Has Baby J Finally caught up with BJ Penn?

B.J. Penn is a future UFC Hall of Famer.  His jab, jits, and overall game is one of the best in the history of the sport.  Since day one he has been a force to be reckoned with.  Penn’s fire has never been questioned, but other things have…  In the words of Allen Iverson, “Are we talking about Practice?”

The infamous quotes that play over and over are a sickening reminder that his skill set never equalled a title, equally as sickening is the fact that phenom BJ Penn may have touched UFC gold for the last time.

It is shocking that someone could challenge the training regimen of a champion.  No one ever says Peyton Manning, Kobe Bryant, or Derek Jeter needs to train harder.

Truth be told, Penn may one day look back at his career and wonder what might have been.  Although many would kill to have such a career, he isn’t most people.  He is the phenom and one of the best.

In his latest bout he vowed to defeat the smaller, quicker, and better conditioned Edgar.  He promised to end the fight early, and prove to his faithful that the first fight was a fluke.

That cup is still empty…

The fight went just as Edgar planned.  In what many feel was his tryout for a dancing show, Frankie danced his way into the winner’s circle.  Penn had no answer.

The poor outing not only put question marks in the mind of the Penn Camp, it also has everyone asking “is he done?” 

Has the game of MMA truly evolved past the former champ?  Has Baby J finally caught up with BJ Penn?

The last statement in itself is a tough pill to swallow.  Truth is, his lack of conditioning is finally catching up. Without question Penn still has one of the best jits games in the United States.  He can still submit anyone in the world, and if he gets your back…Its all over but the crying!

The problem is, the lightweight division is starting to be one dominated by quick, well conditioned wrestlers.  The current top three consists of Edgar, Maynard, and Penn (if he is still there). 

Everyone knows what the chink is in his armor.  This is not a problem that can’t be fixed.  If he is serious about getting his belt back, then he is going to require a serious upgrade.

One simple way to become Penn Volume 2 is to do a short training camp somewhere else.  Unrelated to a fight, head to one of the better camps in the world.  Step into Extreme Couture, ATT, or Greg Jackson’s camp and learn.  Again, step into this foreign ground with an open mind, ready to learn.

If this is done it will do a couple of things.  First off it would give Penn a change of pace, showing him exactly what the “other guys” are doing.  By seeing how they are training, he can take this back to Team Penn and step up his training.

Secondly, it would get him away from his camp.  I am not saying that his camp is bad, but it is not perfect.  If he steps into one of the other camps, it would challenge him in ways that he may have never been…ever.

BJ is an amazing fighter with a talent set that is rarer than rare.  He is a professional and an athlete.  Penn will get back in the gym and not accept the lack of his belt.  Like a true champion he will get up and get back to work.

For the Penn faithful, lets just hope he is not afraid of change and is ready to take his game to another level, because that is what it will take to get back on top of the UFC’s 155 pound mountain.