Penn and Fitch battle to Majority Draw at UFC 127

Heading into UFC 127, many fans and media alike thought that BJ Penn and Jon Fitch would be a closely fought battle between two of the best fighters in MMA today. Those people were proven correct as Penn and Fitch fought to a Majority Draw in their main eventing showdown.

Penn, known for his excellent boxing and world-class BJJ, surprised many people by immediately shooting in for a takedown on Fitch at the start of the fight. The strategy paid off for Penn, as he was able to get Fitch to the ground and worked for immediate back control. Penn looked to have secured a rear-naked choke, but Fitch, a black belt under Dave Camarillo, was able to defend it, eventually reversing positions and ending up on top of Penn.

“I didn’t train at all for B.J. shooting takedowns,” Fitch said. “I did zero defensive wrestling this whole camp, and it showed tonight.”

The second round saw both fighters using the clinch game against the cage, with Fitch attempting to take Penn on several occasions, before Penn returned the favor, doing exactly what he did in the first round. With Penn on his back, Fitch was able to reverse the position much quicker, delivering some strikes inside the guard of Penn before the round ended.

The 3rd round was a return to the style we’ve seen from Fitch so many times before, landing a clean combination on Penn before driving him down to the canvas. For the next five minutes, Penn was on the defensive and Fitch was the dominating fighter, constantly landing strikes on his opponent and grinding him down like he had so many times before. When the round ended, many thought the decision would be close, just like the entire fight and they were correct as the judges came down with scores of 29-28 for Fitch and 28-28 twice to close out the fight in a Majority Draw.

“At the end of the day, we don’t make the decisions, the guys in the suits do and the fans do. If my 13 wins in the UFC aren’t enough to already put me in the spot for a title shot, whatever, I’m willing to prove myself more.”

For BJ Penn, a lose here could have put retirement more into this mind then it has in the past.

“I think I got some dominant positions in the first and second, but he kicked my butt in the third,” said Penn. “I guess, I wasn’t really sure what I was going to do with my career if I lost this fight, but since God’s so nice to me, and gave me a draw, if he wants to do it again, I’ll do it again.”

With a possible shot at the Welterweight Championship on the line with this fight, the draw brings more into question with the contenders at 170. With the possibility of George St. Pierre leaving the welterweight division if he beats Jake Shields in April, questions could arise as to who should actually fight for the vacant title. A Jake Shields win could throw a wrench in all plans that the UFC might have and bring even more questions to the fold.

For now, both BJ Penn and Jon Fitch will go back to the drawing board and wait it out and see what happens next.

Tags: BJ Penn, Jon Fitch, MMA, UFC, UFC 127

Category: MMA, UFC