A comeback is always a big story that grabs attention in professional sports. Fight sports are no exception, as promoters salivate over past drawing numbers and fans fantasize over days past. The 19th season of The Ultimate Fighter will feature such a situation. B.J. Penn returns to competition to coach against and eventually face Frankie Edgar for a third time. While the matchup is understandable, that doesn’t mean questions can’t still be brought up about this fight:
(1) Can B.J. Penn Make Featherweight?
Penn is a professional who hasn’t ever had weight-cutting problems that were highly publicized. However, the expectation that he will be able to easily cut down to 145 pounds is one of the more interesting developments of this matchmaking. Penn’s desire to compete against bigger opponents at welterweight and beyond is well known; moving down a weight class consistently proves to be a struggle for most athletes. Edgar has been able to move down to 145 because he was never much bigger than the 155-pound weight limit as a lightweight. Penn, however, has been known to gain excessive weight while not in practice, and being away from the cage for an extended period of time raises an eyebrow to this decision to change weight classes.
(2) What’s To Gain?
Looking at the decision to create this fight, there are opportunities for both fighters to gain and lose. Fans and experts alike called this a lose-lose for Edgar, but in reality, he does have the chance to grow his already cultish fan following through the exposure of being on the reality show. However, come fight night he will be facing an always dangerous opponent, and yet, the pressure will be on him to dominate in the same fashion that he did during their second matchup. Edgar’s trying to push towards another shot at the 145 title, so not only can he not afford to lose this fight, he can’t afford the detraction that would accompany another controversial finish.
(3) What If B.J Penn Wins?
It’s been automatically assumed that if Penn wins he could be dubbed a challenger to Jose Aldo‘s reign atop the featherweight pile. Unfortunately, many are overlooking the fact that it was at Nova Uniao where Penn received his black belt from Aldo’s head trainer Andre Pederneiras. That would immediately throw a black cloud over any fight considerations that would pit “The Prodigy” and “Junior” in the Octagon against each other.
(4) Would A Win Add To Edgar’s Legacy?
It’s unfortunate but many MMA fans tend to ignore the official fight record and consider this series a 1-1 draw as Frankie and B.J. move towards their third fight. “The Answer’s” star has shown the brightest since he won the lightweight title back in 2009, even though he’s gone through a rough patch as of late. A win over Penn would not be as valuable as a victory over another highly touted featherweight, even if that meant not featuring the former champion on TUF. Any time an athlete steps into the Octagon to compete he or she runs the risk of damaging his or her legacy, but this fight holds an excessive amount of danger (and not too much upside) for Frankie Edgar.
(5) Is The Ultimate Fighter In Serious Trouble?
As we approach the 19th edition of the reality TV show that helped push mixed martial arts into the forefront, one must wonder if the format itself in trouble. Over the last few seasons, the show has been largely unable to develop anyone into a big name or a top-ranked star during their UFC runs. The last fighter that was able to make that transition was TUF 14 winner John Dodson, but only after dropping down a weight class. While Penn and Edgar will be the stars of this season as coaches, it’s clear that the UFC has been having a harder time finding blue chip talent to fill the cast member slots, and this season may be a glaring example of such.
Slowly but surely the UFC is recognizing the fact that every fight can’t be a bout that moves fighters up and down the top ten rankings. As ratings begin to trump rankings, matchups such as Frankie Edgar versus B.J. Penn will become more prevalent, but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be questioned.
For a dissenting viewpoint, check out: Five Reasons To Be Happy For B.J. Penn’s Return.
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TBA
Frankie Edgar vs. BJ Penn
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