BJ Penn and Nick Diaz Head to Head: Who will win at UFC 137
Posted on October 27, 2011, 01:50 PM by Trent ReinsmithBJ Penn and Nick Diaz will meet this weekend at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. The two will face off in the main event of UFC 137. The winner in this fight could very well find themselves on the short list for consideration for a potential title fight in the not too distant future.
Here’s a preview for one of the more anticipated Welterweight fights in some time:
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BJ Penn Age: 32 Record: 16-7-2 Finishes: 13 Streak: D-W-L-L-W |
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Nick Diaz Age: 28 Record: 25-7-0-1 Finishes: 21 Streak: W-W-W-W-W |
Striking: 55-45 Nick Diaz
BJ Penn has recently gone on record saying that he thinks Nick Diaz is the best boxer in MMA and while that may very well be true, Diaz lacks the power that Penn possesses. Diaz uses his long limbs to work from the outside while delivering punches in bunches that damage over time. Penn can put his opponent away with one punch, as Matt Hughes recently found out. If Diaz can can keep Penn to the outside and use his reach he does have the advantage here.
Clinch/Dirty Boxing: 60-40 BJ Penn
As stated above Diaz likes to use his reach when striking, if things get in tight the length of his limbs may actually be a hindrance to him. Neither fighter is known much for their clinch work and dirty boxing skills, but Penn takes this category based on his power.
Wrestling: 70-30 BJ Penn
Wrestling is another category that neither fighter seems to excel at. The big knock against Diaz throughout his career has been that he cannot handle wrestlers; it just does not suit his style. Diaz rarely goes for takedowns himself. Penn showed both offensive and defensive wrestling skills in his fight with Jon Fitch, who was an accomplished collegiate wrestler. Penn landed two of his three takedown attempts against Fitch and stopped seven of 11 Fitch attempts. Penn has the advantage in this category.
Submissions: Diaz 65-35
BJ Penn was a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu phenom as a young fighter, gaining his black belt very quickly. Not long after that he became the first non-Brazilian to win the World Jiu Jitsu Championship. Diaz also holds a black belt in Jiu Jitsu and seems perfectly happy to fight off his back whenever the fight goes there. While BJ’s BJJ credentials may be a bit better than Diaz’s, it’s been quite a while since he submitted a fighter. Penn’s last submission win was in 2009 against Kenny Florian where he used a rear naked choke to force a tap. Since 2009, Diaz has three submission wins, and while his competition has not been up to the level that Penn’s has, it seems as if Diaz may be much more comfortable working a submission game at this point than Penn.
Further reading: BJ Penn vs. Nick Diaz: Countdown to UFC 137
Comments
I call B.S. on the subs.... Diaz Jitz is high level but BJ's Jitz is something else man there is no way Diaz can sub BJ.. i'd like to see him try and i'm not bias either i'm a big fan of both but let's be real and especially the 65-35 is NONSENSE....there is no way Diaz has that kind of advantage Jitz'in... i'd say BJ PENN 60-40
I disagree.
Penn has always been known for his top game, only using his bottom game to work scrambles and escapes and occasionally sweeps, where as Diaz is both proficient on top or the bottom.
As for the dirty boxing, its a very under utilyzed part of either fighters game, but Diaz uses a great close range strategy by leaning into his opponenents while hurt, delivering body blow after body blow wearing them down
what is crazy is in the past BJ has fought from light heavy to light weight
he was truely p4p
Your right yes but Diaz has often gone up and down in weight also, never as high as LHW but he's fought one or two fights at a catch weight just under MW, 185lbs. He's dropped to LW a lot more than going up in weight though......
bj's handspeed will be much too fast and accurate for nick. sorry but he will get tagged and i think bj hits pretty hard, paul daley does too and almost finished him a couple of times so , i dunno, i definitely think bj has the edge in btoh stand up and on the ground. but, i'll know for sure tomorrow
you made a valid point there that Daley caught Nick with some good shots that dropped him, but at the end of the day Nick recovered and then knocked Daley out. Nick has a granite jaw and can take some serious punishment and still win the fight. Bj does hit hard yes but Nicks shots are deceptively powerful, he throws a lot of punches but only say 1 in every 3 or 4 are power shots. I also think Nick has the edge on the ground too, mainly because his jiu jitsu game is more offensive that Bj's, Bj hasn't finished a fight by submission since early 2009, when he RNC Kenny Florian. I would NEVER count Bj out of any fight and I respect everybodys opinion, this is just mine. I love both guys and they are my two favourites of all time so i'll be happy whoever wins.......
He's shown more of his "top game" in the octagon cause he rarely ends up on his back! That does not mean his bottom game isn't sick. Mind you that BJ was the first non-Brazilian to win the World Jiu-Jitsu Championship only WEEKS after he got his Black Belt which he earned in just 3 years (which is unique as most need a decade to get to that level). He was finishing world class Jitz practitioners that had been practising Jitz all their life when he was just 20 years old!! Diaz Jitz is dope... but it's not on BJ's level and probably never will be... BJ is a freak of nature. There's a reason they call him The Prodigy...
With all do respect man i think you should try and understand grappling a little more to make those assumptions. i completely agree with the experience. Bj penn is a world class gappler who won the highest level of BJJ competition after just three and a half years of training, i know you've heard it a thousand times but i would love for you to train jiu jitsu and compete in the mundalis to understand how good you have to be to accomplish that, 90% of mma fighters would be submitted quickly. BJ would easily submit the guys diaz did, who include scott smith cyborg and samurai, all are decent grapplers but nothing on the level of kenny florian or bj penn. your jumping the gun a bit.
skaurai** no samurai lol
I'm not taking anything away from BJ at all in the BJJ game, his achievements speak for themselves. I'm saying that BJ is more well rounded these days and seems to be training in more aspects of MMA, which may take away from his BJJ a bit. Diaz seems to be more focused in his BJJ training these days and that is really the only reason I gave the nod to Diaz.
You guys quit "weaking" Trent. This is exactly why he rarely comments on anything. Go on Trent, you were saying.......
sorry dude, wont be the case, bj has 4 arms nick on has 2. only thing is nick's length that could help, but bj is so firggin malleable i dont think it will matter, bj will pull his 1 step in , combo, step out, until he gets tired, then its another ball game
when i wrote stuff people bashed me all the time. its called a conflict of opinion lol it happens on the web don't be such a fairy geesh. :D
his name is closet casey, how could you not expect him to be a fairy?
I see Diaz taking this probably by decision, he may even knock him out.
If the odds were`nt so bad, I would`ve put money on it. Cracking fight, can`t wait.
I'm a bit nervous about this fight. Ideally these two would come out all fired up and just throw down, but I don't see Diaz being particularly enthused about fighting Penn and his comment that he sees this fight more as a sporting competition was a HUGE red flag for me. I think Penn can take advantage of that mindset, that is if he does not share the same thinking.
It's not unrealistic that these two take the fight to the ground and use it as a way to showcase who has the better grappling skills and while that will be a great thing for the hardcore fans, it could leave the casual fan wanting a little more.
Either way this one goes, I am looking forward to it, perhaps more than Diaz is himself.
These guys are two of my favourite fighters of all time man but i give Diaz the edge in this fight for a number of reasons, his boxing technique is awesome and the guy keeps coming forward, he hardly ever takes a step back. Diaz can also take punishment like not many fighters can, i've seen the kid take punches that would drop an ox and still win the fight, he has a granite jaw man. I also think, even though they both possess phenominal jiu jitsu skills, that Diaz has the edge there too, he has the more offensive game off of his back imo, he is always actively seeking a submission, he never just lies in a closed guard. Add to that his cardio, which is off the charts, and it's hard to doubt him, in any fight.......
........either way, i like both guys equally and i don't mind who wins but i would like to see Diaz win his return fight a little more i suppose, but i would never count Bj out of any fight either and won't be surprised should he pull off the win. This is definately going to be one for the ages whoever takes it, good luck to both guys i say!!!!!...........
Nick took the whole head-to-head thing literally...