UFC 101 Preview: BJ Penn vs Kenny Florian

With all the crazy politics going on lately, it’s easy to forget that from time to time fights actually happen in the cage. Over the next few days I’m going to do my best to get you up to speed on UFC 101, an awesome MMA card that’s happening this weekend in Philadelphia (and on your TV via pay per view). Today I’ll run through the main event: BJ Penn versus Kenny Florian.

UFC 101 - Image: UFC

This one’s for the UFC lightweight belt and has an interesting narrative behind it. BJ Penn just got pasted by Georges St Pierre a few months back … like to the point where he quit on the stool between the 4th and 5th round. How BJ will bounce back is a big question mark, especially considering he’s always been a bit of a headcase when it comes to motivation and training hard.

In Kenny Florian, BJ faces a decent challenge but it’s pretty much BJ’s fight to lose. There is no doubt that Florian will be coming into this fight more motivated and in shape than ever before. If BJ isn’t taking this fight seriously, he could find himself out muscled or horrifically cut open by one of Kenny’s trademark elbows to da grill.

Not only will this fight answer questions about BJ Penn and determine the future of the UFC’s lightweight division, it’s also pretty much guaranteed to be a great fight. Only one of Kenny’s last five fights has gone to a decision and for all BJ’s strange habits and actions outside the cage, he’s never a bore when he’s in it.

Here’s the rest of the UFC 101 card for your browsing pleasure. For more information on how to catch the card, click here.

Televised card:
B.J. Penn versus Kenny Florian
Anderson Silva versus Forrest Griffin
Amir Sadollah versus Johny Hendricks
Ricardo Almeida versus Kendall Grove
Kurt Pellegrino versus Josh Neer

Non-PPV prelim fights:
Aaron Riley versus Shane Nelson
Tamdan McCrory versus John Howard
Alessio Sakaraversus Thales Leites
Matt Riddle versus Dan Cramer
George Sotiropoulos versus Rob Emerson
Jesse Lennox versus Danillo Villefort