Once again, B.J. Penn has proven to be the MMA juggernaut in the lightweight division. Clearly, B.J. Penn was the favorite to win this fight, but Diego, the crazy “Yes Man,” with the never-ending gas tank was believed to be an interesting challenge. Diego “The Nightmare” Sanchez attacks with such high intensity in his fights, as we have seen against Clay Guida, Joe Daddy Stevenson, and Karo Parisyan.
Diego Sanchez had the right attitude but the wrong strategy when approaching B.J. Penn. The New Mexico native came out swinging, chin untucked, just to be knocked out, momentarily, by a Penn counterstrike, followed by several hammerstrikes with the intent to finish off Sanchez, but “The Nightmare” fought through the flash knockout. The main event seemed to come towards a quick end, but Sanchez remained strong, although, he absorbed heavy punishment. B.J. Penn, on the other hand, had an ineluctable attack strategy that continued to weaken his opponent’s defensive endowments.
Throughout the entire fight, Penn remained the dominant fighter and Diego’s gameplan became so forthcoming that most of his attacks were neutralized. Counterstrike after counterstrike, Sanchez’s face continued to swell as the fight progressed. Towards the last round, Penn was able to deceptively sneak in a leg kick that opened a large gash on Diego’s forehead. The medical authority at the fight did not allow the fight to continue, therefore, B.J. Penn inevitably won by TKO.
Seemingly, B.J. Penn has cleared the lightweight division of any viable competition. Some competitor’s such as Franke Edgar, Gray Maynard and Tyson Griffin are good competitor’s for the Hawaian-native, but, honestly, Penn will pummel on the ground or on his feet. Penn’s best bet is to move up to welterweight competition to fight potential opponents such as Jon Fitch, Josh Koscheck, Mike Swick, Dan Hardy, Paul Semtex among other talented fighters in this division.
As for Sanchez, he should learn from this loss and continue improving his game. He’s a solid fighter, tremendous notoriety, that fights with all his heart. Winning a couple more fights will entice his will to continue the journey of getting that belt all UFC fighters long for.
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