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BJ Penn Vs. Diego Sanchez Pre-Fight Dissection
Posted by Marcos Villegas on the 10 December 2009 | View Comments
UFC 107 will be broadcasting live from Memphis, Tennessee Saturday in what looks to be a solid card. The main event pits the walking MMA legend that is BJ Penn against the always dangerous but sometimes out there Diego Sanchez. Penn is looking to cement his already rock solid legacy as the best 155lbs fighter in the history of the sport. His counterpart has moved down from the 170lbs weight class and now is looking for the final mantle piece that has avoided him so far in his career, a major world title. For Penn, this fight may or may not signal a decline in form. With the fighter getting older, a loss could lead to a road of what was and seriously harper the momentum Penn has going in his career to this point. With Sanchez, a new title in a new division would fulfill as what the fighter sees as his “destiny.” Will young age overcome sage like wisdom and experience, or will it be a case of too young, too soon? Let’s get the Fight Dissection started!
Speed: They say speed kills, but I don’t think it will be much of a factor in this fight. Penn and Sanchez each posses great speed for lightweights and both can hurt you in a blink of an eye with combinations. When you work in not just hand speed but foot work and rhythm, I think Diego has the edge in this department. He moves faster than BJ in creating angles and getting in and out of situations. To counter that, Sanchez does tend to lose speed when he is in the pocket throwing his heavy hands. Penn is no slouch though, but after looking at past footage of both fighters, Sanchez definitely has the quicker feet and slightly faster hands. If Diego can use his speed early, he’s going to create a lot of problems for Penn.
Advantage: Sanchez
Punching Power: In this area, it’s natural to pick the fighter coming down a weight class who is naturally the heavier and stronger man. The problem that fighters run into sometimes is they are not able to bring that same power into the lighter weight class. Both fighters have not had a one shot KO finish and Sanchez has one more TKO finish than Penn, but this is at 170lbs. Pushing that aside, let’s see whose performance in their last three fights at 155lbs has gotten the better TKO results. Sanchez fought Guida, Stevenson and Fioravanti, only one of which was a TKO result. Penn’s last three results at 155lbs have been two submissions and one TKO via Sean Sherk. So is their punching power on the same level? I think not. As much as you can compare TKO/KO records you got to go with the bigger guy that has moved down in weight.
Advantage: Sanchez
Ground Game: This section is utterly dominated by BJ Penn hands down. The guy could have one hand tied behind his back and would still be able to tap you out. His moniker as the prodigy lives up to the hype in this aspect. Achieving black belt status in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu in three years and becoming the first non-Brazilian to win the World Jiu-Jitsu Championship is an accomplishment few have done so since. With a majority of his wins coming by submission (six up to this point) taking BJ to the ground is something a lot of fighters avoid. Not to over look Diego, who has changed camps and is working under Abu Dhabi champion Saulo Ribeiro at the University of Jiu-Jitsu in San Diego CA, but even the best practitioners of Jiu-Jitsu would have a hard time handling BJ on the ground. This one goes to BJ bar none.
Advantage: Penn
Conditioning: When I looked at this, I couldn’t stop but chuckle out loud. We all know BJ and conditioning is like comparing apples and oranges. The two don’t seem to mesh well together unless you have flavored vodka to chase it down with. BJ has improved over the years but on average he almost always slows down by the second round and is pretty gassed
by the third. BJ is going to have a difficult time with Diego in the later stages of their fight. Diego has world class conditioning, and I don’t need to list how many rounds or who he has gone the distance with. You ask anyone the first thing that comes to mind when they mention Diego Sanchez and nine times out of ten they would say his sick conditioning and maybe his out there comments during interviews. You definitely got to go with Diego on this one
Advantage: Sanchez
Fortitude: There’s no doubt both these fighters have a lot of heart and iron wills. You have to when you going into a cage for a living and get your face smashed up for 15-25 minutes. There’s times though when you reach that dark place, that place you never been before and you literally feel like your going to die. It’s a place many professional athletes get to, some make it, some don’t. Out of the two fighters who would you think would be the most likely to go out on their shield? In my mind without a shadow of a doubt it would be Diego Sanchez. The first strike against Penn that comes to mind is the Georges St. Pierre fight. For all the trash talking BJ did, he said multiple times that Pierre would have to kill him in order to beat him, and that he would go out swinging. After a lengthy four round butt kicking by our favorite Canadian, Penn was un-responsive when asked to continue, he quit; plain and simple. You can go out on a limb and say that he quit in the Hughes fight as well, but the consensus is that he gassed out more than anything. Penn’s dedication has always been put into question and when there’s a break in the will of the person, the heart is soon to break down as well. What a complete opposite Sanchez is when it comes to this. For one, the man is sorta out there, and for you pro-wrestling buffs a Diego Sanchez interview is a lot like an Ultimate Warrior interview. If you have no clue what I’m talking about, do some research, I'm sure you will laugh your balls off. But it’s a good thing that he’s sorta off; because it translates to a ball’s to the wall, leave everything in the cage type attitude. The man's heart has been tested as well. His two losses against Koshcheck and Fitch went their full course and Diego was pretty aggressive and fought those fights all the way through.
Advantage: Sanchez
Versatility: So who has more tools in the tool chest? For one Diego Sanchez is an all around great fighter. He is not weak in one area, and stands as a testament to how MMA has evolved over the years and since the Ultimate Fighter show he debuted on. For how well rounded Diego is and though he has had more professional fights than Penn, I still believe that the Hilo, Hawaii native has seen more over the course of his career. His long career of course makes him a more versatile fighter than his opponent. For one, BJ showed the ability to balance on one leg to negate takedowns in his fight with Pierre. This and others little tricks he has accumulated over the years will give him that little edge. You saw that same craftiness come out when Dan Henderson fought Anderson Silva in their fight. Both Henderson and Penn have been around for much of the same time and you know for a fact that the longer you fight, the more you see, the more you experience and the more little tricks you develop.
Advantage: Penn
Consistency: Wow what a tough one. You got to take into account which fighter has looked good or stellar on a consistent basis at the current weight they will fight at. With this said, we have to exclude Penn’s recent loss to Georges St. Pierre as well as all of Sanchez’s fights at 170lbs. Sanchez has looked pretty good in his past fights with Guida and even stopped Fioravanti in the third round. The common fighter between the two is Joe Stevenson and both have gotten wins over the 155lbs gate keeper. This common opponent though is what I believe puts Penn over in this category. Simply put it, Penn choked out Stevenson whereas Sanchez got the majority decision. At 155lbs, Penn has ripped through the division and has had consistently great performances that over shadow Sanchez’s two decision wins and one TKO victory. I really don’t see Sanchez being able to TKO a then in prime Sean Sherk if the two were to meet or has the ability to completely outclass Ken Flo.
Advantage: Penn
The Wild Card: Man, this is the most simplest of things to point out; one that is working against Penn’s favor. Which BJ Penn are we going to see in this fight? Are we going to see the BJ Penn that gassed out against Matt Hughes at UFC 63. The same Penn that did not take his training camp serious against Georges St. Pierre and opted to go “relax” three days at a time in Hilo, Hawaii? Or are we going to see a motivated and hungry Penn, one in which the likes of Stevenson and Sherk had no answer to? We won’t really know until this Saturday, so I see this one as a tie.
Advantage: Tie
Experience: In one corner you have a career that has officially spanned since June of 2002. With a total of 24 fights and top tier opponents such as Koscheck, Fitch, and Parisyan. On the other corner you have a man with 20 official bouts, spanning from May of 2001 until now. For a second you wouldn’t think I would be talking about BJ Penn with only 20 official fights, but here is the difference between the two. Yes, Sanchez has had more fights, but BJ has had better competition and title fights at the biggest stage.
Advantage: Penn
Striking technique: During the hype that was Arlovski/Fedor, media people asked then stand up coach for the “Pitbull,” Freddy Roach if he thought that Arlovski had the best boxing in mma. To the surprise of many he answered with BJ Penn. Now when breaking down striking you just don’t only take into account hands but all the use of leg kicks knees and elbows. Diego Sanchez standing is a dangerous opponent and is no way one dimensional. He mixes it up with flying knees, and showed that in his fight with Clay Guida. Sanchez though tends to throw looping punches and gets a little to excited when he’s in their exchanging with opponents. He gets hit a little too much than he has too. On the opposite end BJ throws good straight punch combinations. You don’t ever see him getting into too many exchanges or getting punch happy for this same reason. A straight punch always beats a looping one. My bet is Diego is going to try to get into an exchange with BJ and will come out getting hit more with BJ’s crisper, straighter punches.
Advantage: Penn
Take downs/Take down defense: I have to give BJ this one. You got to give someone big ups if Randy Couture has trouble taking you down. BJ is so amazing when defending against takedowns and his amazing flexibility helps add to his defense. In the Pierre fight BJ was able to give what many believe to be the best wrestler in mma a difficult time in taking him down to the mat. Though I have never seen BJ throw someone in a fight or attempt a takedown in recent memory, I don’t believe that Sanchez’s wrestling is on a level with Pierre or Couture. Not to take anything away from Diego, I think his takedowns are amazingly good, but when you compare the two, BJ’s defense is at a sustainably greater advantage to overcome Diego solid takedown game.
Advantage: Penn
Category Advantages for Sanchez: 4
Category Advantages for Penn: 6
Category Tie: 1
Editors Prediction: My first reaction when this fight was announced was that it would be very difficult and dangerous fight for BJ Penn. For awhile I thought BJ would get knocked out. I kept thinking back to how bad he gassed in the GSP fight and figured he would get knocked out in the 4th or 5th in this fight. After doing my due diligence, talking with various pros at the many MMA gyms here in Southern California, I’ve had a change of heart. For one, this break down made me aware of a few things that Penn has over Sanchez. I still think this is a dangerous fight for BJ; anytime anyone stands in the cage with a top caliber opponent like Diego Sanchez they will always be in for a tough night. For one I know BJ is going to look for two things; one being to move in and out of Diego’s pocket flurries. Diego has his best chance catching BJ in these types of exchanges, but I believe a man with BJ’s experience is going to counter with a straight one-two and move out as soon as Diego tries to engage. The second thing is BJ will attempt to get Diego to the ground where he can work submissions. The first round will showcase a lot of stand up. Diego will be pushing forward, tempting BJ to engage with him in flurries. Round two will be for the most part the same but BJ should be making slight adjustments and pot shoting Diego or working submissions. By the end of the night I believe the fight will be stopped in the third or fourth by submission. Even if Diego is able to take Penn down, he is still at a disadvantage there and runs a huge risk of getting swepted or stalled out, forcing the action back to the center of the Octagon. I’m no Miss Cleo though, so don’t be going to your nearest bookie to wager your life savings on Penn. Though Vegas odds are in his favor, this piece is merely a guide to have you the fan, see the fight from a different and meticulously broken down aspect. Either way, we are going to see these boys do some work this Saturday night!
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