Joe Stevenson struggles to get out of B.J. Penn's hold during his lightweight title loss at UFC 80.
B.J. Penn looks for ground and pound against lightweight title opponent Joe Stevenson.
B.J. Penn vs. Joe Stevenson
Round one: Penn scored with a heavy shot early and took Stevenson down. Stevenson looked overwhelmed but did well just to hang on and defend as Penn looked for early ground and pound. Penn nearly got his back midway through but Stevenson managed to roll over. Stevenson tried to get up and Penn caught him with a hard punch, putting Stevenson right back on the mat. Penn gained side control for a second but Stevenson brought it back to guard. Penn sliced Stevenson open with an elbow. The cut was bleeding like crazy as the round ended. Stevenson did a great job withstanding the early storm.
Round two: Stevenson came out with a different look in his eyes. The cut kept bleeding but rolled down his nose instead of into his eyes. At some point, it will likely roll into his eyes and be a problem. Penn scored with a left hook as the two settled into a standup fight. And right on cue, the ref has the ringside doctor look at it. Right after the break, Penn scored with a combo, rocking Stevenson and putting him on the mat. Penn mounted him, and Stevenson rolled onto his front for a second before returning for his back. Penn got his back, trapped Stevenson's left arm with his leg and sunk in the choke to become the lightweight champ.
Winner: Penn by submission
Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Fabricio Werdum
Round one: Gonzaga got a takedown less than 30 seconds in. Both guys are jiu-jitsu black belts, so the ground game should be a stalemate except for the fact that Gonzaga is good at keeping control from the top. Werdum did a nice job defending and didn't take any damage. Gonzaga eventually let him up and the fight went back to the standup position. Midway through, Gonzaga hit Werdum so hard with a leg kick to the thigh he knocked him down. Gonzaga tripped on a leg kick and Werdum capitalized and managed a takedown. Werdum landed some short elbows and then tried to roll into a knee bar, but they stalemated and rode out the round.
Round two: Werdum landed some nice shots, then came in for a takedown but Gonzaga stopped it. Gonzaga continued with his leg kicks. Werdum's standup is looking much sharper than it did against Arlovski in his first UFC match. He's doing a good job utilizing his reach advantage by staying on the outside. But the last two times Werdum came inside, Gonzaga slammed him down, but didn't want to go to the ground. So Gonzaga either feels his standup is superior or he doesn't want to go to the ground. The two clinched and Werdum scored with sevral knees to the face as he began to take over the fight. You could clearly see Gonzaga's energy start to fade. Werdum looked for a standing guillotine but instead rode Gonzaga down to the ground, where he got behind him and scored undefended punches until the ref stopped it.
Winner: Werdum by TKO
Marcus Davis vs. Jess Liaudin
Round one: Another quick one. Liaudin came forward to throw a leg kick and Davis caught him with a left right under the ear that put Liaudin down. Davis added another two shots before referee Mario Yamasaki stopped it. This one took all of 1:04. Liaudin actually looked decent in the opening seconds with leg kicks, but in reality, Davis was measuring him for the shot that finished things.
Winner: Davis by KO
Wilson Gouveia vs. Jason Lambert
Round one: Lambert stalked Gouveia around the octagon for a few seconds before taking the fight to the canvas. This is where Lambert does his best work, but Gouveia is dangerous off his back as well. Gouveia did an excellent job avoiding any damage as they got to their feet. Lambert immediately went for and managed another successful takedown. Gouveia tried an arm bar, then an omo plata, but Lambert escaped both submission tries. Lambert scored with some elbows in the last 45 seconds of the round. He did most of the damage and controlled the round.
Round two: Wow. One punch and it was all over. Lambert was controlling the round and out of nowhere, Gouveia drilled him with a left hook for a one-punch knockout.
Winner: Gouveia by KO
Kendall Grove vs. Jorge Rivera
Round one: Rivera scored an easy takedown within 20 seconds of the opening bell. Rivera looks in great shape, and scored with several punches from the top. Grove tried to work his way to this feet, but ate a lot more punishment on the way up. Rivera never let up and finished him with a KO.
Winner by KO: Jorge Rivera
For a while now, the knock on B.J. Penn has been his conditioning and focus. But one look at Penn during last night's weigh-ins proves that neither of those two factors has been an issue leading into today's lightweight title matchup with Joe Stevenson.
Penn has spent much of the lead-up to the fight talking about his legacy. He has been spoken about as one of the greats of MMA for years, yet at 29 years old, he has won only one title in four tries. He now understands that results mean something. They matter where abstract things like legacy are concerned. It is why Randy Couture, with a 16-8 lifetime record, can be considered a legend. Five different title reigns overshadow the losses. But Penn, for all his prodigious talent, can not point to that kind of resume.
The young B.J. Penn didn't realize that. He does now.
A focused Penn may be impossible for Stevenson to handle. Let's find out if Penn can truly begin writing his legacy, or if his will be just another tale of limitless talent that found a way to flame out.
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