MMA Top 10 Lightweights: B.J. Penn by Far the Best

The lightweight division in mixed martial arts consists of B.J. Penn and everyone else.

We all know that Penn, the UFC champion, has established himself as the top lightweight in the sport. But after Penn, there are about a dozen guys who are practically interchangeable. That list includes UFC fighters like Penn's next opponent (Diego Sanchez), his last opponent (Kenny Florian), and some past and future UFC opponents like Gray Maynard, Frank Edgar and Sean Sherk.
And the list of lightweights who could make a case for being at or near No. 2 in the lightweight division also includes Dream champion Shinya Aoki, Bellator champion Eddie Alvarez, Sengoku champion Mizuto Hirota and Strikeforce champion Josh Thomson. So my list of the 10 best lightweights in MMA is basically B.J. Penn and a toss-up among everyone else.

Top 10 Lightweights in MMA
1. B.J. Penn
2. Kenny Florian
3. Shinya Aoki
4. Eddie Alvarez
5. Diego Sanchez
6. Gray Maynard
7. Frank Edgar
8. Sean Sherk
9. Joachim Hansen
10. Mizuto Hirota

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

11-16-2009 @ 9:31AM

Eric said...

BJ is just that good. I've thought about the Penn/Sanchez fight a little and I just don't see Diego being very effective. To be honest, a decision over Stevenson & a split decision over Guida aren't particularly impressive IMO.

The only person who can beat BJ right now is BJ. If he comes into this fight in the same condition as he did against Kenny, I think Penn will display his underrated boxing and incredible chin once again and stop Diego around the 3rd round.

11-16-2009 @ 2:27PM

johnnynumber5 said...

I agree with you. Sanchez likes to exchange strikes and go toe to toe but thats not a good idea against someone like Penn who has a granite chin and hands of stone. If Diego comes into this fight trying to stand up and trade bombs he'll get knocked out. However, if he can stay at range, throw good kicks and maybe get a takedown or two he might have a shot.

11-16-2009 @ 11:20AM

adit said...

pretty good list. I'd put Aoki and Alvarez over Kenflo. Also maybe some love for Kawajiri!!

11-16-2009 @ 12:16PM

piprocks666 said...

i was holding my breath like please don't even put clay lay n pray guida's name anywhere near that list. good one. i know other websites that wanna help ufc build him up as a contender probably would. i can't stand that guy.

if you look at their styles, then i would have to say that alvarez matches up the best for bj penn. wow, that'd be a fight i would love to see. alvarez is a strong kid who loves to stand and trade best for best and i think bj would accept the standup challenge. we'd see some fireworks. and if it went to the ground, sure bj would have the advantage but it wouldn't be easy to get alvarez in a vulnerable position. that's just what if's though, probably bj by sub. he's the best lw in the world.

i agree diego doesn't seem to pose a threat to bj. he couldn't ko guida, he sure as hell ain't gonna catch bj. nor would bj let him smother him for 5 rounds. seriously, ufc has no contenders right now at all. every division is pretty much stuck with who their champ is. and without rampage in the mix, the lhw division is kinda incomplete.

11-16-2009 @ 1:01PM

richardbikle said...

penns big advantage is he's a lot bigger than most lightweights and has an extra thick skull. do weight ins at the bottom step to the cage and this guy has a 50/50 record if he can make lw and isnt even competive in ww.
i've said it for a long time and only gsp had the same game plan... kill the body. penn's head is extra thick, its going to be hard to ko penn with one or two head shots. the next fighter that gives a serious body attack and forgets the head until rd. 2 or 3 has a great chance.

11-16-2009 @ 2:25PM

I kind of feel the same way about GSP, Silva and Lesnar in their respective weight classes. They're so big they shouldn't be fighting at those classes ... but ...

He is more than competitive at welterweight considering he used to be the champion at that weight class.

Part of MMA is cutting weight and when you see BJ Penn in the cage with Florian he didn't all that big to me ... not compared to how GSP looks at WW and how Silva looks at MW over the competition.

BJ Penn is one of the greatest fighters in the sport and a P4P king. You may not like him but he has very good striking, the best takedown defense and the best ground game in the UFC. No one is going to pose a legitimate threat to him at LW in the UFC. Also, if Penn has truly rededicated himself to conditioning then I'd say short of GSP no one in WW could mess with him either.

Florian worked the GSP strategy in their last fight except the difference was it's not effective if Penn comes in good condition. He made Florian look foolish and if thats the 2nd best LW in the world then Penn in a demi-god.

He's going to roll through these wrestlers in the LW very very easy ... btw Diego Sanchez is bigger than BJ Penn at LW ... Penn really isn't all that big not compared to GSP or Silva in their weight classes.

11-16-2009 @ 2:32PM

Richard - I know that you don't like BJ, but seriously ... what is with the "BJ is bigger" stuff? Sherk, Maynard, Sanchez - all are as big if not bigger than BJ. Please don't talk about the height of Sherk and Maynard! Haha

BJ has only fought the best from day 1, and his only losses are against UFC champions. I know that he didn't get the nod in the first GSP fight, but in my mind he is 1-1 against GSP and Hughes.

Anyway, differing opinions is what makes this site interesting. I just hope it's an exciting fight ... the ufc needs it.

11-16-2009 @ 2:58PM

I've always thought bj won the first fight with gsp. The second fight is a void. Bj is a bad dude. He was the best character in my opinion on the tuf series too. He really is the prodigy.

11-16-2009 @ 10:42PM

Eric, you're right. i'm sure a lot of that is rooted in the fact i dont like penn. if we were talking lesnar, i'd say everyone else has the same shot, and thats a double standard. the fact is penn is a big light weight. he's got 3" on most lw's. he's cutting 20 -25 lbs to make lw, which is a much bigger advantage than a hw,lhw or middle weight cutting 20 - 25 lb.s. he's likely coming in to most of his fights at 165 - 170. in the best shape of his life he was 168. sherk is likely coming in at 157/158. thats a big difference. if penn had to make weight on the bottom step of the cage, he'd be too drawn up to fight and wouldnt have a record. gsp is only cutting about 10 pounds, he's not a huge ww.
i will say penn/gsp 2 is a fight i can watch a couple of times and enjoy it each time.

11-16-2009 @ 5:35PM

Mitch said...

LOL. Kenny Florian #2. What a joke.
He's borderline top 10 at best.

11-17-2009 @ 7:54AM

Richard - I'm not saying that BJ isn't a big lightweight, but every fighter is afforded the same opportunity so where is the story? Sanchez is just as big as BJ and 1" taller. Let's see what happens ... I think BJ will cut through him like butter.

11-17-2009 @ 11:17AM

actually Eric with my biased aside, penn represents the problem the ufc has - the best in their divisions are already the champion. lesnar, gsp, silva, shougun (after feb.), and yea... penn.

11-17-2009 @ 11:24AM

I hear ya. I'm not convinced that Brock could get past Carwin or a banger like Dos Santos though.