"It's that time again" -- TuffGirl's Over 35 - UFC 80; WHO YOU GONNA PICK? Thread

[TuffGirl]

UFC 80
Date: Saturday, Jan. 19, 2008
Location: Newcastle, England
Venue: Metro Radio Arena
Broadcast: Pay-Per-View (3:00pm Live Broadcast , 10:00pm Time Delayed & CUT-to-HELL)



MAIN CARD

MAIN EVENT
B.J. Penn vs. Joe Stevenson (for vacant lightweight title)
{this is to replace Sean Sherk's Steriod Taking, Cry Baby, Pansy Ass - yes, you know he took them 'roids!}



Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Fabricio Werdum

Marcus Davis vs. Jess Liaudin

Jason Lambert vs. Wilson Gouveia

Kendall Grove vs. Jorge Rivera



PRELIMINARY CARD

Antoni Hardonk vs. Colin Robinson

Paul Kelly vs. Paul Taylor

James Lee vs. Alessio Sakara

Per Eklund vs. Sam Stout



YOU GUYS KNOW YOU LOVE THIS AS MUCH AS I DO!

[farsscf]

B.J. Penn by sub vs. Joe Stevenson - Stevenson could surprise us I am unsure on this he could sub Penn

Gabriel Gonzaga by KO vs. Fabricio Werdum

Marcus Davis by KO or ref stoppage vs. Jess Liaudin

Jason Lambert by KO or ref stoppage vs. Wilson Gouveia

Kendall Grove by Sub vs. Jorge Rivera



PRELIMINARY CARD

Antoni Hardonk by KO vs. Colin Robinson

Paul Kelly vs. Paul Taylor - don't care

James Lee vs. Alessio Sakara by KO

Per Eklund vs. Sam Stout by KO

[TuffGirl]

MAIN CARD

B.J. Penn vs. Joe Stevenson - This is gonna be one hell of a fight!

Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Fabricio Werdum

Marcus Davis vs. Jess Liaudin

Jason Lambert vs.Wilson Gouveia

Kendall Grove vs. Jorge Rivera



PRELIMINARY CARD

Antoni Hardonk vs. Colin Robinson

Paul Kelly vs. Paul Taylor

James Lee vs. Alessio Sakara

Per Eklund vs. Sam Stout

[Bob 1]

Don't care about the rest of the card but if BJ and Joe Daddy come to fight it might be one of the best matches ever. EVER

[DanVanVliet]

Hey TG you hottie you.

[TuffGirl]

You're right, Bob.

I'm not sure who wants that title more - Baby Jay or Joe Daddy.

[TuffGirl]

Maturing B.J. Penn Ready to Claim Crown (Story from Yahoo! Sports)
Posted by Kevin Iole on January 16, 2008 at 2:19 pm ET
by Kevin Iole/Yahoo! Sports
(Reprinted from Yahoo! Sports with permission)

NEWCASTLE, ENGLAND

For years, the word "IF" has haunted B.J. Penn.

He's heard it so much, it makes him want to scream in agony.

If only he would train, the experts would say.

If only he would take mixed martial arts seriously, they'd continue.

If only he had the desire to be the best like a Randy Couture.

Penn has heard it for years and run away from it, trying desperately to be his own man. He would do things his way, on his terms.

And though doing that has resulted in a decent career, Penn is hardly a lock to be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame at this stage and there are many who look at him as a disappointment.

"When he wants to, he can pretty much do anything in there," long-time rival Jens Pulver said of Penn.

Now, it seems, Penn wants to. On the eve of a lightweight title shot against Joe Stevenson on Saturday at UFC 80 at Metro Radio Arena, Penn admits that his legions of critics are correct.

He has, he says, underachieved for much of his career. Despite the UFC welterweight title he won by submitting Matt Hughes, despite the wins over luminaries such as Takanori Gomi, Matt Serra, Caol Uno and Renzo Gracie, among others, Penn concedes he hasn?t gotten all he could out of his career.

At 29 years old, the Hilo, Hawaii native says, he's finally grown up.

"I hear all these things everyone says about it, and it should get me (angry), but I'm no, because it's true," Penn said. "I should be No. 1 up there. I know the kind of skills I have. I haven't always been as serious as I should. I've been immature a lot of the time. Bottom line, I'm a better fighter than I've shown."

In Stevenson, Penn faces a guy who in many ways is his polar opposite. While Penn's physique is frequently soft, without definition, Stevenson looks like he was chiseled, not born.

Stevenson is the type who'd never spent just five hours in a gym when he had a chance to spend eight.

He's literally made himself into a fighter while supporting a wife and a growing family.

Penn comes from a well-to-do background and hasn't had to push himself the way Stevenson has.

But Penn, who is nicknamed "The Prodigy," said a conversation with UFC president Dana White last year turned his professional life around.

White was toying with the idea of naming Penn and Pulver as coaches on "The Ultimate Fighter" but wanted Penn to commit to making 155 pounds so they'd fight at the season finale.

Penn had once talked of winning titles in all five MMA weight divisions, but agreeing to White's offer would mean agreeing to the sacrifice it would take to get to - and stay at - 155 pounds.

"This idea he had of winning titles at 70, 85, 205 and heavyweight is nutty, and I told him that," White said. "B.J. is as good as there is, but that's not how you make your reputation. You clean out one division and after you do that, if you think you can do it you move up at that point."

So Penn agreed to coach on the show and went on to exact revenge on Pulver by submitting him in the second round of the finale.

That's led to the fight with Stevenson and yet another bid at a lightweight title he was once considered a shoo-in to win but has never worn.

"Joe is a fantastic fighter," Penn says, almost sounding reverential.

But it is not Stevenson who is motivating Penn to make 155 and to try to, as White says, clean out the division.

He aches for another crack at interim welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre, who was dominant in a Dec. 29 win at UFC 79 over Hughes.

Penn lost a disputed split decision at UFC 58 on March 3, 2006, in Las Vegas. He clearly dominated the Canadian star in the first round, but his conditioning was poor and he couldn't keep up the pace. St. Pierre came back to take the final two rounds and win the fight.

St. Pierre has zoomed to the top of the MMA heap and is ranked second to Anderson Silva in the Yahoo! Sports top 10 poll, while Penn is seventh.

"Can I please - please - fight this guy (St. Pierre)?" Penn says. "You know it has to happen. Everyone does. It's the fight everyone really wants to see. I heard Dana say something like a 'motivated B.J. Penn is very dangerous,' but I'd never be more motivated in my life than if I got a chance to fight this guy again."

If Penn gets past Stevenson, which is hardly a given even if he's on top of his game, he'll still have to get past guys like former champion Sean Sherk and top contenders such as Kenny Florian, Frankie Edgar, Tyson Griffin and Roger Huerta.

Then, and only then, will White relent and give Penn the fight he really wants.



"Some guys are born with God-given natural ability, but a lot of times, they're the hardest ones to get to train properly because everything comes so easily to them," White said. "And because of that, a lot of times they wind up (throwing) it all way. B.J. can do things that very few guys have ever been able to do in there, but he doesn't do it all the time because he hasn't dedicated himself to it.

'He tells me he is and he insists he's working as hard as he?s ever worked, so we'll have to see. But if he does what he says and cleans out this division, then he can come to me and we?ll talk about the welterweights."

That's fine with Penn, who loved the nickname he carried but didn't like the pressure that went along with being one of the most gifted mixed martial artists who ever lived.

He just wanted to be one of the guys at one point.

"I didn't like being the favorite and always being expected to win," Penn said. "I've had the highest highs and the lowest lows in this career and a lot of it is because of all the expectations people put on me. I didn?t really like (them) telling me how I should win all of the time. But I'm a more mature guy now and I understand better what this is all about.

"Now is the time. I'm ready to do the things I'm capable of, not just for one fight, but for every fight."

White laughed upon hearing the comment - because he's heard Penn say it so many times before.

"We'll see," White said between chuckles.

But Penn is deadly serious. He wants not only to win the lightweight belt and cement his legacy as one of the greatest fighters to compete in the UFC, but he wants to be able to avenge a loss that has grated on him ever since.

"I think I won the fight as it was," Penn said. "His conditioning and stamina was great that time and it will be again. But where I know his will be the same, I'm going to be a lot better. He won't be fighting the same old B.J."

[TuffGirl]

MAIN CARD

B.J. Penn vs. Joe Stevenson - This is gonna be one hell of a fight!

Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Fabricio Werdum

Marcus Davis vs. Jess Liaudin

Jason Lambert vs.Wilson Gouveia

Kendall Grove vs. Jorge Rivera



PRELIMINARY CARD

Antoni Hardonk vs. Colin Robinson

Paul Kelly vs. Paul Taylor

James Lee vs. Alessio Sakara

Per Eklund vs. Sam Stout

Well, guys... I was wrong on two fights: Gonzaga and Werdum & Kelly and Taylor.

Gonzaga let Werdum get the best of him. Werdum got into his head - looked like Gonzaga gave up.

Paul Kelly and Paul Tayor fought one hell of a fight. I wish everybody came out swinging like that.

BJ Penn is THE MAN! Happy as Hell to see him as LIGHTWEIGHT CHAMPION!

I was pissed to see Sean Sherk in the Arena - the F*cker should have been banned from the event! He is a steroid taking, pansy-ass, cry baby, pussy -who was found guilty of using a substance forbidden by UFC rules. He was STRIPPED of his title! Why should the UFC even let him make commentary on the fight?


That's my opinion!

[farsscf]

I was wondering why Sherk was there, much less commentating, when Nick Diaz was banned from the arena and could not corner for his brother when he was suspended?

[TuffGirl]

I was wondering why Sherk was there, much less commentating, when Nick Diaz was banned from the arena and could not corner for his brother when he was suspended?

Yes, I brought up that same incident to my husband. You'd think Dana White was f*cking Sean Sherk or something the way he favors him. He has always gone out on a limb saying how he felt that Sean was innocent. THE DUDE WAS FOUND GUILTY OF STEROID USE! JUST LIKE NICK WAS FOUND GUILTY OF SMOKING WEED!

(once again- this is my opinion!)

[Bob 1]

Gonzagga who??

Bj penn/Joe daddy a great fight...totally wish Joe's cut had not been that bad. I wanted a more technical fight..**** happens.

Like tuff girl, totally wondering what is up with sherk. I know they don't check for rhoids in England. I personally wouldn't give the SOB the time of day.

MY PERSONAL THOUGHTS. Dana White is running the UFC like the old WCW where drugs are ok if you don't get caught. The main thing is to line Dana and the owners pockets with sheckels. Yes WCW wrestling is fake but the ananlogy works.
I am also seeing some fights that should not be made like the wrestler who I can't remember right now and Frank Mir. Only in fake wrestling can you go to the top after a few fights no matter what your credentials might be. BULL****

Reppage to you tuffgirl for always getting my blood up. I love violence

[farsscf]

Gonzaga was surprising, it was like he just all at once fell asleep. Lesnar has fought in other MMA orgs and Frank Mir is nowhere near the top of UFC.

[TuffGirl]

Gonzagga who??

Bj penn/Joe daddy a great fight...totally wish Joe's cut had not been that bad. I wanted a more technical fight..**** happens.

Like tuff girl, totally wondering what is up with sherk. I know they don't check for rhoids in England. I personally wouldn't give the SOB the time of day.

MY PERSONAL THOUGHTS. Dana White is running the UFC like the old WCW where drugs are ok if you don't get caught. The main thing is to line Dana and the owners pockets with sheckels. Yes WCW wrestling is fake but the ananlogy works.
I am also seeing some fights that should not be made like the wrestler who I can't remember right now and Frank Mir. Only in fake wrestling can you go to the top after a few fights no matter what your credentials might be. BULL****

Reppage to you tuffgirl for always getting my blood up. I love violence

You're right, Bob. They've dragged out ol' broken down Frank Mir who's not been worth a **** since he wrecked is motorcycle and "defeated the odds against never walking again" and put him up against this Wrestling 'Fake' Brock Lesner... but we'll be there Pay-Per-Viewing! Won't We?

Yep, I love the Violence, too!

[Bob 1]

Gonzaga was surprising, it was like he just all at once fell asleep. Lesnar has fought in other MMA orgs and Frank Mir is nowhere near the top of UFC.

At one time Frank Mir was the UFC so show some respect. Lesnar had a few well picked fights and that brings us back the fake wrestling analogy. The card between him and Mir should have been a fight of the month thing not a major PPV..that makes me go Hmmmmmm???

[TuffGirl]

Mir is an excellent commentator, I think that's where he should remain.

If you look at his record, it doesn't look so bad. But his performance hasn't been so good lately.

I say he took this fight for the financial gain.

[farsscf]

Yes, he used to be but he should have quit a few fights ago. Just saying he isn't near the top anymore. They are gonna use him as a stepping stone for Lesnar. He should not let them do it. I agree he is a great commentator though. It is a shame something lke a motorcycle accident ruined his career.

[Bob 1]

You're right, Bob. They've dragged out ol' broken down Frank Mir who's not been worth a **** since he wrecked is motorcycle and "defeated the odds against never walking again" and put him up against this Wrestling 'Fake' Brock Lesner... but we'll be there Pay-Per-Viewing! Won't We?

Yep, I love the Violence, too!

I gave up pay per viewing a long time ago,(WINK) but yes I will be there. I figure dana makes his money back from me when I watch the TV show and have to listen to the commercials.