Today's UFC Twitter mailbag is all about UFC 101, with questions about UFC lightweight champion BJ Penn using a controversial trainer to prepare for his title defense against Kenny Florian, how Florian has improved as a fighter, and what Anderson Silva thinks about the crowd response to hist last two fights.Your questions and my answers for our MMA mailbag are below.
MichaelDavSmith: BJ Penn says that if anything he overtrained for Georges St Pierre at UFC 94, now Marv Marinovich is giving him "awesome" training
injuryexpert: THAT Marinovich?
I tweeted during the UFC 101 conference call that Penn is working with the famous and controversial Marv Marinovich, and acclaimed injury expert Will Carroll replied by asking if Penn is really working with that Marinovich. Yes, he is.
Marinovich is best known for making the training of his son, Todd Marinovich, his life's work. Marv supposedly started doing stretching exercises on his son's hamstrings when Todd was just a month old, and he never allowed Todd to eat junk food of any kind. Marv was hailed as a visionary when his son starred at USC and became a first-round NFL draft pick, and then was ripped as the worst kind of football father when Todd's NFL career and personal life fell apart.
But no one disputes that Marv Marinovich knows his stuff when it comes to training athletes, and Penn is raving about what Marinovich has done for him. Penn says he's going into the Florian fight in the best shape of his life.
PJHarrison: Will BJ say Ken Flo cheated if he losses again?
It was clear on the UFC 101 call that Penn is still sensitive to criticism from those who say he's a whiner for accusing Georges St Pierre of cheating after their fight at UFC 94. No word on whether Penn will call Florian a cheater if Florian wins at UFC 101, but he did call Florian a liar on the media call promoting the fight. And Penn said he's sick of dealing with the MMA media and now relies on his own web site to get information to his fans.
drsippi: Florian, what are you doing differently for this fight, after the Sherk debacle?
Florian said that what he's been doing differently is training harder than ever before, and he said his goal every time he goes to the gym is to get 1% better. Florian has also tweeted regularly about the new training partners he's sought out for this fight. All indications are that both Penn and Florian are in the best shape of their careers heading into UFC 101.
yestomhughesyes: Can you ask Silva about crowd response to his last 2 fights, and if it shows fans see MMA as entertainment rather than sport?
Silva said on the UFC 101 call that he thinks people who booed him in his last fight don't understand MMA. In my view, MMA is both entertainment and sport. I think it's perfectly fine for Silva to say that his only goal is to win a fight and he doesn't care if the fans boo, but it's also perfectly fine for the UFC to reward the most exciting fighters with the Fight of the Night, Knockout of the Night and Submission of the Night bonuses. Silva apparently doesn't care if he gets those bonuses, as long as he keeps winning, but I think we're going to see a more motivated and aggressive Silva against Forrest Griffin.
Want to be part of our next UFC Twitter mailbag? Post a question or comment on Twitter.com, and be sure to start it with @MichaelDavSmith.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
7-28-2009 @ 7:39PM
johnnynumber5 said...
I also think BJ Penn has been unfairly criticized after his loss to GSP. However, it was partly his fault coming off the ESPN 24/7 mini series that chronicled their training regiment leading up to the super fight. I think BJ is a proud guy and deep down inside he honestly believes that he got a raw deal. I happen to agree that GSP cheated and my opinion was that the fight should have been called a no decision. But, I also think that the main reason Penn lost was because he wasn't in as good of shape as he alluded to on the 24/7 show.
BJ is well aware of his legacy and that he has the potential to be seen as one of the all time greats in the sports history. He needs to go out there and prove that he is the best fighter in the world at his natural weight class by dominating his division the same way Fedor & Anderson Silva have over the years and presumably the same way many see GSP and Machida dominating their respective weight classes in the foreseeable future.
BJ Penn has always had conditioning problems when fighting at welter weight. You only need to look back to the second time he fought Matt Hughes and both times he fought GSP as prime examples.
If I had to guess I would say BJ gets a convincing win in devastating fashion showing everyone he is on another level when it comes to the light weight division. I think he has some new perspective on the matter and is coming into this fight with a new focus and determination that we haven't seen from him in a while. He is without a doubt the most naturally gifted fighter in the history of MMA with his natural flexibility, dexterity, superior boxing, sickest jab in the sport and ability to absorb punishment without getting cut or rocked. The thing with BJ has always been whether he wants to put the work into his conditioning or if he wants to rely on his natural ability without putting all the work he should.
Forrest Griffin many not be 1/10th of the athlete of Bj Penn but he is the hardest working man in the sport and if BJ could find that type of dedication to his training regiment and conditioning he would probably never lose a fight at light weight or welter weight.
Florian seems to be the one with a little arrogance this time around and I see him in for a rude awakening during this fight.
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7-28-2009 @ 7:39PM
johnnynumber5 said...
whoops ... not the ESPN mini series but the one that aired on Spike. My bad.
8-04-2009 @ 12:52AM
The Dark Wang(Sweatshop Dick) said...
Florian will win easy, because Penn doesnt train.
7-29-2009 @ 4:49AM
Shane said...
I think Kenny Is coming off as arrogant because of his dislike for BJ Penn.
I have always been a fan of Penn and I use alot of similar techniques in my own fight game.
My problem with him is his attitude and I dont think there is a fighter out there with a bigger ego.
Kenny to me is a true martial artist with excellent heart and an ever improving arsenal of techniques.
He in my opinion is a better representitive of Mixed Martial Arts and definitely has what it takes to take penn out.
Penn is un-arguably a legend already, but this fight could be legendary itself.
These are arguably the two best light-weights in the world and I dont believe either side is a sure thing.
Either way I dont mean any disrespect to johnnynumber5 I agree with alot of what you said and I feel you spoke your part well.
Im just pulling for Kenny even tho I know the safer bet is Penn but, I am a fighter so I have a really high standard of champions.
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