What Penn Haters Choose not to See

[CRuck1980]

Like I said ... he is no longer among the elite. But his ADDICTION TO BEING A WARRION can't just be turned off.

It seems to turn off in the gym

 

[FlexBelt]

The only thing I see is a 16-10-2 record.

 

[aali14]

Hard to call him a warrior when he folds so easily, he has balls when it comes to choosing hard fights I'll admit but he really doesn't show it inside the cage when things aren't going his way

 

[Metal_Daze]

BJ doesn't need haters anymore, he's ruining his reputation by himself.

 

[Shaungotti]

Why must everyone be classified as a fan or hater of a certain fighter? I've been critical of some of Penn's career choices but I'm not a hater by any means. I miss having him in the mix. MMA was better when BJ was in there, win or lose.

Penn had a great career but his need to fight bigger guys (often unsuccessfully) makes it really difficult to compare his career to other greats.

If you use simple logic, he was a 2 division champ which means he's an all-time great. If you dig deeper and consider that he finished his career with a 16-10 record it can be a difficult stat to get around and he falls down a few rungs. When you dig even deeper and consider the fighters he beat and when he beat them he then moves back up.

Some people don't seem to think that the losses to bigger fighters even count since he was fighting above his natural weight. The reality is a lot of people thought he'd beat Diaz, Rory, GSP and Fitch. He took those fights because he thought he could beat them. They count. And there you have it, Penn's career will always be difficult to evaluate.

I know this wasn't exactly what TS was getting at. I was more or less just reacting to the idea that people who are critical of Penn are immediately haters.

 

[ocfightfan]

I've about had it with the Penn haters. If it's not one thing, it's another. Now it's a run-of-the-mill brawl he got into.

The fact is, BJ is a WARRIOR. He is ADDICTED TO WAR. He is addicted to winning. As a true champion should be.

BJ is the ONLY fighter in the history of the UFC who would take on any fighter, any size, with no notice.

Penn can no longer compete with the world's elite. So he fed his (heroic?) need for victory where he could. And in his mind, he got the win.

This is how a champion thinks. This is how a champion lives.

Don't like it? Watch another sport.

WAR BJ!

Is this sarcasm? A parody of idiotic old school BJ Penn fans?

 

[tenniswhiz]

Of course BJ is a an all time great.
And IMO, you get bonus points if you're a 'dark ages' old-timer who also dominated the modern (post- TUF) scene, which BJ did.

I like BJ a lot, I think he had some amazing abilities for BJJ and MMA.
Any criticism of his career or work would be only at the most elite level.

 

[Loiosh]

The reality is a lot of people thought he'd beat Diaz, Rory, GSP and Fitch.

I don't think this is true; I think a small, incredibly vocal minority thought he'd beat those guys. Most people were genuinely shocked at how BJ did against Fitch.

BJ is one of my favorite fighters of all time, but he was a lightweight.

Most of what he did outside that weight class is why his legacy isn't what it absolutely should have been.

 

[Hendo101]

There's always going to be haters around greatness. BJ is a legend and pioneer of the sport hands down. The WW champ & LW king of the UFC. If BJ didn't fight in K1 and went to PRIDE, his career would have been even more legendary guaranteed. Not many guys could be guaranteed a champ in PRIDE days. Can you imagine PRIDE Gomi or Nick Diaz fight a hungry BJ.

 

[Shaungotti]

I don't think this is true; I think a small, incredibly vocal minority thought he'd beat those guys. Most people were genuinely shocked at how BJ did against Fitch.

BJ is one of my favorite fighters of all time, but he was a lightweight.

Most of what he did outside that weight class is why his legacy isn't what it absolutely should have been.

Yeah, you're probably right about that. The small vocal minority can be annoying sometimes.

 

[sportkillergreg]

Chael Sonnen would fight everyone without notice. Nowadays Cerrone is fighting anyone whenever wherever.

 

[Cold Front]

BJ is the ONLY fighter in the history of the UFC who would take on any fighter, any size, with no notice.

And he's now taking on his friends with no notice.

 

[Tha Prophet]

The hate here is ridicouls

 

[beefcake180]

BJ is mma's most legendary front runner.