UFC 107 Analysis And Prediction For The BJ Penn Versus Diego Sanchez Fight

Without a doubt, BJ "The Prodigy" Penn is the better 155 pound on earth. There is no one inch the division that could touch him. Most 155 pound fighters can't even touch him BUT Diego "Nightmare" Sanchez is not a 155 pound fighter.

It could be surprising to the majority that you would choose Diego Sanchez to get over BJ Penn but she has problems with bigger fighters and he has issues with fighters they enjoy to press the action. That and also the +220 online sports betting odds, leads me to put my funds on the underdog on this fight.

Diego can be a slightly better wrestling and he has better striking. The real determining factor in why he can win this fight is pace. Diego Sanchez will push the pace in the fight and that he will pressure the fights. BJ Penn likes to control his ufc fights however when a fighter takes control from the pace they usually are capable to dictate and beat BJ.

Also BJ Penn has difficulty with fighters which might be bigger and stronger than him. Penn lost to Georges St Pierre twice because GSP was bigger and the man pushed the pace from the fight. Penn lost to Matt Hughes as he wasn't healthy and close to the end in the fight Hughes pushed the pace and he would have been a bigger fighter.

Diego Sanchez is often a big 155 pound fighter. He is ordinarily a welterweight fighter and may even fight at middleweight if he wanted to. He will cut a lot of weigh getting into this fight and after his weight cut, Sanchez will most likely be at 170 pounds fight day. He will probably be a much larger and more powerful fighter and he will pose Penn some problems as a result of Diego's size.

Size may play big role on this fight, and Penn hasn't succeeded in doing so well with fighters that are greater than him. BJ dominates same size fighters like he did with Kenny Florian and Sean Sherk. But remember Sanchez may be the bigger fighter and that is often a major factor when fighting BJ Penn.

Diego is a fighter which is always in form and he will pressure Penn once the fight starts. He will likely be in a position to back Penn up with his aggressive pressure and confuse him regarding his strikes and sboarena kicks. After the first 2 rounds Penn is going to be exhausted always keeping with Diego's' pace. When Penn fought Matt Hughes the 2nd time he was dominating him but by round 3 he was beyond gas and Hughes turned it up. His last fight with St Pierre he was getting thrown off his game and also by round 4 he could not continue. If Diego can push the pace he'll almost certainly tire out Penn and consider the fight in the latter rounds.

While most people need a decade or maybe more to become black belt, Penn got his black belt with only 36 months to train. BJ Penn is known for his jiu-jitsu but if you look at his record in MMA he wins all his fights by rear naked choke. Now if you stop working his grappling game he dominates the grappling game as they is equal in weight. If Diego Sanchez were exactly the same size and weight he most likely would dominate the battle.

However, Diego isn't any slouch in the grass. His no gi game is very good and contains even competed in the ADCC 2005 Absolute Division championships. The Abu Dhabi is the most prestigious grapping tournament on the planet which can be something BJ Penn hasn't competed in before. Diego won his first fight on the ADCC and lost his second fight to Marcelo Garcia that is regarded as one with the best grapplers on the planet. That was when Diego never even competed with a gi before. In 2005, Sanchez wrestled for his senior high school in New Mexico before commencing training MMA with Greg Jackson at Jackson's Submission Fighting which can be regarded as the best MMA trainer on the planet. Despite never utilizing a gi in grappling Diego features a very tight grappling game.

Striking wise you must offer a slight edge to Diego. Diego will have the reach and power advantage in the striking. He will likely be greater fighter and that he can push off and jab his punches so BJ Penn won't to get in close. Technically BJ Penn is a better striker with better fundamentals but he'll be wrongly identified as the sheer quantity of strikes along with the reach.

Bottom Line: Remember Diego Sanchez was a format member from the Greg Jackson team and Jackson was inside the corner when GSP fought Penn so Sanchez will fight a similar fight that St Pierre fought. Sanchez will be prepared for this fight and he will shock many.

I love the fact Sanchez is the bigger, stronger and much more aggressive fighter. These are the three factors that BJ Penn has troubles with in fighters. UFC sports betting wise the +220 betting odds are perfect and I would lay a tiny amount on the money line for Diego to win this fight. I don't think Diego has the strength to knock out Penn or the grappling skill to sub him but he has contain the power and strength to win the stand and have the pack up points.

He also has the skill in top position to have effective ground and pound. If he could be in Penn's guard, he'll perform similar thing GSP did and rehearse his size and chance to punish Penn. The Ribeiro brothers will show him the way to fight effectively inside the guard. If Diego stays inside the top position they can control the floor game. If Penn is to it is going to be over. However, Penn will have a hard time getting top position or taking Diego's back since he may be the bigger stronger fighter.

I do believe Diego does not have the skills to overpower Penn but he's got the stamina and chance to hurt Penn and convey this fight late into the rounds. By the time Penn hits the forth round he can be gassed that is certainly when Sanchez will require over. The best bet would be to bet about the UFC prop bet for Diego to win by decision. He will hurt and confuse Penn regarding his strikes and kicks. BJ will not be capable of close the length while he will be the smaller fighter. BJ Penn carries a lot to take a look out for on this fight like strikes, kicks, takedowns and also the ground and pound while Sanchez only has to fret not quitting his back or being around the bottom.

Look for Diego Sanchez to be the New UFC Lightweight Champion having a Split Decision

Written by Stan Leung and delivered by .