UFC 94 – BJ “The Prodigy” Penn vs. Georges “Rush” St Pierre

January 30, 2009 by admin
Filed under: UFC/MMA Betting 

One of the most anticipated matches in UFC history takes place this Saturday night when B.J. Penn enters the ring to take on champion Georges St. Pierre.

St. Pierre actually beat Penn by a split decision in 2006. Since the bout in 2006, sports betting fans have been eagerly awaiting the rematch that will pit two of the best, if not the two best, fighters in the 170 lb weight division against each other.

St. Pierre goes into this bout off of four straight victories including a revenge match against Matt Serra whom St. Pierre knocked out in April of last year.

B.J. Penn goes into this bout off of three straight victories. He will be trying to avenge one of four losses he has suffered in his career.

Let’s take a look at each fighter and then analyze the bout according to the online betting odds in the BetUS online sportsbook.

B.J. Penn

Strengths: He’s a good stand-up fighter, as he demonstrated in their first fight but Penn’s real brilliance occurs on the ground where he can force submissions from any angle. Penn’s style, a mixture of tae kwon do and jiu-jitsu, involves a lot of take-downs and wrestling submission type stuff that causes his opponents to either tap out or the referee to stop the fight. Penn has unparalleled balance and dexterity which makes him difficult to take down and very dangerous once you do.

Weaknesses: The knock on Penn has always been his conditioning and his heart inside the ring. He’s not slow, but he doesn’t have the speed or aggressiveness of Georges St. Pierre. Penn will last a long time in a fight but when facing a truly gifted opponent, he tends to have trouble.

Georges St. Pierre

Strengths: St. Pierre is a terrifically well-rounded fighter. He should be because he trains in Muay Thai, boxing and wrestling. He has the ability to strike, take his man down, or just beat him to a pulp with overall aggressiveness. St. Pierre is a fantastic athlete that can outclass almost anyone he faces.

Weaknesses: He doesn’t have a real weakness per se, but he has been known to eat a lot of leather on occasion, primarily in the last fight with Penn. He does have a good chin but he tends to focus too much on offense and not enough on defense. If Penn catches him with a great punch, St. Pierre could crumble.

B.J. Penn vs. Georges St. Pierre

BetUS online betting odds: Penn +135, St. Pierre -175

Analysis: If B.J. Penn can get St. Pierre in a dominant position on the ground, then Penn has a shot. Nobody in UFC is as good as Penn is at causing submissions. He has a fantastic choke hold that he has used in two out of his three last bouts to tap his opponent out. But St. Pierre is much tougher than any fighter Penn has faced recently. St. Pierre is as good as a fighter can get at the 170 lb division and there’s no telling what might happen if St. Pierre enters the ring in fantastic shape, he usually does, and Penn enters the ring in bad shape, sometimes he does.

I want to take the long shot in this bout, but I really can’t. St. Pierre is the better athlete and has excelled since the first fight in 2006. Penn has looked impressive but against fighters that have not been on the same level as St. Pierre.

I’ll be making an online bet on Georges St. Pierre at the BetUS online sportsbook betting odds of -175.

Good Luck!

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