With the upcoming Anderson Silva versus James Irvin fight, there has been a lot of discussion about the best pound for pound fighters in the world. We are constantly hearing that Anderson Silva is the best, followed by Georges St. Pierre, Fedor Emelianenko, B.J. Penn, and I even heard someone mention Forrest Griffin in the top five after his victory over Quinton "Rampage" Jackson.
I am a big Forrest Griffin fan, but even I think that is a stretch.
The more MMA fights that I watch the more I think that the pound for pound adage just doesn't work in MMA.
B.J. "The Prodigy" Penn is one of the best examples that we have in MMA. B.J. has an overall professional record of 13-4-1, of these 18 fights, 11 have been at 155 pounds, and 7 have ranged from 170 pounds all the way up to 205 pounds.
Unlike most fighters, when B.J. Penn steps up in weight, he takes on some of the best fighters in the higher weight class. He has fought Matt Hughes, Georges St. Pierre, Lyoto Machida, Rodrigo Gracie, and Renzo Gracie.
Out of the 11 fights at 155 pounds, B.J. Penn has a 9-1-1 record, with his only loss way back at UFC 35 to Jens "Little Evil" Pulver. Out of the 7 fights above 155 pounds, B.J. Penn has a 4-3 record. Even more telling, at 155 pounds his 9 victories break down into 5 TKO/KO's, 3 submissions, and 1 decision. His 4 victories above 155 pounds break down into 2 submissions and 2 decisions. This break down shows that B.J. Penn is a phenomenal 155 pound MMA fighter, and a very average MMA fighter above 155 pounds.
I think B.J. Penn's lack a TKO/KO's when fighting above 155 pounds proves that as fighters move up from their natural weight class, their power doesn't come with them. Which seems to prove that the pound for pound adage doesn't work.
I am probably one of the few people that believes James "The Sandman" Irvin has a real shot at winning his upcoming fight versus Anderson "The Spider" Silva.
James Irvin has great knockout power at 205 pounds, and is used to getting hit by bigger guys, which could make Anderson Silva a little less effective. If that happens, then "The Spider" will have to try to get the fight to the ground and try to push his Jiu Jitsu advantage. While Anderson attempts to get the fight to the mat, he might just eat a knee from "The Sandman".
If Anderson does lose by a knee strike, do you think that would be considered an act of Karma, considering all of the pain he has inflicted on his opponents with his knees?By: Ron Layton/MMAtalker.com |
