The first two fights between these world class competitors are not exactly fresh in memory but the fact that Edgar came out on top both times can't be forgotten. Since Penn vs Edgar II, both fighters have been on very different paths, challenging very different fighters in the UFC roster. Edgar has fought championship bout after championship bout up until he met Charles Oliviera. He has looked nothing short of world class against lightweight and featherweight champions but has been on the losing side of some widely discussed decisions. BJ on the other hand has taken the trail up to 170 pounds. Who knows why, maybe he doesn't like the cut or maybe he just wanted the chance to prove himself again in the higher division he briefly ruled. We all know that BJ has balls and throughout his career has never given too much consideration to the size of his opponents. This has been the cause of a recent tough streak for BJ, being on the wrong side of beatings from much much bigger opponents ion Diaz and MacDonald.
Now they meet again... this time at featherweight! Edgar has had time to adjust to performing at this weight and looks comfortable here. BJ is transitioning from 170 to 145, where we really have no idea how he will perform. What do you guys think about this? We know what can be expected of Edgar, how he fights at this weight and what he is capable of... We also know what BJ is capable of but can he do it now at this stage in his career in a new weight class? Since he has been spending time at Nova Uniao with the featherweight, and (then) bantamweight champs, with coaching from Andre Pederneiras, we have to assume then that BJ will be coming into this fight well prepared for the pace and intensity of a featherweight scrap with a championship material fighter. I am super intrigued to see how BJ has transitioned.
Without taking the weight of their recent opponents into account, there has not been an easy fight for either fighter since the last time they met. They have been testing themselves against the best with mixed results. The position they find themselves in now, however, is far from the same. Edgar is always not far from the belt and is still looming in the top 5 (not actually sure about rankings but he's definitely there). Penn on the other hand is generally believed to be seeing his last rounds of competitive action and is not a feature in any divisional rankings. I am wondering, though, what happens if BJ looks impressive at featherweight. Win or Lose, if he puts on a solid performance against Edgar and looks sharp then I would love to see him stick around for a swim in the waters... there are plenty of fights for him there... and so it could be that the aftermath of this fight between two old dancing partners puts them back in a similar position to each other once again. Both competitively fighting at the top of their division, in the same division.
What do you guys think? Would a loss to BJ hinder Edgar's career that much and would a win propel him that much further in the division? What would a win for BJ mean? Would you like to see him retire on a high, something that aging fighters dream of but so rarely find at the end of their careers, or would you like to see him compete for longer at a weight he should have tried years ago? Either way I am excited to see any questions hanging over this fight answered when they meet to complete the trilogy!
Just going to say while I am here that I am rooting for BJ all the way!
Statistics: Posted by Carlosthedwarf — Jun 19. 2014, 09:48 — Replies 0 — Views 4
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