B.J. Penn Gets His Pound Of Flesh

So tonight, after 5 long years (and plenty of bad blood, which wasn't limited to the Ultimate Fighter 5 show in which they were coaches), B.J. Penn and Jens Pulver finally had their rematch.

Penn just completely dominated this fight and showed why a lot of people think that he is the best MMA fighter out there pound-for-pound. He didn't just entertain during the fight, he entertained with his pre-fight and post-fight comments as well. Penn, when he is actually in shape and focused, could be as close to unbeatable as you can get in the MMA world, right up there with Fedor. You can probably say the same thing about Georges St. Pierre, although with him it's not about being in shape, it's having mental toughness.

In any case, Penn just took Pulver apart. He got him to the ground and just proceeded to batter him every which way. He actually almost ended it twice in the first round, once with an armbar, and then with a triangle choke. In the second round, it looked like he was having too much fun beating up Pulver that his corner had to yell at him to finish it off (he looked like a cat playing with a mouse it had caught). And finish it off he did with a beautifully applied rear naked choke; the end came when Pulver's left arm was hooked by B.J.'s leg and at that point, it was a mere formality of Penn just getting his arms in position for the choke and locking it in.

As a postscript, it looks like Pulver is moving down to 145 lbs., which would set up an eventual match with Urijah Farber; Penn on the other hand is moving back up to welterweight. Can Penn remain focused and in shape and try to avenge his losses to St. Pierre and Matt Hughes? Only time will tell.