BJ Penn vs Kenny Florian title fight at UFC 101
The anticipated showdown between UFC lightweight champion B.J. Penn and number one contender Kenny Florian will finally take place. A blog post on Penn’s official website stated that Florian has already signed his bout agreement and “as for B.J., we received the bout agreement (Friday) afternoon and plan on making this fight happen.”
The post states the bout will headline UFC 101 on Aug. 8 in Philadelphia.
The bout will be Penn’s first defense of his lightweight title since defeating Sean Sherk at UFC 84 in May of last year. It will also mark his first action in the Octagon since a loss to UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre at UFC 94 in January, which has been mired in controversy over accusations of improper usage of Vaseline by St. Pierre’s camp.
It’s good to see that the talent-rich UFC lightweight division won’t be in a holding pattern any longer, and Penn will be back fighting at a more suitable weight for his frame. Certainly, Florian has improved immensely over the years; his is a great story, especially from the UFC perspective. This should be an easy fight to sell given its implications for the division and the skill with which these two combatants communicate their respective messages to fans.
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