BJ Penn vs. Joe “Daddy” Stevenson

Most of the experts and the general grappling and MMA community is predicting that BJ Penn is going to win this fight with no problems. I’m not so sure..

If we can use past indicators as a predictor of tonight’s event, there is a good chance that Stevenson could pull out the victory. No one is a sure bet in UFC matchups and the recent string of upsets helps make that case. Penn has definitely been training harder for his current matches and after watching the UFC 80 Countdown show I could see changes and improvements in his approach to training and style of fighting. The fact that he even sleeps in an oxygen tent to simulate high altitudes suggests how seriously he is taking this fight.

However, BJ’s greatness and preparation doesn’t automatically subtract from Stevenson’s chance of winning. As a KOTC fan I have seen Joe Stevenson’s fights when absolutely no one knew him. Way before TUF on Spike TV brought him to MMA prominence he was slugging it out in smaller venues and improving with each win. I also believe that the UFC should have given him this opportunity much earlier. That being said, I don’t think that Stevenson has any edge over BJ Penn and will side with the experts on this one.