• UFC 118

Penn can signal new lightweight era win-or-lose

BJ Penn looked sluggish at UFC 112 © UFC

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UFC 118 in Boston, Massachusetts will provide the stage for something that loosely resembles an old school UFC tournament between the lightweight division's top four fighters.

On August 28 the battle for the 155lb title will take place, but firstly there will be the No. 1 contender spot up for grabs, as former title challenger and home town favourite Kenny Florian takes on undefeated wrestling standout Gray Maynard. The winner will then be forced to sit and wait to see exactly who they will be challenging for the lightweight title.

In the main event of the evening, arguably the best lightweight to ever put on a pair of gloves, BJ Penn, will look to avenge his first loss at 155lb since 2002. Penn will be given his chance of redemption when he rematches the man who took his title at UFC 112, Frankie Edgar.

The main issues that have plagued Penn throughout his MMA career have been his motivation and his commitment to training. The first time he met Edgar there was very much a feeling of "mandatory challenger" surrounding the bout, with no-one really giving the New Jersey native a chance. There was no trash talk, no revenge element involved, this was just one man getting the title shot that his impressive run had earned.

While there should never be any motivational issues for any fighter, particularly in a world title fight, it was clear to see that the BJ Penn that turned up in Abu Dhabi was a shadow of the champion who dismantled Diego Sanchez just four months earlier. If motivation was the issue, then avenging that loss and reclaiming the title should be just what the doctor ordered to bring back the real "Prodigy" of old on August 28.

It is a very rare sight for a champion to enter the Octagon as an underdog, but for the second fight in a row, and in his first title defence, that is exactly what Edgar will be. His combination tactics in April had huge success at UFC 112, and "The Answer" was able to maintain the same busy pace for the entire five rounds en route to claiming the lightweight title.

This time it will take a lot more to defeat a hungrier Penn, but if Edgar can once again find a way of overcoming the greatest lightweight in UFC history, he will spark a new era at 155lbs. There is no doubt that both Kenny Florian and Gray Maynard will be hoping for this outcome, merely because an Edgar victory would guarantee the victor a title fight.

A rematch between Kenny Florian and BJ Penn seems unnecessary after their initial clash a year ago © Getty Images

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Florian has been in fine form of late, responding to his 2009 loss to Penn with back-to-back submission victories over Clay Guida and Takanori Gomi. If Florian does end Maynard's undefeated run, to make it three wins on the bounce, then an Edgar v Florian fight for the title could provide a very entertaining showpiece. If Maynard walks away from UFC 118 still undefeated, then that would hand Edgar the opportunity to not only defend his title again, but to avenge his sole career loss.

Perhaps more intriguing, though, is what happens if Penn wins back his title. For very different reasons, victory for the Hawaiian could still signal a new era.

A second showdown with Florian doesn't make a great deal of sense, considering the dominant manner in which Penn won their last bout a year ago. A fight with Maynard, who Penn coached on The Ultimate Fighter, doesn't exactly send the heart pounding with excitement either, so a fresh assault on the welterweight division, where Penn once held the title after defeating Matt Hughes, could provide the challenge that the Prodigy needs to keep performing to his full potential.

When you sit at the top of the tree for so long there is only one place to go - and that is down. Penn has been given a chance to redeem himself quickly against Edgar, but should he reclaim the lightweight championship at UFC 118, "The Prodigy" may well find that the time has come to move to 170lbs. The lightweight division needs new life, and on his last showing, so does the greatest 155lb champion of all time.

Chris Park is mmatorch.com's UK specialist. To visit mmatorch.com, click here.

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