The BJ Penn effect

Its often said that history is simply the lie that is repeated the most times. When I was studying for my undergraduate degree in history at UCLA I ran into this phenomenon a lot. People who fancy themselves as pseudo-historians will rattle on about their supposed knowledge of history without the slightest idea of what they are talking about. Hearing for the millionth time about how FDR allowed the attack on Pearl Harbor, or seeing afro-centric posters featuring a black Cleopatra (she wasn't african actually, her father was Macedonian) gets a little old after awhile.

This effect occurs quite a bit in the realm of MMA as well.

One of the most enduring myths in MMA concerns the guard of BJ Penn. Every time he is on his back is a fight, Joe Rogan just about loses his mind. He seems to want to create new adjectives to describe the wonder that we are seeing before us. When Sean Sherk was watching his destruction of Joe Stevenson and was asked what worried him the most about facing BJ, the first thing he talked about was his flexibility in the guard. In a recent article article on Sherdog by Jason Probst about the upcoming Penn vs Fitch fight, he wrote that "Penn's takedown defense and wily bottom game make taking him to the ground a difficult proposition and surviving there an especially risky one."

Sure the guy can comb his hair with his feet, and that kind of flexibility is always fun to watch, but there is a very simple fact that I would like to share with anyone that is interested. You guys ready?

BJ PENN HAS NEVER SUBMITTED AN OPPONENT FROM HIS BACK IN AN MMA FIGHT!!!

That's right, not ONCE in 24 professional fights has BJ Penn caught an opponent from his guard. Im not knocking the guys BJJ skills in ANY way, I think the dude in a serious freak on the ground, but its his top-game and back control that are so impressive. Once BJ gets on top of you, you are in deep shit, no two ways about it.

The guys that have been successful against BJ were actually the guys who could take him down and keep him on his back. After getting tattooed in the opening round of their first fight, GSP got smart and started taking BJ down and won a unanimous decision. He followed the same game plan, minus the first round beating, in their rematch and had an easy fight. Lightweights Frankie Edgar and Jens Pulver both beat BJ on the strength of their wrestling and conditioning.

I think the myth of BJ's guard has actually won him a lot of fights. I was AMAZED at how little effort guys like Sean Sherk and Joe Stevenson (both known for their wrestling skills) put into trying to take BJ to the ground. They seemed to want to bang with BJ and use their wrestling to stay on the feet; where they were clearly out-classed. Which brings me to rarely acknowledged fact #2:

BJ PENN HAS MORE KNOCKOUTS THAN SUBMISSIONS!!

Thats right kids, stunner #2 is that he has 7 kos and 6 subs, and while he does get plenty of credit for his boxing skills, his striking isn't treated with the same kind of awe as his submission game. Fighters seem to want to avoid the ground at all costs, when they should be doing just the opposite.

Those are the big reasons why I'm not particularly interested in Penn's upcoming fight against Jon Fitch. Jon Fitch does what Jon Fitch does; he pressures you on the feet, takes you down, and grinds on you until you wish you had been a pro volleyball player. If Fitch isn't blinded by the hype, is cautious on the feet (and who ever accused Fitch of not being cautious enough?) and sticks to what he does, I dont see him having a ton of trouble sending BJ back down to the lightweight division for good.

Last fact of the day:

BJ PENN HAS NEVER BEATEN A WELTERWEIGHT IN THE UFC WHO WASN'T NAMED MATT HUGHES

Will that change on the 27th? We'll have to see, but if you want to examine something fairly, it's always important to look past the hype...