When people say BJ Penn is the best LW of all time...

[TheChosenOne]

is that due to pure nostalgia and love they have for the prodigy?

Looking at his LW murderers row wins:

Jens Pulver
Joe Stevenson
Sean Shirk
Kenny Florian
Diego Sanchez

GSP voice 'I am not impressed'.

Tony and Khabib's LW resume shits all over Penn's and they both would fuck Penn up in his prime also. These idiots like Jimmy Smith getting high off nostalgia need a good schooling.

 

[Naught2Sixty]

Yes.

 

[YellowBanenoo]

Boomers clinging into past as they always do. Nothing special.

 

[Huligani]

Yes it's nostalgia. Tony's record is 10x better as is Khabib's.

 

[Roop Holstry]

I was a big fan of Penn during his peak but guys like Tony and Khabib have definitely surpassed him.

You could make an argument for other fighters like Bendo, RDA, Frankie, and Alvarez being ahead of him too

 

[accolyte1022]

I see "boomers" is now a thing.

 

[legcramp]

GSP wasn't impressed either in his first fight with Penn. You would have to watch the fights and not just look at his record to see what kind of fighter Penn was before he went on his losing streak recently. But I see that you're new.

Tony and Khabib would have a hell of a time against Matt Hughes / GSP... but they ain't no Gleison Tibau though.

 

[Guard]

Obligatory

 

[Local Plata]

Up until that point there hadn't really been a dominant LW champion. Even Gomi in Pride dropped random non-title fights. BJ was the GOAT LW during his time.

 

[3knucklelanding]

Prime BJ loses to Khabib but beats Tony

 

[Foxflechette57]

He was the best, nostalgia isa thing when we get older

 

[MrFriendly]

Of course nostalgia plays a factor

 

[SeattleFightFan]

Well, he was probably the best LW from about 02-09. He didn’t prove it in the same way Conor never proves anything, because he went to ROTR and then came back to UFC as a WW. Only after losing to Hughes and GSP did he go back to LW and own it for a few more years before Frankie shut him down for good.

So if you consider all time great rankings half-art-half-science, rating BJ is more on the ‘art’ side of it.

Now, how does he stack up against others? Pettis was inconsistent, Bendo was worse than Pettis and RDA, and RDA’s peak was short lived. So until Khabib and Tony, there wasn’t really a better alternative to LW Goat, except Gomi, who BJ beat.

Today, whoever is champ in May is likely the GOAT over BJ. But until recently, BJ GOAT was a very reasonable conclusion.

But if you already think he’s not and never was, I doubt anything I said just would convince you otherwise. So...agree to disagree is the most likely outcome here.

And no, I’m not quite a Boomer. Closer than most of you, but not quite.

 

[waldywaldy]

9 years undefeated at lw
picked up the ww strap during that run
visciously finishing opponents during that run

Also, leaving Gomi of that list is fucking criminal

Get the fuck out of here with your revisionist history bullshit

 

[legcramp]

9 years defeated at lw
picked up the ww strap during that run
visciously finishing opponents during that run

Also, leaving Gomi of that list is fucking criminal

Get the fuck out of here with your revisionist history bullshit

Most boomers think Gomi is a type of asian candy... so not surprised he's not on the list.

 

[Bushido Kai]

Prime BJ loses to Khabib but beats Tony

Can't tell is this is a white belt troll post or if you're actually serious. If you're serious, please delete your account now and forget this forum exists.

 

[3knucklelanding]

Can't tell is this is a white belt troll post or if you're actually serious. If you're serious, please delete your account now and forget this forum exists.

Spoken like a true noob

 

[Sweater of AV]

It's because they are purveyors of the truth.

 

[Mal Intentions]

You had to have been there and experienced it for yourself to understand. He had an aura around him that few fighters in history ever shared. Any opponent any time anywhere. And you can bet your ass he would give them one hell of a fight.

 

[ianferguson]

I've softened somewhat in my criticism of BJ Penn over the past few years, pity has a way of making that possible, but the fact is the Penn was always ridiculously overrated.