2008-08-27 22:29:14
B.J. Penn - Georges St Pierre Superfight Set for January 31st
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The much talked-about "superfight" between B.J. Penn and Georges St. Pierre (a rematch of their UFC 58 tilt which resulted in a split decision victory for Georges St. Pierre) will be taking place on January 31st, 2009, according to Dana White.
The fight was originally slated for the "big" end of December PPV in Las Vegas, but Georges St. Pierre indicated that he needed some additional time off, as he had already fought four times in the past year (victories against Fitch, Serra, Koscheck and Hughes). Penn was given the option of defending his lightweight title in the interim, but instead decided to patiently wait for his big fight against St. Pierre.
This fight will likely be the second huge main event in a row for the UFC. Assuming that Chuck Liddell beats Rashad Evans next month at UFC 88, the proposed main event of UFC 92 (at the end of December) will be Liddell vs Griffin for the light heavyweight title. This PPV will do major business for the UFC, as well as the proposed B.J. Penn / Georges St. Pierre fight at the end of January.
B.J. Penn will be moving up to Welterweight to take on St. Pierre. Assuming that Penn defeats St. Pierre at UFC 92, Dana White has already publicly stated that he has no problem with one of his fighters holding two titles at once, so we can safely assume that Penn would continue to defend both his lightweight and welterweight titles, should he be victorious over St. Pierre.
This fight will match up two of the most popular fighters in mixed martial arts fighting, as well as two of the best. Penn and St. Pierre are both regarded as being two of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world, with St. Pierre normally being given a slight edge.
Georges St. Pierre is 17-2-0 and is the current holder of the Welterweight title. Since losing his belt to Matt Serra at UFC 69 - Shootout, St. Pierre has been a one-man wrecking crew, soundly thrashing Josh Koscheck, Matt Hughes, Matt Serra and Jon Fitch in a bid to reclaim his high standing in the MMA world. He has been successfully in doing that, and another victory against Penn would only elevate his lofty standing.
B.J. Penn has a lifetime professional MMA record of 13-4-1, and is the current UFC lightweight title holder. He has won his last three fights, including decisive victories over Sean Sherk, Joe Stevenson and Jens Pulver. As mentioned, Penn is thought to be one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the world. A victory over St. Pierre would not only gain him another title, but would also contribute to the legend that is B.J. Penn.
This will be a fantastic fight - let's hope that both of these fighters stay healthy between now and the end of January.
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