B.J. Penn showed once again on Saturday night that he's the best lightweight in mixed martial arts, defending his UFC title and defeating Kenny Florian with a fourth-round rear-naked choke at UFC 101.
Penn controlled the fight throughout, winning the first three rounds on my scorecard before submitting Florian in the fourth.
The fight started with Penn showing off his superior boxing skills in the first round, landing some good punches and using his excellent takedown defense to frustrate Florian in the clinch.
In the second round Florian began using his leg kicks and pushing Penn around the Octagon, and Penn's boxing became a bit less precise as he was warned a couple of times for hitting in the back of the head. But Penn still landed enough solid shots to win the round.
By the third, Penn had figured out Florian's strategy of holding him against the cage, and Penn was relaxing while Florian held him and then landing punches when they would separate. Florian simply wasn't going on the offensive enough to take the belt away from the champion.
And then in the fourth round, Penn landed a couple of good punches early and then slammed Florian to the ground with a double-leg takedown. From there, it was just a matter of time before he used his superior jiu jitsu to sink in the rear-naked choke, giving Florian the fourth loss of his MMA career.
Penn showed, once again, that when he's in shape and fighting opponents in his own weight class, he's all but unbeatable. In the process, he improved his record to 14-5-1. Up next for Penn is a title defense against Diego Sanchez. He'll have to be heavily favored, because he's by far the best lightweight in the world.
UFC 101 Photos
B.j Penn, right, and Kenny Florian in the first round of their mixed martial art match, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2009, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/H. Rumph Jr)
AP
UFC lightweight champion B.j Penn, left, and Kenny Florian fight in the second round of their mixed martial art match, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2009, in Philadelphia. Penn won. (AP Photo/H. Rumph Jr)
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PHILADELPHIA - AUGUST 08: (L-R) Lightweight champion BJ Penn battles Kenny Florian during their lightweight championship title bout at UFC 101: Declaration at the Wachovia Center on August 8, 2009 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** BJ Penn;Kenny Florian
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PHILADELPHIA - AUGUST 08: (Top) Lightweight champion BJ Penn battles Kenny Florian during their lightweight championship title bout at UFC 101: Declaration at the Wachovia Center on August 8, 2009 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** BJ Penn;Kenny Florian
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UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva, right connects with Forrest Griffin in the first round of their mixed martial art match, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2009, in Philadelphia. Silva won. (AP Photo/H. Rumph Jr)
AP
PHILADELPHIA - AUGUST 08: Lightweight champion BJ Penn (R) battles Kenny Florian during their lightweight championship title bout at UFC 101: Declaration at the Wachovia Center on August 8, 2009 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** BJ Penn;Kenny Florian
Getty Images
PHILADELPHIA - AUGUST 08: Lightweight champion BJ Penn (R) battles Kenny Florian during their lightweight championship title bout at UFC 101: Declaration at the Wachovia Center on August 8, 2009 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** BJ Penn;Kenny Florian
Getty Images
PHILADELPHIA - AUGUST 08: Lightweight champion BJ Penn (R) battles Kenny Florian during their lightweight championship title bout at UFC 101: Declaration at the Wachovia Center on August 8, 2009 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** BJ Penn;Kenny Florian
Getty Images
PHILADELPHIA - AUGUST 08: (L-R) Lightweight champion BJ Penn battles Kenny Florian during their lightweight championship title bout at UFC 101: Declaration at the Wachovia Center on August 8, 2009 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** BJ Penn;Kenny Florian
Getty Images
PHILADELPHIA - AUGUST 08: (L-R) Kenny Florian battles lightweight champion BJ Penn during their lightweight championship title bout at UFC 101: Declaration at the Wachovia Center on August 8, 2009 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** BJ Penn;Kenny Florian
Getty Images
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