junbo79 Posted September 1, 2009 Report Share Posted September 1, 2009 Well, you either love or hate Penn, but one thing you gotta give him credit for is he has 0 fear to speak whatever may be on his mind. Bet Florian is thrilled by his choice of words. http://www.fightersonlymagazine.co.uk/news/viewarticle.php?id=3018&offset=0 BJ Penn says he would have finished Kenny Florian quicker if the lightweight challenger had been more willing to engage during their title fight at UFC 101. The UFC lightweight champion told Fighters Only that Joe Rogan?s observation?s that he appeared to be gassing during the bout were wrong (?I felt great in the fight?), but said he had to expend extra energy getting his opponent to close. ?The thing is, Kenny is a hard guy to fight because he is always running away. I mean, even if I just went like this [extends fingers] he would run like ten feet back,? Penn said during the exclusive interview. ?So you can never really fight with Kenny, he is not the kind of guy who wants to get in there and mix it up. He likes to stay on the outside and maybe hit you one time and then run away. Even if you block it.. he just wants it to look like he is doing something, staying busy. But really he is not fighting. ?That is kind of what made the fight take a little longer. Even when sometimes I would let him grab me so I could hit him? You saw how [Alessio] Sakara was moving around on Thales [Leites] when they were fighting and he couldn?t get a good punch? That was like Kenny?s gameplan.? The lightweight champion, who's personal website can be found at BJPenn.com, added, ?You have to respect him and know that he is a serious fighter, but I never really got wobbled or anything.? Penn finished the fight in the fourth round with a rear-naked choke that came after a period of grappling on the canvas. Some years ago, Florian spent time in Hawaii training with Penn and studying jiu jitsu with him. Those memories came flooding back for the Hilo native as the two battled on the ground. ?When we hit the ground it just felt like when we trained before. I mean, he is good, but you can get positions on him and stuff. It felt like when we grappled years ago,? he revealed. ?I really had fun, I was going to the cage that night to have a good time and enjoy myself, to represent where I am from and my fans.? Talk then turned to Penn?s next challenge, another defence of his lightweight title. This next challenger is Diego ?The Nightmare? Sanchez and Penn is taking him very seriously. ?He is explosive, his in great shape. He knows his jiu jitsu, he knows his striking. He is a good test, there is no complaint about him being the number one contender. He is a great fighter, I just have to sit down and really take a look at what he does. I respect his skills and what he does, he is good,? is the Hilo native?s assessment. The fight is not set for any particular date yet, but rumour has it that Dana White is working on a network TV del for a one-off event which this clash would headline. Penn himself is still waiting to find out when he will be meeting Sanchez. ?As far as I know, the fight is happening and we are just waiting for the date on it. We are waiting to hear from Dana and then we can start our training camp,? he said. That camp, like the Florian camp, will take place in California, where Penn has a deeper pool of coaching and sparring partners to draw on. But Penn is quick to point out that he will never abandon his island roots. ?For this next fight we will be up in California. I definitely see myself training in Hilo again [at some point] but for this next fight we will be up in California.? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Exodus9mm Posted September 1, 2009 Report Share Posted September 1, 2009 Great interview, thanks for the post. Sounds like he's giving Diego more credit than Kenny as a challenger. Rightfully so I guess. Can't wait for this fight either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pridewars Posted September 1, 2009 Report Share Posted September 1, 2009 I like Diego but i feel if BJ Penn can withstand the storm from the beginning of Diego then he will own sanchez. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UFC_BOXER Posted September 1, 2009 Report Share Posted September 1, 2009 Penn is an a**hole. All he does is ***** about all his opponents, I cant stand him. People need to get off Lesnars case, because Penn takes the cake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StompGrind Posted September 1, 2009 Report Share Posted September 1, 2009 I still like Penn but damn I hate it when $hit like that spews out of his mouth. Atleast he doesn't seem to be taking Diego lightly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
armedwithamind Posted September 1, 2009 Report Share Posted September 1, 2009 Penn is an a**hole.All he does is ***** about all his opponents' date=' I cant stand him. People need to get off Lesnars case, because Penn takes the cake.[/quote'] no Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pridewars Posted September 1, 2009 Report Share Posted September 1, 2009 no I agree Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joshdfs Posted September 1, 2009 Report Share Posted September 1, 2009 Penn is an a**hole.All he does is ***** about all his opponents' date=' I cant stand him. People need to get off Lesnars case, because Penn takes the cake.[/quote'] So did he actually say anything that wasn't true? Hell no.. that was obvious to anyone watching the fight, Florians plan was to run til BJ was "tired" and try to take him down, and it just didn't work! Don't hate the guy for speaking the truth, and even when he does say something that isn't true, he says so and apologizes (GSP=roids) And he was right about GSP greasing-- you can see it on the tape. Plus Nevada would not have implemented such exacting rules about the subject if there wasn't truth to it! Get off the guys back, He is the greatest LW ever, and definitely on the short list of greatest fighters ever. Don't hate, appreciate a guy who isn't, and has never been, afraid to say what is on his mind! Fact is the only person who has ever been able to beat Penn was Penn himself, improperly training and relying on pure ability over conditioning and training (Pulver 1) and fighting guys much bigger and stronger (GSP and Machida) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joshdfs Posted September 1, 2009 Report Share Posted September 1, 2009 Oh and Brock is still a *********! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balla5077 Posted September 1, 2009 Report Share Posted September 1, 2009 I like Diego but i feel if BJ Penn can withstand the storm from the beginning of Diego then he will own sanchez. I agree Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony08 Posted September 1, 2009 Report Share Posted September 1, 2009 Penn is an a**hole.All he does is ***** about all his opponents' date=' I cant stand him. People need to get off Lesnars case, because Penn takes the cake.[/quote'] Am I the only one who loves trash talking? Pure entertainment. I know DW loves it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pridewars Posted September 1, 2009 Report Share Posted September 1, 2009 I love pre fight trash talking, it gets me pumped for a match. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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