Pumphrey94
04-25-2010, 06:40 PM
Former UFC lightweight champion BJ Penn will get his rematch with Frankie Edgar on August 28th, Fighters Only can reveal after speaking with several key sources. The fight will headline UFC 118, the UFC’s first card in Boston, Massachusetts.
When this rumor first emerged, we weren't sure if Penn should get an immediate rematch with Edgar simply by virtue of being BJ Penn. But the more we think about it, the more it makes sense. Penn may still be the #1-ranked lightweight in world at this point — judging from the poll on our homepage, 65% of you agree with that assessment — and making him whoop another contender to "earn" his shot is kind of a waste of everybody's time. Besides, Penn vs. Edgar II is the only logical fight from a promotional standpoint. When you're headlining a card with a title fight, at least one of the participants should be a star. Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard II doesn't really fit that criteria.
As for Maynard, the Boston Globe published a report that he'll be facing Kenny Florian at the same event, but they quickly retracted it, possibly after getting smacked down by the UFC. It would be a great matchup, though we'd hate to see Maynard lose his top-contender spot to a guy who's already had two shots at the belt. Still, it's Boston, and Ken-Flo is going to have to beat up somebody in his hometown...
When this rumor first emerged, we weren't sure if Penn should get an immediate rematch with Edgar simply by virtue of being BJ Penn. But the more we think about it, the more it makes sense. Penn may still be the #1-ranked lightweight in world at this point — judging from the poll on our homepage, 65% of you agree with that assessment — and making him whoop another contender to "earn" his shot is kind of a waste of everybody's time. Besides, Penn vs. Edgar II is the only logical fight from a promotional standpoint. When you're headlining a card with a title fight, at least one of the participants should be a star. Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard II doesn't really fit that criteria.
As for Maynard, the Boston Globe published a report that he'll be facing Kenny Florian at the same event, but they quickly retracted it, possibly after getting smacked down by the UFC. It would be a great matchup, though we'd hate to see Maynard lose his top-contender spot to a guy who's already had two shots at the belt. Still, it's Boston, and Ken-Flo is going to have to beat up somebody in his hometown...