UFC 80: BJ Penn vs. Joe Stevenson for interim lightweight title

Thats perfect!!

Beautiful!

thats how it should’ve always been.

why didn’t they do this all along and make it the main event for UFC 78???

SWEET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SHERK UFC 82!!!!!

joe daddy better start prayin already…i smell submission penn style..

why didn’t they do this all along and make it the main event for UFC 78???

My thoughts EXACTLY. Why the hell wait until know? His 3rd hearing is now less than 2 weeks away, and he waits till now to make this decision? Very wierd. I think Dana knows something that we don’t know regarding this Sean Sherk case.

penn vs sherk in 2008, beauty..so good..can’t wait.

I’m glad to see Penn-Stevenson, but they’re saying that even if Sherk is found GUILTY he WON’T be stripped???? Um might I say WTF? He’ll be out for a year then come back WITH the belt? Whatever.

why didn’t they do this all along and make it the main event for UFC 78???

thats what im thinking they suck

Has Faber ever showed any interest in moving up and fighting for the UFC lightweight title and could he beat either Penn or Sherk?

SWEET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SHERK UFC 82!!!!!

i dont think so the winner wont be ready by then

SWEET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SHERK UFC 82!!!!!

I’m just curious, but how did you come to THAT conclusion? If Sherk is guilty, he won’t fight anytime soon. If he’s innocent, he would face the winner of Penn/Stevenson. Penn/Stevenson is at UFC 80. A championship has not been defended twice with just one PPV between them for a loooong time. The last time that I recall that happening was when Andre Arlovski defended the HW title at UFC 53 and then at UFC 55 (PLEASE tell me if I am wrong here, because I am quite curious now). However, back then, the UFC did not have PPV’s every month. UFC 53 was June 4th and UFC 55 was Ocotober 7th. That is 4 months apart, which would equate to 4 ppv’s in todays world. Sooo, there is no way that Sherk will fight at UFC 82.

It does not make sense to me…why not make this announcement in the august when csac gave the oct 31st for sherks appeal. 3months no word…after another extentsion of 2 weeks to finnally know the verdict..Dana announces that BJ and Steveson will fight for the intrim lw title..not strip sherk till a verdict of guilty is read..

If Dana would of said this in august..we would of see the Lw title fight in Jersey on Nov.17( which would made VM buy a ticket to th shown )..and a dam good main event for the tri state.

The reason why Dana is having Sherk hold the belt is he want BJ to fight Sherk.. He knows how much people have been educated when it comes to Sherk due to this whole steroid issue (or alleged issue.) Having BJ fight Sherk is a DREAM fight for a lot of hardcore MMA fans who know what BJ is capable of, and know the dominance of Sherk. This fight will be a BLOCKBUSTER..

Has Faber ever showed any interest in moving up and fighting for the UFC lightweight title and could he beat either Penn or Sherk?

Faber has to worry about how he would fare against the rest of the guys in that division before worrying about Penn or Sherk. Last time he fought someone in that division, he lost via TKO to Tyson Griffin.

Everyone seems to be looking past Stevenson as if he doesn’t stand a chance against Penn. Guess I’ll jump on the bandwagon because I don’t see how Stevenson can pull this one off.

Has Faber ever showed any interest in moving up and fighting for the UFC lightweight title and could he beat either Penn or Sherk?

No

If Sherk is guilty he should be stripped immediately. This is like rewarding a mistake. There are plenty of guys that deserve a shot at the belt before an accused juicer.

WAR BJ WAR!!!!

If Sherk isn’t stripped if the test results are upheld then UFC loses any credibility it has.

Thanks for reminding me. I totally forgot that he lost to Griffin. I still might like to see Penn or Sherk rip him apart though.

I hope Sherk gets to fight again soon and I never was a big Penn fan until TUF. He (Penn)still has a lot of good fights left in him. Hopefully one agains Sherk.

UFC 80 looking awesome, don’t know why we had to wait this long before Dana made this decision. But still, i’m patiently waiting

Here is the reason:

Dana saw how Baroni got his ass reemed by the commission despite a VERY GOOD defense. He knows Sherk is going to be found guilty and is sticking close to the side of his close friend who he believes is telling the truth no matter what the CSAC rules. Yesterday’s fuck-up on the part of the CSAC just gave him the ammo he needs to justify it to a major national audience. That to Dana was probably the best thing that could have happened. He now see dollar signs and controversy. People eat that shit up. Or, a retard lap dog named Kevin Iole from Yahoo.

UFC 80 looking awesome, don’t know why we had to wait this long before Dana made this decision. But still, i’m patiently waiting

dont u get it every1 says this should have been a decision made awhile ago so that they can have the match at UFC 78 like it was SUPPOSED TO

we’re already talking UFC 80, 81, 82, 83. Jeez this is getting expensive. $40 a month and I’ll pay it every time!

dont u get it every1 says this should have been a decision made awhile ago so that they can have the match at UFC 78 like it was SUPPOSED TO

Wouldn’t it be better if you understand a comment before you quote it, there’s a ‘we’ in there.

Here is the reason:

Dana saw how Baroni got his ass reemed by the commission despite a VERY GOOD defense. He knows Sherk is going to be found guilty and is sticking close to the side of his close friend who he believes is telling the truth no matter what the CSAC rules. Yesterday’s fuck-up on the part of the CSAC just gave him the ammo he needs to justify it to a major national audience. That to Dana was probably the best thing that could have happened. He now see dollar signs and controversy. People eat that shit up. Or, a retard lap dog named Kevin Iole from Yahoo.

If they don’t strip title holders of the belt when they fail a roid test then the UFC has about as much credibility as WWE.

Does anyone know who Per Eklund is?

It does not make sense to me…why not make this announcement in the august when csac gave the oct 31st for sherks appeal. 3months no word…after another extentsion of 2 weeks to finnally know the verdict..Dana announces that BJ and Steveson will fight for the intrim lw title..not strip sherk till a verdict of guilty is read..

If Dana would of said this in august..we would of see the Lw title fight in Jersey on Nov.17( which would made VM buy a ticket to th shown )..and a dam good main event for the tri state.

Word up Phil – You know me! Although, I must say that it would have been nice to have Bisping/Evans on the card still, but just not as a main event – like it ever should have been… All they had to do was put Dan Henderson on that card and I would have went. Hendo vs freaking Kristian Rothaermel or Tait Fletcher for all I would have cared. I want to see Hendo fight live in the states!!!!!!!!!!!!

Probably since Phil Baroni got his 1 year reduced to 6 months, Sherk might get the same penalty. Then he’d be able to fight after January?

This situation has dragged on for far too long. At the end, the fans pay for this debacle.

Just like how GSP is stuck until Feb and beyond, and WW title is stuck in limbo.

Stevenson by submission in the :45 of the 1st round…..well maybe not, but it would be cool, he would come out looking like a badass, if he submits BJ quickly.

Hey Mania,
Sure has been a long time since you have had a poll. What’s up?

I think it’s so funny how Sherk the Jerk said he would be " a great fight for anybody, in any weight class!!" Until the next day when Franca kept kneeing his face damn near off his head, and he still couldn’t finish Franca. Franca is 155, now move up from there Sherk…HAHAHA

Hey Mania,
Sure has been a long time since you have had a poll. What’s up?

Mania has been busy dude, go find yourself a poll and sit on it.

Mania has been busy dude, go find yourself a poll and sit on it.

You talk smack like Dana White dude. Probably pretty busy with site changes and all but we need something to entertain us….UFC 78 isn’t very anticipating.

Everyone seems to be looking past Stevenson as if he doesn’t stand a chance against Penn. Guess I’ll jump on the bandwagon because I don’t see how Stevenson can pull this one off.

Has eveyone forgotten the number of upsets this year already? I would not count out Joe Stevenson until I see BJ’s hand raised. That said, I still would prefer to see Sherk and BJ fight.

You talk smack like Dana White dude. Probably pretty busy with site changes and all but we need something to entertain us….UFC 78 isn’t very anticipating.

finally i am glad they landed a ufc date now lets all pray that the newcastle will be on spike tv. can’t wait to see them clash but i see bj penn winning ths one

finally i am glad they landed a ufc date now lets all pray that the newcastle will be on spike tv. can’t wait to see them clash but i see bj penn winning ths one

i feel screwed im going to 78 and i was looking foward to this match

While i believe BJ vs Sherk (yes he will smoke little daddy) will be one hell of a fight; i fear great damage will be done to the sport if nothing is done after what amounts to a guilty verdict. Wrong way for a new sport trying to achieve a wide spread feeling of legitimacy. Look at baseball…Even hard core fans i know dont even consider bonds record seriously. Hope they strip him and he fights his way back via one or two top ten bouts.

ehh Let’s go Stevenson

No

I pray that this is on Free TV.

I am really not that interested in this match, because I can not stand BJ Penn.

I don’t think Joe Daddy will beat BJ Penn, I think BJ would beat BJ by his cardio.

Thats the only way I see Joe Daddy winning, by lasting till the third round, and gassing BJ Penn.

If they don’t strip title holders of the belt when they fail a roid test then the UFC has about as much credibility as WWE.

If you use the WWE and UFC in the same sentance, you lose all credibility..
Sherk ‘barely’ failed the test.. he was like 1 MG over… Baroni BLEW the test… like 8 times the max limit. Two entirely different situations… especially considering that its very possible Sherk’s situation is truthful, and his body does develope the natural hormones that the same roid causes. Or like Ive said before… he could have been literally a day off his cycle that cause him to barely break the edge… (meaning he was cycling roids..)

good cuz all this drama caused by The Juice Shark has hurt BJ. I mean come on, we all know that BJ will mop the floor with Stevenson and Sherk too. This is all just delaying BJ becoming the champ.
Oh btw, I’m not a BJ fan, i just know he can beat anyone in the current UFC lightweight roster.

My thoughts EXACTLY. Why the hell wait until know? His 3rd hearing is now less than 2 weeks away, and he waits till now to make this decision? Very wierd. I think Dana knows something that we don’t know regarding this Sean Sherk case.

Smells that way too me also. I don’t see how Joe can defeat Bj, but lately much stranger things have happened in the octagon.

Joe’s jujitsu = very good
Bj’s ju jitsu = world class

Joe stand up= good
Bj’s = much better

The only aspect of mma that I would give the advantage to joe in is wrestling, and BJ has proved to be able to deal with superior wrestling.

Stevenson better work on his guillotine because BJ is going to be the favorite in this one for sure.

I am in favor of the decision. I like this fight happening sooner rather than later. And when Sherk comes back he’ll have a match waiting for him. Good move.

I predicted this about a month back. Pretty cool to see it happen. I wish it was on 79 though, that would have been a KILLER card. But yeah I get why they didn’t. Anyway, I think Joe Daddy will hold his own for at least 2 rounds. I don’t see BJ knocking him out standing like he used to, and I also can’t see BJ putting a clinic on Joe like he did Jens. I’d say 3rd or 4th round finish. And I don’t think Faber would be able to stand against Guida, Huerta, Tavares, Edgar, Fisher, Florian, Joe Daddy, Penn, Sherk, or Griffen…

Penn vs Sherk though… I see a Hughes-Penn II replay..

As fans,we deserve to have this fight shown on SPIKE. Dana White or Joe Silva should give the fans this fight since this is the only the third time in two years that we will see a Lightweight title fight. I understand that this situation was no their fault, but they shoud be responsibe for this
LooooNNNNGGGGGGGGGGG delay.

This is BS. Way to long a wait. What if Sherk is guilty? They didn’t even think this thru or what? I bet this isnt set in stone yet, like only a proposed plan or something. It just can’t be.

For UFC 78, I predict a bunch of decision-making.. cept Houston, everyone knows his fight is going to end in a KO

I predicted this about a month back. Pretty cool to see it happen. I wish it was on 79 though, that would have been a KILLER card. But yeah I get why they didn’t. Anyway, I think Joe Daddy will hold his own for at least 2 rounds. I don’t see BJ knocking him out standing like he used to, and I also can’t see BJ putting a clinic on Joe like he did Jens. I’d say 3rd or 4th round finish. And I don’t think Faber would be able to stand against Guida, Huerta, Tavares, Edgar, Fisher, Florian, Joe Daddy, Penn, Sherk, or Griffen…

 "Stout, Hominick……

This decision is alright, im glad to see BJ and Joe finally back in action but i think this situation reveals the problems with a privately owned sport like the UFC. This really isnt a legitimate decision by White, the UFC should just wait it out and deal with the inadequacy of the Nevada state commission. They should take thier problem up there. I feel as though the UFC shows no order in cercumstances like this and makes sparatic decisions to please fans. Being a huge fan i like this of course, but this inadequacy shines through in other areas such as pay scale which we have all seen lately. This may be off topic, but just another example of why the UFC needs standards and precidents.

off the subject..

I watching spike right now..An ultimate fighter finale..funny thing is…it´s the Dana crowns Randy into ufc hall of fame..

with all this stuff unfolding..about money power respect..the ufc is throwing that G on Tv.

Faber has to worry about how he would fare against the rest of the guys in that division before worrying about Penn or Sherk. Last time he fought someone in that division, he lost via TKO to Tyson Griffin.

Uhh, that was 2 years ago… he is a much better fighter now. If you watched the fight, he was arguably winning the fight up to the point where he got caught in the middle of a superman punch. Either way, Tyson Griffin is a great fighter so w/e

Uhh, that was 2 years ago… he is a much better fighter now. If you watched the fight, he was arguably winning the fight up to the point where he got caught in the middle of a superman punch. Either way, Tyson Griffin is a great fighter so w/e

HAHAHA, URIAJAH GOT TOOLED, wtf fight did you watch, it was utter and pure domination and he made faber look like his prison b*tch.

i think that bj penn is the worst possible style ,atchup for stevenson, i think bj is significantly better in all areas of the game. standup bj wrestling bj bjj bj.

If Sherk is guilty he should be stripped immediately. This is like rewarding a mistake. There are plenty of guys that deserve a shot at the belt before an accused juicer.

I am totaly with you on that. This smells of BULL SHIT! So you mean to tell me that the message we are telling all the 12 to 20 year old demagraphic that its just fine to take steroids to make your way through any sport. If there is no consequence for a guy juicing in MMA. The UFC has just stepped way to far now and these fighters who dont juice should take it in to there own hands by demanding test three times in the 6 weeks before any fight.

PS. The UFC CEO should NOT be in lime light and buddies with any of his/her employees of any org. because it starts to smell fishy after a while. The CEO should be busy enough doing bus. deals without having to be seen with fighters on friendship level.

There is no way Sherk will have to serve the full 1 yr. Baroni got his cut to 6 months and I would expect the same thing for Sherk. That means he will be eligible to fight at UFC 80. What then? If they were going to have an interim champ, he should have been crowned within two months of Sherk losing his belt.

The only person that can beat BJ is BJ…will he come in shape?

if baroni got only 6 months even if guilty i see sherk getting anything from 6 to 9 months. if 6 months or 9 months no matter he will fight the winner of this match, but if he does fail i think he should be stripped of the belt.

off the subject..

I watching spike right now..An ultimate fighter finale..funny thing is…it´s the Dana crowns Randy into ufc hall of fame..

with all this stuff unfolding..about money power respect..the ufc is throwing that G on Tv.

Yeah, there was irony there when i saw it.

^ an

we’re already talking UFC 80, 81, 82, 83. Jeez this is getting expensive. $40 a month and I’ll pay it every time!

LOL

Me too

Come on guys at this day and age its anyones game.

To discount Joe you are short changing him as a fighter.

I think he has a 45% chance of winning. With a slight edge to Penn. Joe will come to rock and roll while Penn will be thinking of what do I do after I win the title (Move up to WW or fight sherk)

Do you really think Joe wouldnt dominate Pulver the same as Penn did.

Fingers crossed for Joe.

this is a little strange, but i’m good with it…i don’t like the idea of having to wait for title fights, i like the 5 rounders…i’m still holding out hope that sherk gets his decision over turned, but this makes it seem like thats not going to happen, like dana white knows sherk is about to get suspended…as far as the fight between bj and daddy, i think bj is going to win the fight, i think bj is going to want to keep the fight standing as long as he can, don’t get me wrong, he can beat stevenson on the ground, but he’s a much much better boxer/striker than stevenson…i see bj winning the first and second rounds and then if he can’t find a submission or tko in the later rounds, he’ll win a unanimous decision…i like stevenson, he’s a very good fighter, but bj has waited a long time to get that lw belt, he’s not going to blow it again…

I predicted this about a month back. Pretty cool to see it happen. I wish it was on 79 though, that would have been a KILLER card. But yeah I get why they didn’t. Anyway, I think Joe Daddy will hold his own for at least 2 rounds. I don’t see BJ knocking him out standing like he used to, and I also can’t see BJ putting a clinic on Joe like he did Jens. I’d say 3rd or 4th round finish. And I don’t think Faber would be able to stand against Guida, Huerta, Tavares, Edgar, Fisher, Florian, Joe Daddy, Penn, Sherk, or Griffen…

it could not have happened at 79 because there would have been only 3 or 4 matches on the PPV and if anything this should have been at 78 like it was supposed to be

this is a little strange, but i’m good with it…i don’t like the idea of having to wait for title fights, i like the 5 rounders…i’m still holding out hope that sherk gets his decision over turned, but this makes it seem like thats not going to happen, like dana white knows sherk is about to get suspended…as far as the fight between bj and daddy, i think bj is going to win the fight, i think bj is going to want to keep the fight standing as long as he can, don’t get me wrong, he can beat stevenson on the ground, but he’s a much much better boxer/striker than stevenson…i see bj winning the first and second rounds and then if he can’t find a submission or tko in the later rounds, he’ll win a unanimous decision…i like stevenson, he’s a very good fighter, but bj has waited a long time to get that lw belt, he’s not going to blow it again…

I totally agree.

Man… BJ is way too popular… maybe that’s why so many people don’t like Machida lol! BJ is not very well rounded, IMO he’s got great BJJ and not much else.

BJ Penn is one of the best 155 lbs. fighters htere is! I WISH THIS FIGHT WAS GOING TO BE IN LAS VEGAS OR CALI! Stevenson will be a tough fight for BJ. BJ does have good stand up skills. GREAT FIGHT!

Man… BJ is way too popular… maybe that’s why so many people don’t like Machida lol! BJ is not very well rounded, IMO he’s got great BJJ and not much else.

What??????
How can you say BJ has no stand up skills? If anything, BJ PENN’s stand-up skills is highly underated. Look what he did to GSP’s face. Watch his fights with Matt Hughes. Watch his fight with Rodrigo Gracie. Go back and watch his first fight with Caol Uno, and after you watch that go catch a re-run of UFC UNLEASHED and watch him knock-out Din Thomas.

I am in favor of the decision. I like this fight happening sooner rather than later. And when Sherk comes back he’ll have a match waiting for him. Good move.

Agreed, perfect way to move forward… done.

Man… BJ is way too popular… maybe that’s why so many people don’t like Machida lol! BJ is not very well rounded, IMO he’s got great BJJ and not much else.

 
BJ Penn is probably the most well-rounder fighter in the world… like pUniSHment already said, he has tremendous stand-up with heavy hands, he has very good wrestling, a good clinch, and phenomenal Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Recently, he has greatly improved his conditioning too. What else do you want from the guy? If BJ isn’t well rounded, who is?

BJ is definately well rounded. Does get winded though. I like both of these fighters but Stevenson holds a good record too. Good match up.

BJ is definately well rounded. Does get winded though. I like both of these fighters but Stevenson holds a good record too. Good match up.

Man, BJ got winded in one fight, verses GSP, and that was because he had had a big lay off, cage rust, and was fighting one of the fastest paced fighters in MMA.
Against Pulver (I) a five round match, he did pretty good in my opinion, most of his other UFC fights he finished sooner than he gassed, agianst Renzo G. he fought hard till the last seconds gaining mount as the bell rang.
Against Ryoto, who was a HW at the time, not LHW, he also dealt with the larger opponent very well the whole time.
Also against Gomi, what was it a 15 minute hard fought fight before Penn sunk in the rear naked? Hughes (II) he showed no signs of slowing before the rib injury. I don’t get how this conception of this “huge whole in his game” started.

b.j. and joe daddy should be a great fight! to let sherk keep his title is fucking bullshit!

BJ AND JOE DADDY IS AGREAT FIGHT AND EITHER WOULD MAKE A GOOD CHAMP, BUT HOW CAN DANA POSSIBLY JUSTIFY GIVING SHERK ANOTHER CHANCE IF SHERKS POSITIVE TEST ISN’T OVERTURNED? THIS IS BULLSHIT! AM I THE ONLY ONE THAT SEE’S THIS INJUSTICE? HOW ELSE DO ANABOLIC STEROIDS GET IN YOUR SYSTEM UNLESS YOU KNOWINGLY TAKE THEM. THIS SHIT IS REALLY TURNING ME OFF THE UFC. WHAT’S RIGHT OR WRONG FOR ONE FIGHTER SHOULD BE RIGHT OR WRONG FOR THE NEXT FIGHTER!DANA QUIT PLAYING FAVORITES! BJ OR JOE DADDY SHOULD BE THE CHAMP, NONE OF THIS INTERIM SHIT!

I see this being unanimous decision penn. Stevenson will get a couple of takedowns and land some little elbows like he always does and penn dominates pretty much everywhere else. Probably will be a great match though…

I predicted this about a month back. Pretty cool to see it happen.

LOL, so you are saying that you ‘predicted’ that this fight would happen 1 month ago, which was months after Joe beat Kurt Pellegrino and the announcers were saying every 30 seconds “If Joe Stevenson wins this fight, he will be in line for a shot at the title”. Well before that, on the day that Sherk tested positive, about 100 people on this site suggested Stevenson as the opponent to fight BJ for the belt. That is like me saying right now that I predict that Matt Hughes will get a shot at the WW belt very soon.

I say Joe “DADDY” Stevenson wins the fight against BJ y sumission or ground and pound i mean everybody knows Bjs a pothead and hes gonna gas in the 1st round so you cant say hell win hell probably be like melvin and pop for pot. But thats what i say.