Best Lightweight ever Benson or BJ Penn?

[UhVaiMorre]

BJ Penn for now but we gotta Respek Benson and other LW's. RDA might get that title in the future if he beats khabib and alvarez and ferguson.

 

[Mga223]

Frankie.

But BJ > Bendo due to BJ winning via stoppages and subs, and also not winning via questionable decisions.

Edgar 2, Thomson and Melendez I all thought benson lost..

He got screwed in the cerrone fight but that didn't have a title in the line.

 

[12ga.]

Frankie. Beat them both. In fact Frankie has never been finished.

 

[12ga.]

People saying RDA. LMAO. He will lose to any of the top 3 more often than not. Just wait. Well he already did to one of them. Most overrated champ there is. Even more than Conor. Thats doesnt mean I dont like him. He a brawler my favorite type of fighter. But they tend to get exposed.

 

[Hardkore]

People saying RDA. LMAO. He will lose to any of the top 3 more often than not. Just wait. Well he already did to one of them. Most overrated champ there is. Even more than Conor.

He beat the fight out of Pettis, and smashed Cowboy and he's overrated?

 

[essie]

lol at Benson being a top 5 lightweight. Gomi, RDA, Frankie.

 

[snizzar]

Sure quitting on stool is such a sign of a great fighter after talking that way.

Lol wut? By that logic Cain Velasquez and McGoober aren't great fighters for talking shit in the pre-fight hype and then tapping out quickly.

 

[megaton]

Edit: I meant Lightweight LOL!!!

Been following the sport for 7 years. This is a toughy.

Penn-he impressively finished top opponents were Bendo grinded out close decisions.
Great thread

 

[TjDillashawCombo]

Conor

 

[JustOnce]

Lol wut? By that logic Cain Velasquez and McGoober aren't great fighters for talking shit in the pre-fight hype and then tapping out quickly.

Gomi accomplished much much more than BJ ever did in the lightweight division.

Gomi the best LW of all time
BJ is the second

then, I don't care about the rest

 

[Mr.Maelstrom]

At first I thought Ben Henderson was a strange choice to put opposite BJ Penn in this discussion, but the more I thought about it the more I realized there is a decent case to be made for him as one of the best 155ers ever. Having said that, though, I don't include him in the conversation with BJ as one of the absolute best lightweights -- I would say he's top 5, maybe top 4, but I don't think he's the best or second best. For me it's Penn, Edgar and Gomi.

Anyway, as others have said, BJ had an aura about him that only a select few fighters have. His natural ability and physical gifts were incredible to behold and his fighting style was very exciting. He had a killer instinct that was fairly rare at the lower weights for the time. His boxing was skillful and he had dynamite in his hands, and his BJJ was beyond reproach. He also made great fighters look helpless. His Lightweight title defense over Diego Sanchez remains probably the single most dominant title defense I've ever seen in MMA; he absolutely pulverized Diego, who only landed a handful of strikes for his part. Bendo is a great fighter with lots of impressive wins and a number of classic fights on his ledger, but with BJ in his prime it was readily apparent that you were watching greatness. The "once in a lifetime"/"once ever" hyperbole has become a total punchline (and with good reason) through its ridiculous overuse, but that really applies to BJ, IMO: his balance, flexibility, preternatural understanding of grappling, epic chin, willingness to fight from featherweight to heavyweight (and be competitive in doing so) -- we'll never see anything like it again.

Very well put

 

[Lichen Sclerosus]

Slow down on the thread creation, pal.

Shut up.

 

[Anderson Silva]

Edit: I meant Lightweight LOL!!!

Been following the sport for 7 years. This is a toughy.

Benson

 

[MuyThaiElbows]

BJ will be the best LW ever. There will never be a 155'er like BJ Penn that is willing to fight HW's and win two UFC titles.

Frankie Edgar beat Bendo once imo so I don't look at it as Bendo winning twice

 

[Sean Long]

That's the stupidest two sentences I've read in this thread.

Its because I dont speak Tard.....sorry......

 

[Hardkore]

Its because I dont speak Tard.....sorry......

Naw but you're fluent in dumbshit

 

[CrashBangWallop]

Benson > BJ

When Benson went up to fight a much bigger man, he won, he didn't repeatedly get smashed into retirement. Yet anyway.

When Penn went up in weight it was to fight the best in the world. Who did Henderson fight again?

Edit- And he won the belt!

 

[JohnWick]

 

[Sean Long]

Naw but you're fluent in dumbshit

I learned from you my sensei........

 

[Monacomo]

BJ