We were waiting for B.J. Penn to film a video blog in a parking garage at the Las Vegas airport to let us know how he feels about defending his title against Frankie Edgar at UFC 112, and lo and behold, here it is.  Penn says he thinks Edgar is "a very good opponent" with "a lot of big wins," and he’s generally pretty pleased with the bout.  He doesn’t exhibit the kind of fire that he might if he were getting Georges St. Pierre or Matt Hughes again, but what do you expect? 

Still, the muted though positive reaction from Penn forces us to consider the gradual decline in pre-fight heat from "The Prodigy" as his fights have gotten less personal and less challenging all at the same time.  Remember when he fought Sean Sherk in May of 2008?  Penn couldn’t get through an interview without painting him as an immoral cheater who deserved Wild West-style justice.  Then it was GSP, who he was ready to fight to the death, followed by Greasegate text message denier Kenny Florian, who he says he punished a little more than necessary, and lastly it was Diego Sanchez, who he really had nothing against. 

Now, it’s Edgar.  A good opponent with some good wins.  Okay, fine.  Why not?  He isn’t getting any younger, and it’s already been more than a month since he’s licked anyone else’s blood off his gloves.

Bonus: After the jump, Dana White and Lorenzo Fertitta explain to street hustler Mike Straka why Gray Maynard isn’t getting a shot at the title.

Skip to the 6:15 mark to hear the discussion about the next lightweight title challenger. Or don’t.  What do we care?  It’s your life.