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

[Spiderbite]

I think both Khabib and Tony would give Prime BJ trouble for sure.

But what makes BJ's legend, A legend, wasn't that he was winning fights left and right, it's that he was fighting fucking everybody.
He fought Machida, GSP and Hughes within an 18 month period. He basically kept that energy from 2001 to 2009 before he eventually morphed into the BJ we know today.

 

[fedoriswar37]

Your list left out gomi. Either your post is shit or you have no clue what your taling about. You chose.

 

[usadaguy]

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.

Uno
for the LW belt against Pulver - robbed
Serra
for the LW belt against Uno - robbed again
Gomi - prime Gomi
Pulver
Stevenson
Sherk
Florian
Sanchez
Edgar - robbed in first fight. So 4 title defenses in my book and 3 times UFC LW champ - BJ Penn the lightweight GOAT. Khabib vs Tony winner will be the new LW GOAT.

 

[KillerIsBack V2]

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.

GSP is the worse voice you can bring into this...

right before Matt beat GSP in less than one round, you know what happened?
BJ Penn beat Matt in less than one round!

 

[Coolkid666]

He's not the best. He had a good run at one point though

 

[danny23]

He was from a weak era. Even in his prime he'd be a tomato can in today's division. He's not beating anyone from the top 20 in the current division.

 

[sdpdude9]

All past top fighters appear to have weak resumes when looked at through the lens of hindsight and the same will happen to today’s fighters down the road. Fact is, Penn faced the best at the time and was pretty dominant. That said, Khabib is well on his way to being the best Lightweight ever, if he’s not already. I think a win over Tony will put him over the edge.

 

[daemusvladornu]

The sport has evolved.... that doesn't change that in his time he was the top of the food chain. Just because fighters are more well rounded/athletic today doesn't take away from what he was able to do in his prime. Anderson Silva was the middleweight GOAT. Then he got older, lost a step and fought past his prime. It doesn't diminish the amazing run he had at his peak that the sport evolved around him. You can only stay at the top so long....

 

[TheChosenOne]

Low IQ Trumpers can't comprehend I specifially mention LW and still manage to bring in to the discussion wins/fights over/with GSP, Hughes etc... also I don't give a fuck about his anytime, anywhere attitude the thread is CLEARLY not about that!

Also lol the nostalgia is strong in this thread just like with Jimmy boy.

 

[Deleted member 429453]

He’s not even top ten

 

[DabraKajitsu]

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.

TJ Grant was pretty dominant.

 

[FrontNakedChoke]

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.

An earth-shattering concept for some MMA 'fans'

 

[theleerygoose]

Obligatory

Ima tell my kids this is BJ Penn being KOd by Andy Ruiz

 

[SmoothPies]

Royce was the best during UFC 1-5, BJ Penn would have destroyed Royce. Khabib/Tony, most of the top LW's would destroy prime Penn.

The 2030 UFC LW champ would destroy any version of Khabib or Tony. And the sport moves on as such..

 

[arcadeperfect]

The UFC title was worth crap back in the early to mid 2000 since PRIDE was the #1 organization.

 

[KID Yamamoto]

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.

Penn choked out the number 1 LW and WW at the time back to back.

Its not nostalgia. I don't think BJ is the goat LW either but learn your history.

 

[Ghostoftheville]

Penn was the best of his era, but he's been surpassed, it happens, no big deal. Eddie Alvarez has a better claim to all-time lightweight goat right now than Penn.

 

[boladiQup]

i don't see BJ as the LW GOAT anymore, Khabib has surpassed him as far as his LW legacy, but prime Penn would still beat his ass all over the ring.

 

[OriginMMA]

They think of his run plus beating p4p Matt Hughes at the time.

 

[TheChosenOne]

Royce was the best during UFC 1-5, BJ Penn would have destroyed Royce. Khabib/Tony, most of the top LW's would destroy prime Penn.

The 2030 UFC LW champ would destroy any version of Khabib or Tony. And the sport moves on as such..

Disagree with your last part, the sport can only evolve so much. For example many would say Ali from the 60's would whoop the top 3 heavyweights of today even though that's a 30-40 year difference.