UFC 91: Kenny Florian-Joe Stevenson Winner Gets Title Shot vs. B.J. Penn

Although the Brock Lesnar-Randy Couture main event at UFC 91 is one of the biggest MMA fights in history, the undercard is lacking in star power.

So in an attempt to boost the cache of the rest of the card, UFC President Dana White has announced that the winner of the fight between Kenny Florian and Joe Stevenson will become the No. 1 lightweight contender and earn a title shot against champion B.J. Penn.

For the most part, that's a good thing. Knowing these guys are fighting for a chance at the belt makes the Florian-Stevenson fight more exciting, and Florian, who is currently on a five-fight winning streak, would definitely be worthy of a chance at the championship if he wins.

However, there are a couple of down sides to this as well. For one thing, Stevenson just lost to Penn in January. Although he bounced back by beating Gleison Tibau, is the combination of that and beating Florian really enough to make him deserving of a title shot?

And also, there's the little matter of not knowing when Penn will be ready to defend his lightweight belt. Penn fights Georges St. Pierre at UFC 94 on January 31. How long a layoff will he need to recuperate from that fight and get back down to 155 pounds? It could be a while.

Bottom line: If Florian wins, I want to see him fight Penn. If Stevenson wins, I don't particularly want to wait nine months or so and then see him lose to Penn again. I'll be rooting for Florian to earn a title shot on Saturday night.

Update: Steve Cofield has a good interview with Penn at MMA Rated.