Penn Won't Be Ready for Florian Until Late Summer
According to a new report on Sherdog, BJ Penn won't be available for a lightweight title defense against Kenny Florian until late July or August, because he wants to spend time with his new daughter. Though Dana White — and BJ Penn's facebook page — previously stated that the Penn/Florian tilt was a possibility to headline UFC 99 (June 13th; Cologne, Germany), it's looking like the match could headline the as-of-yet unannounced UFC 101 or 102 cards.
If Penn does agree to a fight in late July, it will have been 14 months since the last time the UFC's lightweight title was up for grabs — and eight months since Kenny Florian last stepped into the Octagon. It's a long layoff, but whaddya gonna do:
It's a bummer, but waiting for your title shot is still a better option than taking a placeholder bout just to stay busy, and running the risk of getting Paulo Thiago'd.
Semi-Related: Even if Penn is ready to fight by early July, the lineup for the UFC's monumental 100th (-ish) event (July 11th, Las Vegas) might already be too crowded. In addition to the GSP/Alves and Henderson/Bisping fights, the rumor of a Randy Couture vs. Fedor Emelianenko one-off match has reared its head again, thanks to UFC-approved journalist Kevin Iole.
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Comments
Tomahawk1fan Says:
Last
Machete for hands Says:
fuck bj penn. i really wanna see florian beat his ass just like gsp.
> USA Says:
Randy and Fedor to jointly headline 100 would be mindblowing.
Dave W Says:
Dammit BJ!
You have to redeem yourself by taking out Zoolander.
rokabee Says:
Fuck yea, if UFC 100 has fedor vs Randy on it, i will buy it fucking 3 times over! I can't wait for that. Taking time off to be with your newborn daughter is a pretty good excuse to push it back a lil bit, but i think hes just trying to put it into Florian's head that this is the BJPENN(dot) com show and not the ken-flo show. I think its all mental for BJ, who knws, maybe he will come out super recharged and have a new will to fight! Lets hope so.
iron helps us play Says:
if the ufc actually put together fedor vs couture, i don't think i'd be able to sleep during the week of the fight.
Dynamite!! Says:
after emelianenko submits randy, he'll help him up, pat him on the back while hugging him, and then in his first attempt at trash-talking, he'll look into the camera and say "lesnar, i will break u"
Clark Kent Jab Says:
it's a good thing that florian has another well-paying job that he is also good at.
so leave him alone. i'm talking to u, barnett.
JiMMA Says:
I am so sick of BJ PENN and his 'DIVA' like personality.
Get the hell in the cage and defend your belt! Dana should pull another Couture and make Kenny and Sherk fight for an interim belt.
Maybe that would light a fire up Baby BJs' ass..
NeW jErSeY-nEw JeRsEy Says:
I agree with JiMMA...BJ is becoming quite the Diva. What ever happend to "just scrap"? Now it's "just blog", "just whine", "just post videos", "just make excuses". And I was a big fan.
Sorry, but no interest in seeing Fedor KO Randy in 30 seconds. Randy's chin isn't going to be able to handle those sort of big punches. I love Randy and think he should compete, but he's a small HW with a 45 year old chin. He's a top-5 fighter, but he can't go smash-for-smash with younger and bigger figthers anymore.
NeW jErSeY-nEw JeRsEy Says:
Cool, you are the biggest prick in the entire universe.
Aptninja Says:
Why, exactly, does the Garv think Kevin Iole is "such a credible source?" Iole admits that no one at the UFC has said anything to him about Couture fighting Fedor, and then goes on to insist that it could probably happen. His reasoning seems to be that A) UFC 100 is going to be big and B) Fedor-Couture would be the biggest fight imaginable, therefore C) Fedor-Couture will probably happen at UFC 100. God, I hope he's right, but I don't see any reason why he would be.
Artigale Says:
First off, Cool you are a douche bag. Pull down your "poped" collar on your pink polo, wash that gel out of your hair, turn off your computer and move out of your parents house.
Secondly, with each news story about BJ I grow to hate him more and more.
BJ STOP BEING A PUSSY AND DEFEND YOUR BELT. I used to hate Kenny because of that stupid nick name.........but I hope KenFlo kicks BJ's ass!
Fedor a million ankles Says:
BJ Penn is a spoiled little whiny quitter fight dodging bitch.
I hope Kenny does the badass thing and takes ANOTHER fight in the meantime. At this rate he could lose and then get a few wins and be back to #1 contender status by the time BJ mans up.
Machete for hands Says:
@Fedor a million ankles
good point
Kenny Florian Says:
What the fuck bro?
Clark Kent Jab Says:
Please Bens,
Can't u guys just go out and murder this COOL tool?
manutdfan Says:
Okay, this 'Cool' guy needs to stop.
armfarmer Says:
Kenny vs Diego rematch for interim lw title!! or Number 1 contender!! Either way we win.. nobody wants to see him and sherk again we've already seen how that goes.
carl spackler Says:
fedor will steamroll couture. consequently, putin will claim the russian federation has reasserted itself as the dominant power of the world. thus, the u.s. is inferior. meanwhile, jean claude van damme is still popping boners on the brazilian tv show with pure excitement and exuberance.
My Fight Wiffa Cheeto Says:
Stupid Baby Jay Penn. All those Jay Dee Penn's can go to hell. Especially the hubris filled douche white father who named all his kids after him.
I could stand to see Florian/Penn at UFC 100 still. Fuck, charge more for the pay-per-view but go live earlier at 8pm or 9pm EST. I'll gladly pay for more action like that or go to my bar and get hammered earlier to watch it there. Any of you agree with that for UFC 100?
As for Fedor vs. Randy. Yes. Please God yes.
BJ Pain...in the ass Says:
Hi Im BJ Penn and I told you I was a lazy ass yesterday. Why are you guys surprised? Im a spoiled little bitch!
Wow Says:
I am amazed... so far all the comments have been about the artical.
Thats awesome...
You know for the most part I agree with all the above comments about BJ being a "diva" and such. However can you realy fault the guy for wanting to spend time with his new born daughter? I just cant see how thats being a DIVA or what have you. If he gave some other reason maybe.
Either way unless BJ decides he doesnt want the belt anymore and just gives up I dont see how Kenny can win this fight or anyone for that matter. At LW BJ is a beast who I dont see being beat by any of the current contenders.
I like Kenny as much as the next guy but I dont think Ken-Flo could beat Sherk if they fought again and BJ just about killed him when they fought.
CFK Says:
Bj dint have enough time off before the GSP fight i guess. Mabey with this vacation he can get fatter, slower, and increase his cardio even more. I wonder if he gets gassed going to the fridge to get the baby a bottle. Way to go Bj, you suck balls.
armfarmer Says:
BJ trains very close to his home doesn't he? He owes it to Kenny to man up and fight and not come up with excuses to put it off, Kenny's been waiting too long already. He can spend time with his family and train, it's not like he trains that hard anyway. Plus he'll probably take a week off during training anyways.
A BJ Fan Says:
A motivated and hungry Penn will dominate the lightweight division in any promotion. I really wanna see Sanchez vs Penn, but let's be honest. If Diego couldn't put away Stevenson, he's gonna get picked apart by Penn. Florian vs Penn would be awesome to watch but I don't see Penn losing that either. I think Sherk vs Sanchez needs to happen to determine the next contender. And if Penn isn't ready to fight by then (it'll be like a year and a half of holding the lightweight title) White should just strip him of the title and finally let poor Kenny fight Sherk or Sanchez for it. This will piss off Penn enough to get back in there and kill any one of them. And I'm serious about this.
NeW jErSeY-nEw JeRsEy Says:
###You know for the most part I agree with all the above comments about BJ being a "diva" and such. However can you realy fault the guy for wanting to spend time with his new born daughter?###
Well, it's not like he leaves the comfort of home to train. He can go to work like every other man, come home when he's finished and see his kid. Really, it's not that complicated....
BJ is making excuses. He was beat down pretty good, but not injured. The fight was almost 4 weeks ago. He should be back in the gym...like a real champion. He wants to talk this "world champ talk" he needs to walk the walk.
I was a BJ fan, and I'm just sick of it now.
Brian Boyd Says:
When Florian demolishes Penn, what will be his excuse? "He was to skinny for me to wrap my legs around!" or "his face was too hairy and My punches slid off!" i bet he has already started a list of pre-emptive complaints in preparation for the Florian Fight. "June was too long between fights I was rusty, no wait, I meant it was too soon I didnt have time to prepare." "June 13? 13 is my unlucky number, the moon was too far misaligned with Hilo, and it threw off my chi." What a loser. Act like a fighter.
TUF Guy Says:
What do you guys think about this for UFC 100
Couture vs Cro Cop
Fedor vs the UFC Heavywheight Champ at the time (mir or lesnar)
I mean it is a pretty stacked card already. Couture vs Cro Cop would be pretty awesome, too.
TUF Guy Says:
While BJ Penn is training his mind-games, Florian is somewhere doing 500 superman punches
Dana's White Says:
What's up with all these people slamming Penn? He just wants to spend time with his family for god sakes. He just suffered a bad lost a month ago and fighting probably isn't on his mind. He probably wants to stay home with people who comfort and support him, instead of training to fight in front of people who turn on him after losing to the best P4P fighter in GSP. (Fuck Anderson) And for everyone slamming his cardio, he was getting outwrestled for 4 rounds by someone who is much bigger and stronger than him. Anyone would get tired after that. Everyones saying that he took a little vacation during the preperation for the biggest fight of his life, but that's probably what he's always done (why change your routine when it usually works) but it was the Primetime show that documented it. Come on MMA fans, let him rest and regain the mental and physical drive before you're willing to throw this future hall of famer under the bus.
Dave W Says:
@ TUF Guy
I'd love to see that happen, but it doesn't seem like Randy is as interested in fighting Crocop as he is willing to fight Fedor. (I don't know why, because Fedor will kill him)
Plus I don't see it happening bc it looks like White really wants Crocop for the Germany card. Plus now with Penn not fighting in 99, they're gonna need more big names for 99.
But I would pay double to watch Fedor fight anyone in the UFC.
Triple for Lesnar.
ItburnswhenIpee Says:
Penn is welcome to take all the time off he wants. BUT- if he does, he needs to vacate the belt and let those who want it fight for it.
Couture vs Cro Cop would be entertaining but meaningless. Let Cro Crop rematch Gonzaga if he wants to try to prove he still has some of the old spark.
If Couture faces Emelianenko, I'd mortgage the house and put it all on Fedor, but not feel too bad about it if Randy happened to be the one who finally beat him.
TUF Guy Says:
I just can't see Couture vs Fedor being a fair fight. Couture is still one of my favorites but I think him vs cro cop would be a better matched fight. both guys at the ending part of their careers, with something to prove.
Mir vs Fedor would be great.
C'mon Dana you queer. Make it happen. Put up your best against Afflictions best heavyweight! Dana White always claims that the advantage MMA has over Boxing is the matchmaking.
The world wants to see your best against their best. Plust think of all the $$$$$$
iron helps us play Says:
it should be the ufc's decision to vacate the belt though. no fighter out of their right mind would just give up something that they've worked so hard for.
i wish randy was interested in fighting crocop bc i would love to see that. crocop's not that old and i think a win over a legend like randy would give him the confidence that he really needs to start taking off heads again. plus, being a huge randy fan, i wouldn't even be devastated if he lost to crocop bc he's a pretty humble dude.
mir vs fedor would be awesome of the mir that fought nogueira showed up.
i would love to see a co-promotion but i don't exactly miss the seeing affliction shirts on the fighters.
iron helps us play Says:
it should be the ufc's decision to vacate the belt though. no fighter out of their right mind would just give up something that they've worked so hard for.
i wish randy was interested in fighting crocop bc i would love to see that. crocop's not that old and i think a win over a legend like randy would give him the confidence that he really needs to start taking off heads again. plus, being a huge randy fan, i wouldn't even be devastated if he lost to crocop bc he's a pretty humble dude.
mir vs fedor would be awesome of the mir that fought nogueira showed up.
i would love to see a co-promotion but i don't exactly miss seeing affliction shirts on the fighters.
Imbecile Says:
How does BJ have any fans left? He has been a bitch for years, only proven more so by the whole GSP thing. His brother says that a fight in June is too close to his last fight? Seriously? Fighting in roughly six month intervals is too soon? I thought BJ was a fighter, not an athlete. That he would fight all the time if he could because he just loves fighting. What a complete bitch!
He ties up the LW belt for over a year because he just had to prove that to everyone that he was significantly outclassed in a higher weight class. That shouldn't be tolerated by the UFC. When May rolls around, and it has been over 12 months since he last fought at LW when he took on Sherk, he should be stripped of the belt for lack of activity within the division. Can anyone imagine if BJ had actually won the fight against GSP and had to defend two belts with his one-fight-every-eight-months policy? Screw that guy! I don't really care if I ever see him fight again.
Fenix Says:
Guys, can we please respect BJ here? Sure he's using the family as an excuse but what he's really going to be doing is going all over the world to find the most perfect, the most precious, the most prestine rock he can train with underwater.
Just wish some of you guys would THINK damnit!
A BJ Fan Says:
I'm a fan of BJ's because of what he does in the ring/cage. Everything he does outside (unless he rapes/murders someone) doesn't really mean anything to me.
If he fought in June, it would be about 5 months. Not 6. That's not that long considering that he has to heal up (bc he did take a beating) and move back down in to lightweight. (not everyone is Diego "Stevia" Sanchez) Plus, he needs to be mentally prepared as well and this all takes time.
Now consider the fact that he has a new born that he wants to spend time with. If the UFC wants to strip him of the title, so be it. But let's not call him a bitch for wanting to be a father.
Plus, now I'm just going out on a limb here but, maybe the guy who likes to compete in open weight fights to test his skills (a bitch wouldn't do that) isn't exactly threatened or motivated in a fight with Ben Stiller.
Dr. Says:
Yeah, a motivated BJ can destroy people, but it's been a long time since someone other than Pudge McAdams has stepped in the cage wearing his shorts.
And speaking of his shorts, hey BJ, you don't need to remind us that you're a black belt and you're not the only one in MMA that could do this - you're just so insecure with your shit that you need to have it there to remind yourself of it.
BJ Penn Says:
Hey guys just wanted to say hello and cowabunga n stuff. The real reason I will be taking some extra time off is so I can make a movie about GSP greasing. You thougth that short youtube video was impressive? I'm putting Steven Spielberg and ILM to work on this bitch. You haven't seen vaseline until you see my next movie. Laters, guys. Hakuna Matata!
Dynamite!! Says:
i think penn also earns a percentage in payperview buys on his contract. and considering that fighting is his main source of income, maybe that's also why he doesn't wanna fight in europe.
Dr. Says:
And as much as I can't for the life of me like Koschek, I respect his desire to fight as much as possible. You're a fighter, you fight? Good.
Oh wait, what's the excuse going to be in the summer to postpone Florian's shot?
Pudge McAdams Says:
Hey Dr,
After you finish surfing the web, I want you to go lie down, take a deep breath and then go fuck yourself. And I'm not joking about this...
Dr. Says:
And on BJ's site, he said after the fight (in his own words) that he was no worse for wear - no real damage. So by his account, he didn't take a beating and shouldn't have to deal with an extended heal up time. Also begs the question about why he couldn't continue to fight.
His ego got checked and he has to sort that out. That's why he's been wasting his energy making excuses and videos. Denial is one step in the process, BJ.
Duck away, duck away.
Dr. Says:
Hahaha, thanks Pudge, I'll think about it. If you're not joking, then why is it funny?
Good one. Get that guy a t-shirt.
Dr. Says:
@ Pudge
I guess you can't bring anything relevant to the table and need to troll. Better get on that. This article was actually going well until you pulled your head out of your ass and tried to put some words down.
ItburnswhenIpee Says:
@ A BJ Fan
Try to be a little more consistent, would you? First you tell us to have a little respect for Penn, and not call him a bitch, and then you compare a skilled professional fighter to a comedic actor, simply because of a passing resemblence? I think your credibility just fell out your ass.
Dynamite!! Says:
i'm sure penn took damage and maybe his ego is too big to admit that he took some. and he didn't continue to fight bc he was gassed and was getting his ass kicked. he had no answer for georges and was probably mentally exhausted too.
just bc he said he was fine after doesn't mean he wasn't gassed. one can feel exhausted one night, and fine enough the next day to type.
Pudge McAdams Says:
Dr
Yes it was a joke. Can you prescribe me some weight loss pills or something?