|
 Lost in the hubbub of Georges St. Pierre and B.J. Penn’s “Lubrigate”
scandal last week was a major business deal that might finally put some
real competition to the UFC back on network television.
It was a bit like hearing voices from beyond the grave when rumors
surfaced that the venerable Strikeforce promotion was on the verge of
purchasing the corpse of EliteXC. All the old questions about the
failed company’s disputed fighter contracts, dashed TV deal and the
fate of everybody’s favorite straw man, Kimbo Slice, reared their heads
again.
Fortunately, Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker, long regarded as one of the
most competent execs in MMA, proved smart enough to skirt most of those
issues.
Read the rest at CraveOnline .
|
|
|
 Last week, I wondered aloud in this column which version of B.J. Penn
would show up for the biggest fight of his life against welterweight
champion Georges St. Pierre at UFC 94. Would it be the intense,
cardio-friendly Penn who’d just ripped through three straight wins in
the Octagon against the top competition at 155-pounds? Or would it be
the sluggish, disinterested and out-of-shape Penn who dropped
back-to-back bouts at 170 during 2006?
Turns out, it didn’t really matter. Even on his best day, Penn didn’t
stand a chance of beating St. Pierre. The French-Canadian champion was
just too big, too athletic and too well-prepared to be denied on this
night.
Contrary to what many fans believed, Penn may indeed have trained hard
and studied up in preparation for his long-awaited rematch with St.
Pierre. If he did, it didn’t seem to help. Penn still looked gun-shy,
ill-equipped and ultimately overmatched from the opening bell until the
moment his own corner pulled the plug just before the final round.
Read the rest at CraveOnline .
|
|
|
 Eight years into his professional mixed martial arts career, it’s still tough to know what to expect from B.J. Penn.
Probably the most naturally gifted fighter to ever lace five-ounce
gloves, Penn has also at times been something of a problem child for
the head honchos at the UFC. Now on the verge of his welterweight title
fight with Georges St. Pierre at UFC 94 and what is undoubtedly the
biggest challenge of his life, the going concern of the last couple of
weeks has been: Which B.J. is going to show up Saturday night in Las
Vegas?
Read the rest at CraveOnline .
|
|
|
|
<< Start < Prev 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Next > End >>
|
| Results 25 - 32 of 183 |
