As he promotes the B.J. Penn vs. Sean Sherk lightweight title fight at UFC 84 -- and as he tries to fend off competition from the upstart mixed martial arts organization EliteXC -- UFC President Dana White raises a fascinating question:Who would win if Penn took on EliteXC's big star, Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson? From the Long Beach Press-Telegram:
"Who gives a crap about Kimbo Slice? This guy can't fight MMA.
"You know what would happen if he fought in the UFC? I'd put him in against BJ Penn and (Slice) would get annihilated. ...
Kimbo has no credibility at all in MMA. ... I am telling you, BJ Penn would beat him."
Slice weighs 235 pounds and Penn weighs 155, and ordinarily, the size advantage that a heavyweight has over a lightweight would be so great that you'd say it's insane to even think a lightweight could beat a heavyweight. But as FightMetric.com has noted, Penn has put on excellent performances against much bigger fighters, including light heavyweight Lyoto Machida. And Penn's jiu jitsu is phenomenal, while Slice has never really been tested on the ground against a top-notch fighter. And Penn has an amazing chin; even a guy with Slice's punching power would have a hard time knocking him out.
And yet ... I just don't think Penn could beat Slice. There's a reason that boxing, wrestling, MMA and other one-on-one combat-style sports have weight classes. Size does matter. Slice would beat Penn. But it would be a fascinating fight to see.
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