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 the planet. There is no one inch the division that can 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 many that you will choose Diego Sanchez to get over BJ Penn but he's got difficulty with bigger fighters and he has difficulties with fighters that like to press the action. That and the +220 online sports betting odds, leads me to get my funds on the underdog with this fight.

Diego is really a slightly better wrestling and he's better striking. The real determining aspect in why he'll win this fight is pace. Diego Sanchez will push the pace of the fight anf the husband sboarena will pressure the fights. BJ Penn wants to control his mixed martial arts fights however, if a fighter takes control of the pace they are definitely in a position to dictate and beat BJ.

Also BJ Penn has issues with fighters which are bigger and stronger than him. Penn lost to Georges St Pierre twice because GSP was bigger and the man pushed the pace in the fight. Penn lost to Matt Hughes as he wasn't in shape and at the end in the fight Hughes pushed the pace anf the husband was a bigger fighter.

Diego Sanchez is really a big 155 pound fighter. He is normally a welterweight fighter and could even fight at middleweight if he planned to. He will cut plenty of weigh coming into this fight and after his weight cut, Sanchez will likely be at 170 pounds fight day. He will probably be a much larger and much more powerful fighter and the man will pose Penn some problems as a result of Diego's size.

Size may play big role in this fight, and Penn have not done this well with fighters which can be greater than him. BJ dominates same size fighters like he did with Kenny Florian and Sean Sherk. But remember Sanchez is the bigger fighter and that is often a major factor when fighting BJ Penn.

Diego is a fighter that's always in form and the man will pressure Penn when the fight starts. He is going to be capable of back Penn with his aggressive pressure and confuse him along with his strikes and kicks. After the initial two rounds Penn will likely be exhausted attempting to keep on top of Diego's' pace. When Penn fought Matt Hughes the other 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 by round 4 he could not continue. If Diego can push the pace he'll tire out Penn and make fight inside the latter rounds.

While most of the people require a decade or even more to turn into a black belt, Penn got his black belt with only 36 months of coaching. BJ Penn is known for his jiu-jitsu but when you gaze at his record in MMA he wins every one of his fights by rear naked choke. Now if you breakdown his grappling game he dominates the grappling game as they is equal in weight. If Diego Sanchez were a similar size and weight he most likely would dominate the battle.

However, Diego is not any slouch on the ground. His no gi game is superb and possesses even competed at the ADCC 2005 Absolute Division championships. The Abu Dhabi could be the most prestigious grapping tournament in the world which is something BJ Penn has never competed in before. Diego won his first fight on the ADCC and lost his second fight to Marcelo Garcia who is regarded as one from the best grapplers on the planet. That was when Diego never even competed which has a gi before. In 2005, Sanchez wrestled for his senior high school in New Mexico before starting training MMA with Greg Jackson at Jackson's Submission Fighting which can be thought to be the top MMA trainer on earth. Despite never by using a gi in grappling Diego features a very tight grappling game.

Striking wise you will need to offer a slight edge to Diego. Diego could have the reach and power advantage within the striking. He will be greater fighter and he can push off and jab his punches so BJ Penn is not going to to get in close. Technically BJ Penn can be a better striker with better fundamentals but he'll be mistaken for the sheer quantity of strikes and the reach.

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

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

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

I do believe Diego does not hold the skills to overpower Penn but she has the stamina and capability to hurt Penn and provide this fight late in to the rounds. By the time Penn hits the forth round he will be gassed which is when Sanchez will require over. The best bet is to bet around the UFC prop bet for Diego to win by decision. He will hurt and confuse Penn along with his strikes and kicks. BJ won't be in a position to close the space while he is the smaller fighter. BJ Penn features a lot to check out for on this fight like strikes, kicks, takedowns and also the ground and pound while Sanchez has only to fret not quitting his back or becoming for the bottom.

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

Written by Stan Leung and presented by .