#BJPenn, The Prodigy, has fallen on hard times.
Thirty-eight years old and winless since 2010, the aging legend makes his return to the Octagon at UFC Fight Night 103, headlining the card opposite #YairRodriguez, following an absence dating back to 2014.
In his most recent bout, a highly unnecessary trilogy fight with fellow lightweight great Frankie Edgar in a featherweight showdown, Penn was thoroughly beaten and dominated before being stopped by Edgar with strikes from top position.
It was a highly disappointing performance for the all-time great. Dropping to featherweight, many hoped that a run in his natural weight class would be enough to revitalize his career. Instead, he looked lifeless and bizarre, adopting a strange bolt upright stance that saw him standing on his toes at various points, as Edgar effortlessly secured takedowns and beat him mercilessly from Penn's guard.
Penn is not the fighter he once was, but hope for a return of "The Prodigy" of old has not subsided. The idea that Penn is a fighter who got by on natural talent and could have achieved more had he gotten with a more structured camp is a ubiquitous one. This perception is rooted in both nostalgia and frustration, and still occupies the minds of some of his most diehard fans ahead of his return.
UFC 1 on 1 with BJ Penn | FOX Sports | FS1 Tuesday November 24th 7:30 PM ET / 4:30 PM PT @ufc @foxsports @fs1
A video posted by BJ Penn (@bjpenn) on
Nov 23, 2015 at 7:45am PST
Penns recent move to Jackson Wink MMA to train under renowned head coach Greg Jackson has revitalized these fever dreams, supposing that, even at his advanced age, we may yet see the best B.J. Penn on fight night.
Sadly, this will almost certainly not be the case. As gifted a coach as Greg Jackson is, he cant turn back time. Slower, less explosive, and with diminished reactions, Penns best days are behind him. Combat sports, however, are a rare space where there is room for the savvy veteran. Muhammad Alis twilight days were a testament to this, as a clearly diminished Ali used technical superiority and will to compete against younger, faster, stronger competition.
The idea of a Jackson-trained Penn relying on deep fundamentals and masterful craft to compete at a high level is perhaps fanciful, but undoubtedly appealing. From this perspective, Rodriguez is a fascinating opponent.
Nothing about the 24-year-old athletic wunderkind could be described as fundamental. Rodriguezs nickname, El Pantera is one of the sports most fitting. There is little thought behind his actions, his movements dictated by instinct, but with a senseless grace.
Rodriguez, handsome, Mexican, and with an intensely exciting fighting style, could be a highly valuable promotional asset, and the UFC is aware of this. Following a head kick knockout of Andre Fili to open the main card of UFC 197, Rodriguez would headline his first UFC event, winning a deserved split decision against Alex Caceres.
MMA has always been, and will always be, a sport in which the young feast on the old. A jaded person may suggest that B.J. Penn is intended to play the lamb to Yair Rodriguezs lion.
A spectacular win over the fading Penn could help to bolster the young prodigys public appeal, and many are expecting exactly that.
There is little to no underlying process to Rodriguezs game, but theres an intensity and character behind his fighting style which is unique to him. He strikes like a hurricane, kicking ambidextrously with blazing speed from either stance, allowing him to chain together combinations of kicks while shifting stances in between.
El Pantera operates best at kicking range, where he can freely probe with inventive attacks from bizarre angles, subduing the forward movement of an opponent. His kicking arsenal is as deep as any in the sport, possessing straight kicks, round kicks, spinning kicks, crescent kicks, hook kicks, and virtually every other variety imaginable.
"He strikes like a hurricane, kicking ambidextrously with blazing speed from either stance."
He is a powerful and incredibly dangerous striker, but he lacks boxing savvy in the pocket and is most easily troubled by an opponent who denies him the open space he thrives on.
For all of his faults, Penn is undoubtedly a savvy boxer. At his best, the Prodigy was a technical marvel, one of the first fighters to be truly outstanding in every phase of a fight. Gorgeous head movement and an educated jab were his bread and butter, while ridiculous balance and an understated technical wrestling game kept him on his feet.
While both were blessed with immense physical gifts, the technical development of Rodriguez is nothing akin to Penns. Penn, the first non-Brazilian to win the black belt division of the World Jiu-Jitsu Championship, earned his prodigious moniker not in MMA, but on the mats, where he received his BJJ black belt in a baffling three years.
On the feet, too, Penn is deeply rooted in the fundamentals. While showing moments of intense violence, brutalizing both Sean Sherk and Diego Sanchez with flying knees, his success on the feet was always a result of his crisp boxing.
#UFCPhoenix Countdown: @PanteraUFC vs @BJPennDotComOfficial premieres TONIGHT at 6:30pmET on @FS1!!
A video posted by ufc (@ufc) on
Jan 8, 2017 at 9:28am PST
As a puncher, Penn was near peerless for his era. Few possessed his confidence in the pocket, calmly stringing together combinations of straights, hooks and uppercuts while weaving his head effortlessly away from returning fire. His jab is still one of the finest in the sports history, capable of both defensive and offensive application.
Defensively, Penns jab could be used to maintain distance against an aggressive opponent, as well as to deter heavy commitment to leads. Offensively, it was capable of doing the exact opposite, stripping an opponent of their space while forcing them towards the fence, opening them up to hard right hooks to the head and body.
Also one of the finest scramblers of his time, Penns offensive wrestling was understated not just for its effectiveness, but for his ability to capitalize on opportunities created from his takedown attempts. His guard passing was technically peerless, easily knee slice passing through half guards like a hot knife through butter. His ability to positionally dominate and choke out Takanori Gomi, Matt Hughes and Kenny Florian spoke to his acumen as a ground fighter.
Like his striking, Rodriguezs ground game is representative of his wild intensity. Frequently favoring dynamism over fundamentals, he will risk giving up dangerous positions during scrambles in order to dive on leg locks, returning to his feet through a sustained wave of attack.
All of this serves to create a game that is more dangerous than it is practical; he has flaws which can clearly be exploited, but they require an opponent to survive his offense, as unpredictable and punishing as it is, in order to take advantage.
"Remember when..."
A photo posted by BJ Penn (@bjpenn) on
Mar 29, 2014 at 2:45pm PDT
A Jackson-trained B.J. Penn is a wildcard. The 2014 iteration of B.J. Penn is likely fodder for Rodriguez. Athletically, we should expect no better from the 2016 version. Technically, however, he may possess some tools to trouble El Pantera." Should we believe that Penn has significantly evolved, rather than regressed, as a technician? There are reasons to be skeptical. Regardless, even an ageing Penn may be capable of besting the athletic dynamo with the right preparation.
Through aggressive use of the jab and his rarely-seen low kicks, Penn could force Rodriguez to the fence, minimizing the kicking threat, where his head movement and combination boxing should still be superior.
By fighting explicitly to his strengths, avoiding kicking distance, boxing in the pocket and securing takedowns where possible, Penn could gradually wear the younger man down, or even find a submission in a scramble, where Rodriguez often leaves himself vulnerable.
All of this is dependent on Penns ability to deal with a fighter as physically overwhelming as Rodriguez, which is a serious X-factor at this point in his career.
Unfortunately, even supreme skill differentials can be overcome with enough difference in physicality. Plausibly, even a well prepared Penn could find that his earnest efforts were simply not enough.
The idea that the old B.J. will show up on Sunday night is a particularly sad one. The delusion that Penn can turn back the clock athletically is ludicrous, yes, but no less ludicrous is the idea that he can fight as he once did without the physical gifts which enabled that fighting style.
In order to overcome Yair Rodriguez, the old Penn will not be enough. The only B.J. Penn that can defeat Rodriguez is an entirely new man, rededicated to his craft and committed to a game plan. Only by adapting to the role of the crafty veteran can Penn keep his footing in a sport determined to see him fall gracelessly.
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