UFC Officially Announces UFC 94: St-Pierre vs. Penn 2
The UFC has officially announced UFC 94: St-Pierre vs. Penn 2, which features the highly anticipated rematch between welterweight title-holder Georges St-Pierre and lightweight champion BJ Penn.
In their first meeting in early-2006 St-Pierre topped Penn via split decision to become the top contender in the 170-pound division, and ultimately captured the title, while Penn dropped down to 155-pounds and earned the lightweight championship.
Now, nearly three years removed from their first meeting, the pair of top UFC fighters will meet again, but this time the welterweight championship will be on the line when they clash on January 31st in Las Vegas.
“This may be the most anticipated rematch in UFC history,” said Dana White, UFC President. “Their first fight was an epic battle of two of the best pound for pound fighters in the sport. After that fight, St-Pierre would go on to win the UFC World Welterweight title and Penn would go on to win the UFC World Lightweight title. Now these two champions meet again with a lot of pride and St-Pierre’s title on the line. This fight will be talked about for years to come.”
Tickets for the event, which will air live on pay-per-view, are priced from $750 to $50 and go on sale today on Ticketmaster.com for UFC Fight Club members. The newsletter presale (password: CHAMPIONSHIP) begins on Saturday at 1pm ET while the public sale begins on Sunday at 1pm ET.
“I’m very honored to fight BJ Penn and very excited because it’s the fight that everybody wants to see, including myself,” said St-Pierre. “It will be one of the most anticipated fights in UFC history, and I’m glad and humbled to be a part of it.”
“For that fight, I was at a point in my career where I didn’t prepare as well as I should have,” Penn said. “During the second and third round I realized that I ran into someone that wanted it more than I did…Now, I’m very prepared to go five rounds.”
Top light heavyweight contenders Lyoto Machida and Thiago Silva are also expected to clash at UFC 94, with more bouts expected to be officially confirmed soon.
For the latest UFC 94 rumors check out the MMAFrenzy.com MMA rumors section.
Tags: BJ Penn, Georges St. Pierre, Lyoto Machida, Thiago Silva
Loading ...
BJ by submission (choke) 3rd round 4th minute!
HAHA… don’t get ur hopes up!! NEVER GONNA HAPPEN!! NEVER!!!!
Willy D,
In your dream!
Will be an awesome dream!! And dreams do come true!
I SAY GSP BY UD
Go USA! BJ by TKO 2 minutes into the 3nd round!
GO CANADA!!!!!!!!!! gsp by stoppage in 3 round
BJ Penn
*and let the debate begin*again for the hundreth time*
@FR702, we only have 2 and a half months, so shouldn’t be to much debating! Also calling Machida TKO 2nd round 2nd minute.
GSP all the way on this one. far to strong and he is improving each fight. BJ Penn is awsome and in the best shape of his life, but their is a reason he moved down to lightweight, the only chance he has is on the groung by submission an even that is hard to belive with GSP’s awsome and improving ground and submission skills. If anyone thinks he will out strike GSP they are nuts. I say GSP wins by TKO from ground and pound 4th or 5th round or UD. GSP will remain champion but it will be a great fight. And plus GSP trains here in Albuquerque part time, only one of the greatest gyms ever Greg Jackson’s Camp. I cant wait untill Thiago Alves fights the winner, that kid looks like he wants to knock anyones head off. Bad matchup for GSP I think better for BJ Penn but it would be great to see GSP fight Alves and out strike him with his quickness and reach.
Hmmm…hard to say which UFC I’ll spend money on in Jan. I guess it depends on how I feel about the undercard fights.
GSP by gnp…I think GSP has improved too much for Bj to handle..
@WillyD, ever since this SUPERFIGHT has been rumored everyong has been debating this, on every little aspect, I believe it shall continue til the day of the fight, then excuses of why GSP lost will come a flyin haha
@Nico, u said something to the effect of, if u think BJ will outstrike GSP you are nuts…. Um BJ Penn is a more poweful striker than GSP and I also believe that GSP has better kicks (which since he has become such a great wrestler he has gone away from), Also u said that BJ’s only chance to win is via sub, why do u believe this? I think BJ can (t)ko GSP… U picked GSP via gnp in the 4th or 5th round (hoping clearly that Penn gasses after the 3rd) or by UD, with Penn’s rubbergaurd what sort of gnp is St.Pierre goin to pull off? Cheers..
Penn all the way. Striking is too close to call (Penn has a few KO’s and wasn’t it against Sherk that he owned him without the fight going to the ground???) and you have to give the advantage to Penn on the ground.
I will say though that the fact this is so easily argued in favor of either fighter means it will be an awesome f-ing fight.
Both are fantastic fighters but i do feel BJ will win this one in fact i see BJ’s top level stand up (BJ has the most underrated boxing skills in MMA) being too much for GSP.
Penn via TKO in the 3rd.
@FR702, I know, I was playin about the debating. This thread will probably be 100+ comments long about who is going to win and every time it gets mentioned from here on out, more debates. And I agree 100% about the excuses why GSP lost afterwards. BJ Penn will continue his talk, “I only want to be known as the best ever, is that too much to ask?”
I agree with FR702 100 percent. I also believe that Machida will win by decision again. But I really hope Silva wins.
I want thiago to get in machidas face and smash him no1 has put pressure on lyoto before so I hope he doesn’t run or be ‘elusive’ when thiago starts punching him in the face! However I see this fight going 3 rounds with machida using some leg kicks and some of that ‘elusive’ striking!
WillyD and JustJoe thx and cheers
I’m really interested in the 13~0 v 13~0 duel that is Machida v Thiago…. Polar opposites in styles that is going to be a good fight, I think with Silva’s charging style he will cut down Machidas movement and find range I’m just wondering how Lyoto is going to react should be good
Machida will use leg kicks, front kicks, head kicks, until Silva gets frustrated and makes a mistake. Let’s his guard down and Machida high kick to the dome, Silva goes down, and Machida finishes it TKO due to strikes. IMO of course.
Well well here we go again lol. Bj wins of course I am not sure he has ever fought a less than great fighter. He has fought tougher opp by far and he fought them when they were in their prime not getting out of the game. As for his stricking watch the penn uno fight enough said. Bj wins in the first or second if he let’s it go that long and he wins by whatever method he decides to. Machida wins thiago just reminds me to much of sokodju and he just couldn’t get it going against machida hate watching his boring fights though and I hope thiago wins.
penn loses again , GSP is ready for this matchup . bJ penn has great skills and hs fought good oposition , but has probs with guys naturally bigger than himself . take the machida fight … BJ got beat soundly by someone who had a natural size advantage and skill to match and the same will happen here . funny how BJ doesnt talk about fighting Machida again since he is always avenging losses . Not knocking BJ but it seems to be about revenge with GSP why not duke it out with lyoto while he’s at it .
I’ll be pulling for the Hawaiian kid on this one, but it can go either way. i think penn will win cause he lost the first meeting.. lyota will win and fight the winner of the evans/griffin fight. still can’t believe they going to do 2 PPV in 2 weeks. you would be stupid to not by this card.. go to hooters for the other card lol
Gsp decision 48-47
Bj wins the early rounds and GSP grinds him out with takedowns
Hmm, as far as I’m concerned these two are on par as far as skill goes, it’ll probably come down to the weight/height advantage GSP has.
BJ has a better BJJ game GSP in BJJ, but I very much doubt he can sub him. GSP dominates BJ’s wrestling and I’d say stand up is a draw, although after the Fitch fight, I might give it to GSP. BJ has great boxing and heavy ass hands while GSP has a very unpredictable, well-rounded stand-up game.
GSP is one of the few fighters in the biz that can get BJ to his back and keep him there. Ground and pound could be a factor here for sure.
At the end of the day I can only see BJ catching him with his heavy hands. I don’t see him subbing GSP. GSP could dismantle him like he did Fitch, out wrestle him like he does EVERYONE, or a good old ground and pound. However it goes down, it’ll be a war, and probably a decision.
The difference between the two is not much, BJ packs those powerful jabs and has crazy flexibility from his back. GSP is more well rounded with exceptional wrestling, great control and a more dynamic athlete. I would say this will be similar to the first fight with BJ ending up with a damaged face from ground and pound. Both fighters are so much better than they were the first time and with GSP training and learning in Brazil now also he should have much better JJ.
Sorry willy D, this is like that dream that you had when you were in highschool and dreamnt that you would take that hot cheerleader to the prom….didn’t happen right?
BJ PENN “makes a comeback” and defeats PULVER,STEVENSON and SHERk and now EVERYONE thinks he’s “the p4p best in the world” and “his stand up is above average”. Let’s take a look at that list.
Pulver-1 dimensional and washed up
stevenson-just another TUF guy who is just alright and will never be a champ.
sherk-ok stand up,no submissions and wrestling
these are the guys that make BJ PENN “AMAZIN”??.
Dude…seriously. BJ’s stand up only looks “above average” cuz he fights dudes who’s stand up is below average. GSP has beat the best and is way too well rounded and talented to lose to anyone right now. He’s learned from his loss and is unstoppable
Bj Penn went to a bar, GSP went to the hospital
They both have improved since their last fight (which will be well over two years since they met), my question is (maybe I missread what u typed) but did u mean that GSP has better JJ than BJ or that GSP JJ has improved greatly?
BJ Penn with a damaged face?? Think you are mistaken, GSP was messed up after that fight. Words of BJ after that fight “I’m here giving an interview, the other guys going to the hospital. Who do you think won?”
I dont think BJ is nearly as effective or dominant in welter weight as he is in LW. To say either fighter will dominate or do whatever he wants when he wants is ridiculous.
I meant to say similar to the first fight BUT this time BJ ending up busted up.
GSP has improved his JJ but is still learning as he said he is being submitted by guys he trains with at Gracie-Barra(sp)
@Jazzkok, I’ve graduated from high school, but if you want to keep living in the past, go ahead. As far as comparing who has fought who:
Pulver- Yes he is not what he used to be, but can say the same about the 2nd and 3rd fights GSP had with Hughes
Stevenson- TUF guy who doesn’t have a chance at the title, same with Kos
Sherk- Guy’s not the same without the juice, can compare his lack style of fighting to Serra.
Then there’s Jon Fitch, GSP beat the hell out of him and made his mark as one of the P4P best fighters. This will be another war with Penn walking away holding another title.
Fitch is really good forsure but GSP still didn’t knock him out,
Serra well that was redemption for getting ko’d by a 5ft 5in BJJ expert with no know ko power
Hughes well he is simply out of his prime and got man handle by the very talented GSP
Kos decision showed Kos couldn’t stop GSP takedowns
Got KO’D by Serra
So essentially what I’m saying is that GSP is the man @170 yes forsure (iam a fan) but if you’re going to tell me that Penn has fought nobodys recently or whatever I too am going to let you know that even tho St. Pierre has been dominat in his run his last few fights haven’t been super hard for him
Now clearly u may respond with, the reason that they weren’t soo hard for him is simply because GSP is great he is head and shoulders above everyone else in that division.. Which perhaps there maybe some truth to that, I too can say that about BJ Penn soo then we would go round and round ya know good times
Again if you’re sooo convinced that BJ’s striking is just um ok than soo be it no worries just go watch the Gomi fight and realize that when people doubt Baby J is when he is at his best Penn has a habit of out striking strikers and grappling grapplers , just my opionion enjoy thx and cheers
GSP must win like he did in the first fight and avoid the cutting jabs of BJ, they are deceivingly heavy and sharp and his knee shots are also dangerous. GSP will have to try a ground control game with punches and elbows to win.
GSP has beaten~
Fitch
Serra
Hughes 2x
Kos
Penn (sd)
Sherk
Trigg
Miller
Karo
BJ has beaten~
Sherk
Stevenson
Jens
Hughes
Renzo
Rodrigo
Bang Ludwig
Gomi
Uno
Serra
GSP has lost to~
Serra (ko)
Hughes (in prime)
BJ has lost to~
Hughes
St.Pierre
Machida
Jens
GSP opponents records: win/loss/draw nc combined is
309-102-5 (1nc)
BJ Penn opponents record: win/loss/draw nc combined is
275-78-4 (1nc)
*note*
Rematches were not included in the total
Free of charge too
This is truly hilarious………this fight could go either way. Bj does have more of a disadvantage moving up in weightclass…..but other than that its a wash! Both are great standup fighters. Both are great on the ground although neither has been in trouble on the ground since the last time they fought. I might give BJ a small advantage on the ground but I would give GSP the same advantage in standup. This could be one of the greatest fights ever! It could also be over in 30 seconds if someone gets caught! It’s essentially a wash!! DRAW.
Ahhh com’on man pick a side
In jest
In jest I’d have to go with my boy GSP! 4th round by submission(Who would have thought he would wrestle with Kos…..why not BJJ with BJ..)
GSP did just get his black belt from GracieBarra!
BJP Was the first fighter i ever watched in MMA and he in my opinion the best. I know there is alot of arguments over this but to each his own right? BJP Jits is outstanding and his boxing is spot on…now what has GSP go? Good Stand up Great take downs and Stamina….well BJS stand up is better to say the least…BJs ground game will prevent GSP from taking it there and BJ is in the best shape of his life (Mentaly and Physically). So i give NO advantages to GSP.
I believe GSP did just receive his black belt, he is just a few years behind BJ Penn on that one tho,
Seriously good for St.Pierre
Gsp vs Bj Penn 2 this well be an epic battle they are both my fav fighter so to hard to call i do say bj has great defesive ground skills and gsp has good aggressive ground skills wich counts it a lil bit and bj,s striking is good but not that exact while gsp has great exact striking so i see a war bj penn i like more but if id say the winner i see gsp kinda mostlly likelly fight well end up in 3rd round or 4th round and if it goes to 5th deff a desicion
I give an edge to GSP in pure athleticism and wrestling/control which was shown against Kos and Fitch, I agree this fight is a bit of a toss-up but
BJ will not be dominant in this fight as he was in LW. It could be the fight of the year, also the only fight that GSP was in that was any kind of war was with Penn. I am curious to see how he reacts when he gets in trouble, how big is his heart? It seems to me that most of GSP’s wins are one sided where he receives little damage.
Here’s an idea….no one is going to change someone else’s mind so let’s just shut up wait for the fights. This back and forth is annoying, childish, POINTLESS, and now officially boring.
Stop it.
your the boss.
Man just look at GSP’s record. sure BJ has been fighting in the ufc longer but GSP has dominated the best fighters in his division. BJ Penn has tryed to do that and failed. GSP Has the entire bag of tricks and appears to be much faster and stronger than BJ Penn. (Does anyone see GSP making 155lbs?). You think BJ is much better than before well maybe he is but so is GSP. He owned John Fitch, Huges, Sherk, Karo, Kos and BJ Penn already so there is the facts and if you think that BJ’s standup (not just boxing) is better than GSP well that a little hard for me to see. I say BJ’s only chance to win is by submission because i think this is his bread and butter and also GSP will be taking him down at will during the fight so he will be fighting off his back allot. GSP has gotten knocked out before but i dont belive that will be possible with BJ because GSP’s all around standup game is better and he has already proved it. And no im not planning on BJ gassing out like he is known to do. I know he is a Great Fighter from watching him for so long and he is now been training harder so i think It will take Almost the whole fight or the whole fight for GSP to win. Well BJ is a great fighter one of my fravorites and i wish him luck, I’m not saying he has no chance but i think if either fighter does not make a mistake GSP comes out on top every time. I GUESS We will know in Jan. Can’t wait.
“GSP will take him down at will” If you watch BJ Penns last five fights im sure you can count how many times he has been taken down on one hand. He has GREAT takedown deffence and great flexibilitythat even if he is taken down he will be in a good position(and yes it is possible to be in a good position). I dont think GSP will even think about the takedown until round 3+ unless he is rocked before that.
Oh and i forgot to mention this…DBiz the point of forums is to voice your opinions and that means a logical argument now and again. Ive had the pleasure of watching GSP Fight in person a few times and i am a HUGE fan and i dont think everyone debating back and forth on the outcome of this fight is trying to convince or sway anothers opinion but just to have a good conversation about it. I personally hate it when conversations are all one side when one party is agreeing what is the fun or stimulation in that?
i like both guys but i think this fight is gonna be really close and i think bj will tko gsp sometime…i love bj but i really want to see thiago vs gsp…im really angry at this fight happening i like both guys ..”i hope it goes to a draw!”
Nico good response, um. Sooo I’m assuming that was toward me awesome
GSP didn’t own BJ Penn in their first fight, if u see it differently so be it but its hard to get a split decision when u own someone in the entire fight
GSP all around game is gettin better day by day and becoming a more complete fighter is great, has little to do with gettin hit on “the button” and going to down… I don’t believe that I’ve ever seen Penn droped let alone ko’d
I do actually believe that GSP has more fights in the UFC than Penn does
I too am fans of both, as far as dominace and greatness well time will tell forsure, I actually believe that they are each others toughest opponent if you look at their carrers and that’s why this SUPERFIGHT is soo great because they are legends and soo well rounded with no clear cut victor this is what happens when two of the greatest get together to face each other in their “primes” Its wonderful gotta love MMA
Thiago v GSP is going to be great either way
Bj Penn wins and they make GSP fight Thiago for a “title shot” @ Penn do u know how distructive GSP is going to towards Thiago that would be an absoulte war, Thiago is going to be in world of hurt when he faces St. Pierre
BJ’s got better pure boxing, but GSP mixes up punches and kicks better. GSP has better takedowns, but BJ has a better guard and over all better bjj. both have very good takedown defense, but hte wrestling edge goes to GSP. GSP has a better top game and able to do more damage inside the guard. GSP has the better gas tank, both are champions.
just my take on the fight…the first was great, can’t wait for this 1.
This SUPERFIGHT is going to be both BJ and GSP’ 14th fight in the octagon
This is an easy call, BJ is great but just too small to compete with GSP at 170.
Ahhh I see what u did there YOU’RE names says it ALL
I am looking forward to this fight but i hate the fact that BJ Penn used his title as LIGHTWEIGHT champ to get a shot at the welterweight champ, if he was legit at 170 he would fight the #1 contender like alves to prove he deserves a shot, GSP has nothin to gain from this fight he already proved he was better by beating penn the first time. I hope GSP ko’s penn so penn can shut up at 170 and go back down to 155 to defend his title against fighters who have been shut out of title shots because of Penn’s selfishness, you dont see GSP goin to Silva asking for a shot at his title.
One question i have is does BJ train solely in one place or does he venture out like GSP to Brazil or other places to broaden his skills. Guys like Guida seem to benefit from travelling all around to get different moves or perspectives. In this ever evolving sport it seems that the new age guys are more open to travel for improvement. I wonder if BJ is an old school kind of guy.
You might soon see GSP fighting Silva.
I believe BJ trains soley in Hilo.. I’ve heard of him “visiting” places but to train I don’t think soo, he brings in people too
I agree Silva v GSP isn’t that far fetched I would really like to see that fight
perhaps but gsp wont be persistent about it until his name is called, he’s got class, i hope he destroys penn
Hey GSP is the clssiest guy in the UFC WW division him and Anderson are tops pure class
Throw in Anthony Johnson Wanderlei ect I gotcha
Its not like BJ has no class man, GSP accepted this fight asked for it to be in early 2009 so he could heal up and be 100% he accepted this fight as a title fight for his title, people should accept it too its offical BJ Penn is moving up a weight class just to take on GSP for the WW title and it fuucks all the hopes and dreams of Thiago Silva and KenFlo up, hey guess what so be it those guys will get their shot in 2009 both Thiago and KenFlo steped up and are fighting for the #1 contender in their divison leaving no doubt Thiago took care of his problem (Kos) and now its up to KenFlo to do the same… If GSP beats BJ no worries he will fight Thiago in Mayish and the world will go on
BJ wins he then fights two #1contenders in a year in two different weight classes then too shall the world go on, cheers
I’m not sure if traveling all of is the best thing, I’m sure it has its benefits, but I think that bringing guys in would be better than traveling.
FR you mean thiago alves right?
Will be an awesome dream!! And dreams do come true!
i especially like how GSP dominated Serra the first time. what? he got knocked flat on his ass? ok, well, there’s no way BJ will be able to handle GSP’s jitsu game because he’s training in Brazil and learning all the tricks of the trade. what? you mean he’s learning from the guys who couldn’t handle BJ in their own tournament (and weren’t even able to score points) when he was just a kid? ok, well then at least GSP is handsomer and has a french (canadian) accent. ooh la la.
hey everyone the whole 50 cent thing with him and dana is for using his song for this ppv…see ufc.com i think its the first video……i believe they are gonna start it with that video instead of the gladiator oct belum
Thanks for that gunslinger. Might should have posted it in that topic, but whatever.
I’ve lived in Montreal my whole life so I gotta go with GSP but in the end, it will be a war and it will come down to who wants it more.
” But it ain’t about how hard ya hit. It’s about how hard you can get it and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done! ” ….Rocky Balboa
BJ vs GSP
BJ has a really good boxing skills (much above average for the MMA fighters)
GSP has good over all stand up game great combinations and he has leg strikes , BJ don’t.
If fight would be standup war I will give slide advantage to BJ and I would say BJ wins.
Now let’s see the ground game:
BJ is world class BJJ and If it would be BJJ fight I would say agin BJ wins.
GSP good BJJ and very good GP and World class wrestling skills and I would give ground adventage to GSP.
It’s MMA fight and with St. Pier abilities of wrestling he can control where this fight will go and here is the final result.
GSP wins by UD or by TKO if BJ gassed out in a late rounds.
Now about Matchida.
The guy who has a best chance to bit him should be high level K-1 fighter with a good take down defense.
The big hall in Machidas stile is his chin always pointing up ,
(this is the biggest problem of the Shotokan karate sport stile) vs kickboxing stile where the chin is always down, the guy how will find the way
To go in and hit him on his chin will win , but as I said the guy should have good striking skills and should not be afraid to close the distance with Matchida.
BJ Penn submission.. choke 2nd round..
I just dont see GSP winning this fight.. i find it so lame everytime GSP is fighting.. what the.?!? nwei.. that was just my opinion.
Thiago Silva K.O 1st round over Machida..
Again, the most lame fighter in the UFC Mr. Machida., the only thing he knows is to evade then throw punch or kick and then evade.. i doubt it if he can do that against Thiago.. I DOUBT THAT.. I DO.. haha
i dont think Penn could handle Fitch, let alone St pierre. Penn is going to be killed. Penn has no heart and i dont think he has any edge over GSP, his BJJ is totaly neutralized by GSPs wrestling. And if u think about it, the best fighters have not been JJ fighters. and if Penn does lose kenflo may have his number after that.