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Penn yet to reveal true reason for UFC 112 loss - Kelly

BJ Penn was surprisingly stationary at UFC 112 © UFC

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England's Paul Kelly is adamant BJ Penn is the best boxer the UFC has ever seen, and he is convinced the Prodigy will soon reveal the true reason for why he lost to Frankie Edgar at UFC 112.

Penn gets the chance to avenge that defeat to Edgar on Saturday, a loss that saw the Hawaiian defeated at 155lbs for the first time in eight years. It was also the first time for six years that a lightweight had successfully taken Penn to the mat.

Despite suggestions of a pre-fight injury, the former champion has consistently ignored chances to provide an excuse for the defeat, even though he was wearing a heavy-looking knee support. Kelly, who admits Penn would be the one man he would find difficult to fight, predicts the 31-year-old will win back his title this weekend... and then reveal the true reason for why he lost it in the first place.

"I've said it over and over again. BJ Penn is the most technically sound fighter in the division. Pound for pound, he's one of the greatest fighters ever," Kelly told ESPN.co.uk.

"There's been no excuses come from him since that loss [to Edgar]. I reckon something wasn't quite right, maybe he didn't put in the workload in training, and if that's the case he deserved to lose.

"But I think something was wrong. He's too respectful to say it, like I was in the aftermath of the Siver fight. Some fighters stand in the ring afterwards and talk about injuries, but that's disrespectful. Go lie down in the corner and shut up.

"Penn hasn't said anything but I think if he wins back his belt we may hear the true reason for his performance at UFC 112. He didn't use any foot movement. BJ's got the best foot movement in the UFC. He's the best boxer the UFC has ever seen. For Edgar to beat him for movement, something was wrong in my opinion."

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