One man has gone 13-1 in the UFC at 170 pounds with his lone loss coming in the only title-fight he’s received thus far while the other is 2-3 in the division with a trio of opportunities to procure gold and a championship victory in the mix. However, when Jon Fitch and B.J. Penn meet at UFC 127 the two talented fighters will be equals in the sense the individual walking away with a win will also get a crack at sitting atop the UFC’s welterweight throne.

Head-honcho Dana White discussed the situation on Tuesday during a UFC 127 conference call with media where he explained the company’s position on their headlining bout serving to determine the company’s top welterweight contender.

“Let’s face it…the reality is Penn has held titles in both weight classes. Fitch has fought for the title and has literally dominated that division for a long time, just didn’t win the title. Any one of these guys that wins this fight is in the mix – the #1 guy,” said the UFC President.

Fitch is currently riding a five-fight win streak starting in January 2009 and featuring the likes of Paulo Thiago and Thiago Alves. As touched on earlier, the American Kickboxing Academy staple’s only stumble inside the Octagon came as the result of a one-sided decision defeat to welterweight champ Georges St. Pierre when the two fought at UFC 87.

His foe on February 27 in Sydney has also fallen to St. Pierre, twice in fact, including a TKO at UFC 94 ultimately sending Penn back down to 155 pounds where he fought four more times before returning to 170 pounds in victorious fashion with a 21-second knockout of rival Matt Hughes last November. The performance marked Penn’s second career win over Hughes who remains the only welterweight the Hawaiian has beaten in the UFC.

In addition to the match-up between Penn and Hughes, UFC 127 will feature a fight between TUF 3 winner Michael Bisping and veteran striker Jorge Rivera as well as submission-specialist George Sotiropoulos in action against German kickboxer Dennis Siver.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFCSimilar Posts:

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• Penn vs. Fitch, six other fights announced for UFC’s February return to Australia
• George Sotiropoulos fighting at least one more time before title shot
• Jon Fitch vs. B.J. Penn targeted for UFC 127
• BJ Penn vs. Matt Hughes rubber-match rumored for UFC 123

One man has gone 13-1 in the UFC at 170 pounds with his lone loss coming in the only title-fight he’s received thus far while the other is 2-3 in the division with a trio of opportunities to procure gold and a championship victory in the mix. However, when Jon Fitch and B.J. Penn meet at UFC 127 the two talented fighters will be equals in the sense the individual walking away with a win will also get a crack at sitting atop the UFC’s welterweight throne.

Head-honcho Dana White discussed the situation on Tuesday during a UFC 127 conference call with media where he explained the company’s position on their headlining bout serving to determine the company’s top welterweight contender.

“Let’s face it…the reality is Penn has held titles in both weight classes. Fitch has fought for the title and has literally dominated that division for a long time, just didn’t win the title. Any one of these guys that wins this fight is in the mix – the #1 guy,” said the UFC President.

Fitch is currently riding a five-fight win streak starting in January 2009 and featuring the likes of Paulo Thiago and Thiago Alves. As touched on earlier, the American Kickboxing Academy staple’s only stumble inside the Octagon came as the result of a one-sided decision defeat to welterweight champ Georges St. Pierre when the two fought at UFC 87.

His foe on February 27 in Sydney has also fallen to St. Pierre, twice in fact, including a TKO at UFC 94 ultimately sending Penn back down to 155 pounds where he fought four more times before returning to 170 pounds in victorious fashion with a 21-second knockout of rival Matt Hughes last November. The performance marked Penn’s second career win over Hughes who remains the only welterweight the Hawaiian has beaten in the UFC.

In addition to the match-up between Penn and Hughes, UFC 127 will feature a fight between TUF 3 winner Michael Bisping and veteran striker Jorge Rivera as well as submission-specialist George Sotiropoulos in action against German kickboxer Dennis Siver.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFCSimilar Posts:

• Fitch: “I think I should be fighting for the title. But I’ve been given a huge opportunity here to fight B.J. Penn, and that’s a big fight, belt or no belt.”
• Penn vs. Fitch, six other fights announced for UFC’s February return to Australia
• George Sotiropoulos fighting at least one more time before title shot
• Jon Fitch vs. B.J. Penn targeted for UFC 127
• BJ Penn vs. Matt Hughes rubber-match rumored for UFC 123

Lightweight is one of MMA’s most-interesting weight-classes to rank based on how the division’s top talent is spread out over multiple promotions rather than the lot, or even bulk, calling the UFC home. With DREAM, Strikeforce, and Bellator all having a stake in the “Top 5” it’s difficult to compare common opponents or know how each man would fare if paired against one of his elite peers calling a rival organization home.

As always, don’t consider this gospel. The fact is, when two finely-tuned individuals step into a cage and let loose the difference between consciousness and looking up at the ceiling is a matter of milliseconds no matter who is ranked where. The individuality inherently involved in a subjective endeavor like ranking fighters, many of whom could easily be argued as deserving different spots based on personal criteria, is not only recognized on Five Ounces’ end but also encouraged in the form of offering your own lists in the “Comments” section below.

1. Frank Edgar (13-1)

Edgar’s mixture of boxing, wrestling, and conditioning make him extremely difficult to defeat as evident in two consecutive wins over a man who was believed to be unbeatable at 155-pounds, B.J. Penn. The UFC lightweight champ’s speed is also among the best in the division. While I’m far from confident he’d handle any of the four men below him, I’ll never doubt Edgar’s ability to emerge victorious in the face of adversity. He may have fallen victim to Gray Maynard’s ground-control and size/strength advantage when they originally faced off, but with his dubyas over Penn, plus Sean Sherk, Tyson Griffin, and Jim Miller, I think he’s definitely deserving of the division’s top spot until at least the conclusion of UFC 125 when the world has a chance to see how he handles “The Bully” a second time.

2. Gilbert Melendez (18-2)

“El Nino” reminds me a bit of Edgar in terms of technical prowess with power in place of the New Jersey fighter’s quickness. He’s rarely outwrestled and can stand with the best if a fight’s pacing dicates the necessity to do so (or he simply feels like proving a point). I personally thought he deserved the decision over Mitsuhiro Ishida at “Yarennoka 2007”, and would have likely received it had the bout been somewhere other than Japan, but a loss is a loss and there is no arguing his underwhelming performance against Josh Thomson in June 2008. However, I believe he grew from each experience and is even better today. For evidence of his evolution, look at the fact he knocked Ishida out in their rematch and thoroughly dominated Thomson when they faced off again, not to mention his dismantling of Shinya Aoki earlier this year.

3. Eddie Alvarez (21-2)

For those that might question Alvarez’s ranking, especially when you consider neither of his career losses have involved the judges’ scorecards, I think the proof is in the poundings. Alvarez has only won by decision twice in his twenty-one total victories and is currently riding a streak of seven straight finishes. Maynard has half his wins and a tenth of his TKOs/submissions, while Penn is coming off back-to-back losses and won’t be returning to 155-pounds until mid-2011 (if ever). Alvarez has power, multi-tiered striking, athleticism, and high-level grappling. In baseball terms, Alvarez is a “five-tool” player, and from a rounded-skills standpoint might be the best overall in this total bunch.

4. B.J. Penn (16-7-1)

Penn is as unique as they come in MMA and defines what it means to be a genuine “fighter” better than most in the sport. His knockout of Matt Hughes at UFC 123 was amazing, as have been so many of his victories, and I truly believe a motivated Baby Jay is likely to mop the floor with anyone who doesn’t have phenomenal wrestling/top-control. He took former UFC 205-pound champ Lyoto Machida to decision in 2005. Need I say more?

5. Gray Maynard (10-0)

I have Maynard slightly above Aoki based on his boxing and wrestling, as those seemed to be two areas Aoki severely struggled in against Melendez and could be susceptible to again if by some incredible feat he was opposite “The Bully” in a ring. The XTreme Couture original has never cleanly fallen, only earning a “No Contest” after knocking himself and his opponent out with a slam, while racking up wins over multiple names on this list, including of course UFC champ Edgar, as well as the always-tough Nate Diaz and Roger Huerta. He may not always come away victorious in the most pleasing of fashions but he’s effective at what he does in the ring and will remain an extremely tough draw for any adversary until proven otherwise.

6. Shinya Aoki (26-5)

Aoki is a victim of not having consistently faced ranked lightweight competitors. While his affiliation with DREAM has allowed him to occasionally take on some of the division’s best, he also gets drawn into bouts built for padding his stats rather than furthering his career. He’s good enough to beat Alvarez, J.Z. Cavalcante, and Tatsuya Kawajiri, yet was completely out-classed by Melendez and has had his knees-knocked on more than one occasion in the past. There’s no question he’s a submission savant but until he improves his takedown defense and stand-up I see his future involving a number of ups and downs, and he can’t get better taking on people like Marcus Aurelio and Yokthai Sithoar in back-to-back bouts.

7. Sean Sherk (36-4-1)

“The Muscle Shark” is an interesting case, as all four of his career losses have come to former/current UFC champions (Penn, Edgar, Hughes, and Georges St. Pierre). Considering that fact, in addition to the notion he’s fought 41 times and beaten people like Ken Florian, Evan Dunham, and Nick Diaz, it almost seems as though he deserves to be higher on most lists, including this one. However, his victory over Dunham was razor-thin and saved him from consecutive defeats and he hasn’t been particularly active over the last few years. With five fights since 2007, two of which involved defeat, it’s difficult to know exactly how he stacks up in the mix. Though the 37-year old’s wrestling and top-control are top notch, they’re also his only real weapons in the cage and aren’t always enough to carry him to victory.

8. Ken Florian (13-5)

Florian is constantly on the cusp of lightweight greatness but hasn’t been able to get over the hump for some reason. He’s an underrated striker with solid wrestling and the ability to attack from any position on the ground. “KenFlo” has only been finished once at 155-pounds, to Penn, while submitting the likes of Clay Guida, Takanori Gomi, and Joe Stevenson, but also struggled in some of his biggest fights including both of his past title-shots (and most recently a bout against Maynard set to establish a top divisional contender).

9. George Sotiropoulos (14-2)

The Aussie is one of the hottest 155-pounders out there at the moment. He’s riding an eight-fight win streak, including convincing performances against Stevenson, Joe Lauzon, and Kurt Pellegrino. He’s also yet to be finished in sixteen bouts. His stand-up is crisp and diverse, while his BJJ is other-worldly at times and always a major threat to prematurely ending an opponent’s evening.

10. Evan Dunham (11-1)

Dunham is a rising star to be sure with a single loss thus far in his career (and a split-decision to Sherk at that). His performances haven’t been mind-blowing in nature but it’s hard to fault him too much when considering who he’s faced since joining the UFC. However, with each in-ring appearance, the diamond that Dunham is becomes more and more apparent. He’s growing from simply being good at everything to great.

11. Tatsuya Kawajiri (26-6-2)

Kawajiri has faced a number of talented lightweights over his years in Japan and, though he hasn’t always come out ahead in terms of result, he’s been a consistent competitor whose wrestling and power have been good enough to earn victory more often than not. His four losses over the past six years came to Melendez, Alvarez, Aoki, and a prime Gomi. Other than that, “Crusher” emerged victorious in all sixteen other bouts during that period minus a draw with Caol Uno in early 2004.

12. Jim Miller (18-2)

If Miller had more high-profile fights under his belt in the UFC I honestly believe he’d be a consensus “Top 10” guy. Miller has quietly racked up seven wins in the UFC with single loss to Maynard at UFC 96. He’s won his last five bouts while beating respectable adversaries like Mac Danzig, Duane Ludwig, and Mark Bocek during the streak. On top of that, the 27-year old New Jersey native has never been finished in his career and his only other loss besides Maynard came to Edgar four years ago.

13. K.J. Noons (9-2)

Though Noons hasn’t necessarily fought any “Top 10” lightweights, he went five full rounds against Five Ounces’ #4 welterweight (the elder Diaz) last October and put enough pepper on his face in their previous match-up to merit a doctor’s stoppage. He’s perhaps the most powerful, boxing-based fighter in this group and has shown improvement in terms of both his wrestling and submission-defense as of late. He’d won six straight prior to the decision loss to Diaz and was not only the first person to TKO Jorge Gurgel, but the last person to finish Yves Edwards (two years ago).

14. Ben Henderson (12-1)

It’s easy to appreciate Henderson’s athleticism and submission-skills, as well as his precision when standing, but unfortunately he’s only fought three times in the last eighteen months against a combination of two opponents (Jamie Varner and Donald Cerrone). If he gets by Anthony Pettis at WEC 53, there’s no doubt “Bendo” will continue to climb in the rankings as his UFC career blossoms. However, until fans see him in the Octagon with a few ranked, seasoned veterans it will be hard to determine exactly how far up he can go.

15. Josh Thomson (18-3)

There are a number of worthwhile Mixed Martial Artists as deserving of this spot as Thomson but I picked “The Punk” for a few reasons. He’s 10-1 in his last eleven fights with the only defeat coming to Melendez in their rematch. Within those ten victories is a dominating decision against the afore-mentioned Melendez, as well as a hard-fought win over widely-respected Brazilian (J.Z.) Cavalcante and a few other worthwhile foes like Ludwig, Nam Phan, and Pat Healy. He’s only been finished a single time in his career, and is also a really good wrestler with excellent conditioning and quick, accurate striking. Though he may not get the respect he would if he still fought for Zuffa, he still deserves consideration for what he’s accomplished outside of the Octagon.

Honorable Mentions

Gesias “J.Z.” Cavalcante (15-4-1): The American Top Team representative hasn’t recovered his stride since a slew of injuries sidelined him in 2008-2009, but he’s still an extremely talented individual with significant wins in his career and a full bag of tricks to pull from inside the ring. He’s also never been TKO’d or submitted.
Takanori Gomi (32-6): “The Fireball Kid” is still clinging on to rankings-relevance after being one of, if not the, most exciting lightweights in MMA during his run in PRIDE/Shooto. He’s 3-3 in his last six fights, but looked to have possibly recaptured the same magic bringing him to the forefront of the sport when he knocked Tyson Griffin out this past August.Similar Posts:

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Fans wondering whether B.J. Penn would return to the division where he recently reigned as champion pr remain at 170-pounds or after overrunning Matt Hughes at “UFC 123: Rampage vs. Machida” got an answer quicker than they might have envisioned, similar to the finish, when UFC head-honcho Dana White announced at the post-event press conference that “The Prodigy” would be facing perennial contender Jon Fitch in Sydney at UFC 127 on February 27.

Though Penn’s twenty-one second win against Hughes was his first as a welterweight since 2004, Fitch is believed by many to be neck-and-neck with newly signed Jake Shields as the division’s top threat to the title, meaning a victory for the Hawaiian icon in Australia would certainly go a long way in terms of earning the eventual shot at the belt he covets.

The 23-3 Fitch has won five consecutive bouts since falling to Georges St. Pierre by way of unanimous decision in August 2008. He holds notable victories over Thiago Alves, Diego Sanchez, and Paulo Thiago. Prior to Saturday’s announcement he was rumored to be facing rising 170-pound star Jake Ellenberger at UFC 126.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC
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Former double-divisional champion B.J. Penn was one of four fighters taking home an $80,000 bonus for their respective showings Saturday night at “UFC 123: Rampage vs. Machida”. Penn, who finished welterweight great Matt Hughes by way of knockout less than thirty seconds into their co-headlining bout, was awarded “Knockout of the Night” and the additional cash for his dominant, tie-breaking performance.

News of the distinction was announced at the post-event press conference.

“Fight of the Night”, as well as the attached cash, went to George Sotiropoulos and Joe Lauzon for their entertaining two-round scrap ultimately seeing the Aussie emerge victorious after a second round submission. The bonus is the seventh for Lauzon in nine Octagon appearances.

Finally, undefeated light heavyweight Phil “Mr. Wonderful” Davis took home “Submission of the Night” for the unique manner in which he tapped opponent Tim Boetsch. Davis earned the honor, and the eighty grand, based on a one-armed, Hammerlock/Kimura – a “Philmura” if you will – causing Boestch to call it quits based on both pain and necessity in terms of protecting his health.

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Nate Diaz will be making his second appearance in the UFC’s welterweight division following a lengthy stint at lightweight when he faces off with Marcus Davis at UFC 118.

The UFC made the bout official today for the August 28 event in Boston.

Both fighters are coming off of wins in the Octagon and will be looking to use one another as springboards into the upper crust of the 170 lb. division.

Diaz made his debut in the welterweight division on the heels of a split decision defeat to Gray Maynard at lightweight with an impressive first round TKO over Rory Markham at UFC 111, while “The Irish Hand Grenade” recently rebounded from consecutive defets at the hands of Dan Hardy and Ben Saunders with a second round TKO of Jonathan Goulet during UFC 113.

UFC 118 will be headlined by a lightweight title rematch between Frankie Edgar and B.J. Penn, while Randy Couture is expected to welcome James Toney to MMA in the co-headliner.

A welterweight bout destined for fireworks is now official for the UFC's
first trip to Boston.

The promotion today confirmed Marcus Davis vs. Nate
Diaz for the pay-per-view portion of UFC 118, which
takes place Aug. 28 at Boston's TD Garden. A lightweight title rematch
between newly crowned champion Frankie Edgar and the recently deposed B.J.
Penn headlines.

Diaz is expected to be in the clear with the Tennessee Athletic
Commission in time to make the fight.

UFC 118 is still almost two months away but the card is set to be a completely stacked affair, with two main event bouts and several other solid fights. UFC will be in Boston, Mass. for the first time, and it seems like the UFC wants to set the bar extremely high. The main event will feature the first title defense of Frankie Edgar as he rematches BJ Penn while the co-main event will feature UFC Hall of famer Randy Couture returning to the Octagon to take on boxing star James Toney. The card doesn’t get any weaker as Nate Marquardt looks to rebound from his loss to Chael Sonnen as he takes on BJJ wizard Rousimar Palhares while boston’s own Kenny Florian will fight game Gray Maynard. There’s even unconfirmed rumors that Nate Diaz will be fighting on the card possibly against Marcus Davis. Wow this is a must by pay per view.

Main card

Lightweight Championship bout: Frankie Edgar vs. B.J. Penn
Heavyweight bout: Randy Couture vs. James Toney
Middleweight bout: Nate Marquardt vs. Rousimar Palhares
Lightweight bout: Kenny Florian vs. Gray Maynard

Preliminary card (Spike TV)

Middleweight bout: Jorge Rivera vs. Alessio Sakara
Lightweight bout: Joe Lauzon vs. Terry Etim

Preliminary card

Lightweight bout: Andre Winner vs. Nik Lentz
Middleweight bout: Phil Baroni vs. John Salter
Welterweight bout: Nick Osipczak vs. Greg Soto
Welterweight bout: Mike Pierce vs. Amilcar Alves

The name “Jose Aldo” warrants both fear and respect among featherweight fighters these days, but how much praise does a champion’s training partner deserve before he’s even made his WEC debut?

At “WEC 49: Varner vs. Shalorus“, fight fans will get an opportunity to draw their own conclusions about Renan Barao — training partner of the current WEC champ and a 20-1 Brazilian fighter whose current 20-fight win streak dates all the way back to his pro debut — but while all the hype seems to surround Barao for his upcoming WEC bantamweight debut, people shouldn’t be too quick to count out the challenger, Anthony Leone.

One of several undefeated fighters from Team Bombsquad, Leone himself is no stranger to trading punches with champions. At 21, he left Long Island, NY and headed to Hilo, HI to study MMA under former UFC Lightweight Champion B.J. Penn. Since then he’s compiled an undefeated record of 8-0 and is just as eager as Barao to get his name out there this Sunday at WEC49.

“My opponent is pretty good. He’s 20-1, with a 20-fight win streak, I know that, but he’s never really faced a wrestler or somebody who will switch it up on him like I can,” Leone said. “All the guys he’s fought are mostly Muay Thai fighters… I don’t know, I think he’s got a lot of hype behind him.”

Leone on the other hand has been winning quietly the last two years, jumping back and forth between the 145 and 155 lb. divisions, but always in the mix with the best around and consistently coming out on top by submission or decision.

Before coming back from Hawaii in 2008, Leone turned to the popular MMA forum The Underground in search of a quality camp to join when he got home to New York. Right away, all signs pointed to Cortland based Bombsquad.

“That was all Zack,” said Leone. “We met on The Underground and he asked me, ‘What type of opponents are you looking for?’ Then he gave me three options; an easy opponent, a hard opponent or whoever we put in front of you. I said, ‘I don’t really care.’ I was 1-0 at the time and feeling pretty good. The rest is history.”

Leone has kept busy since he got back to the mainland and has been in and out of the cage just about every three months for his entire career, but it wasn’t until he took a single fight at 135 that he got noticed by the likes of the WEC.

He and his manager had decided a few months back that the WEC was just too stacked at 145 to make a run at a featherweight contract, so when a new promotion called the XCFL offered Leone a title shot and a chance to drop to 135 for a fight with undefeated Boston Sityodtong prodigy in Teteki Matsui, he jumped at the chance.

The result was a bantamweight debut that contained more memorable moments than most’s career highlight video.

Leone revealed new found speed and the same kind of power against Matsui. He took him down with slams from the front as well as behind, unloaded straight left and right punches at an incredible pace and ate more than one headkick as well as an illegal knee to the head while he was down.

“I had to cut 30 pounds to make 135,” said Leone. “I think i got a lot faster but those guys [in the WEC] are so much faster too. It’s got its ups and downs.”

The real difference in the wrestler’s game came when he moved Upstate so he could train with the Bombsquad full time. He explained there were people to roll with in Long Island but nothing could match the sparring he received day in and day out with his brothers at arms in Cortland.

“Moving up to Cortland has been great for me,” he said. “Back when I used to train in Long Island we’d mostly work on my wrestling or jiu-jitsu, but not spar. Then, I come up to Cortland and we’re forced to spar atleast three or four times a week. I never used to like to get hit, but now I’m used to it. I’m never scared to get in cage and take a shot. I know it’s going to happen — I know I’m going to get punched — it’s just a matter of doing it back to him.”

As World Extreme Cagefighting continues to gather up the most talented fighters under 155 pounds, more and more exciting fights have found their way onto the undercard. This weekend’s event will feature Wagney Fabiano along with Raphael Assuncao and Diego Nunes competing in the featherweight and bantamweight divisions, and fight fans can’t afford to miss Barao and Leone.

The Ultimate Fighting Championships' long-expected Boston show is now set with today's official announcement of "UFC 118: Edgar vs. Penn II."

The Aug. 28 event takes place at the TD Garden with a headliner and rematch between UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar and ex-champ B.J. Penn.

Other rumored bouts now official include Randy Couture vs. James Toney, Gray Maynard vs. Kenny Florian, Rousimar Palhares vs. Nate Marquardt and five others.