest UFC betting odds on Bodog.com is Penn (+160) and Fitch (-200).
The winner probably will not face St. Pierre, regardless of the outcome in Sydney. UFC expects St. Pierre to move up to 185 pounds for a bout with middleweight champion Anderson Silva, if the champion beats Jake Shields on April 30.
