B.J. Penn is finally coming out of retirement, but not for the fight everyone wanted to see. Instead, Penn is going to coach another stint on TUF (The Ultimate Fighter) opposite a guy who has beaten him twice in Frankie Edgar. If that wasn’t enough, when Penn and Edgar meet in April 2014, it will be at featherweight.
The problem I have with this fight is, it’s not good for anyone. TUF has been falling short as of late and I don’t see these two as coaches helping ratings. Edgar has nothing to gain by beating a guy he has defeated twice.
If he loses, it will really hurt the former lightweight champion and his legacy. Then, you have Penn coming out of retirement, debuting in a weight-class he has never fought in. This doesn’t wash out well in my opinion.
If Penn wins, it will make an awesome story of how he came out of retirement, debuted in an unfamiliar weight-class, and defeated the only guy to beat him two times in a row, for the belt no less. I just don’t see this happening. Edgar was way too fast for Penn at lightweight, and even Rory MacDonald was too fast at welterweight. I just don’t see Penn improving at 145 lbs.
“The two first fights were BS,” said Penn. “I want that fight again. I want to beat this guy so bad. It’s all I want.”
I am a huge Penn fan/supporter and am glad to hear he is back, but this fight is a shame. Penn has aged like a reverse wine, he hasn’t got better with age. He started his career as “The Prodigy,” and it looks like the new mma fans will never know or respect the legacy that is B.J. Penn.
There was so much more for Penn to grab onto if he chose to come out of retirement, and I just think this is a bad choice. Yet I do love the fact that Penn disagrees.
The really good news is, both guys have huge die-hard fans bases and I expect true fans to be pumped for this fight. Either way, fans will be watching TUF 19 and be tuning in April 2014. Whether this is a bad match-up or not, I will be tuning in with all the other die-hards.
Complain or not, you know you’ll be watching. I mean it’s mma, and we all watch it all whether we agree or not. Good luck to both guys and their legacies.