BJ Penn Blasts Georges St-Pierre: Nobody Will Remember Him
Long before Georges St-Pierre was considered one of the greatest of all-time, he faced BJ Penn at UFC 58. At the time ‘The Prodigy’ was yet to embark on his mission as lightweight champion, but had already won the welterweight championship two years prior against Matt Hughes. In a 170-pound welterweight title eliminator, ‘Rush’ defeated Penn by split decision and went on to win the belt from Hughes at UFC 65. The Hawaiian would return to lightweight and win the belt before once again facing ‘GSP.’
This time around St-Pierre held the welterweight championship, and Penn was attempting to become a two-division (at the same time) champion. After a grizzly beating the fight was ended by corner stoppage at the end of the fourth, and so ended Penn’s rivalry with ‘Rush.’ Following that second meeting, their careers went in very different directions. Remaining champion for the best part of the next five years, the Canadian national hero would retire in late 2013. Penn would defend his lightweight strap two more times before losing it to Frankie Edgar, winning just three of his next nine fights before retiring in 2014.
Comebacks
After nearly three years away from the UFC, Georges St-Pierre is heavily rumoured for a return in Toronto at UFC 206. Penn has decided to make a comeback too, and will square off against Ricardo Lamas in a featherweight tilt on October 15. The former lightweight and welterweight champion would try to set up a third fight with ‘GSP,’ but the consensus greatest 170-pounder of all-time wasn’t having any of it.
“It’s an unnecessary risk for my legacy, for my career to take to fight a guy like him right now,” St-Pierre said. “It has nothing that will be good for me right now. I think he’s very dangerous. If it would be a walk in the park, I would do it.”
Penn’s Response
Clearly frustrated by St-Pierre’s refusal, BJ Penn fired off a few shots about his old foe. As quoted by Bloody Elbow, ‘The Prodigy’ is steaming off those comments. Check it out:
“I remember when I fought him the first time, when he was nobody, I didn’t think about it being risky for my legacy,” Penn said in an interview with Rapid Fire. “That’s why I believe, when all this is said and done, that’s why I’ll be remembered but he will never be remembered.”
“You know, Anderson Silva was there, he could have fought Anderson Silva, but he never fought Anderson Silva for his legacy. Just as a rule of thumb, for myself personally, I don’t live thinking about my legacy. I’ll fight. I want to fight anyone, you know?”
Future
Now 37-years of age, it’s an unsure future in the fight game for BJ Penn. The last time we saw him fight was a tough spectacle to watch. ‘The Prodigy’ looked shaky at featherweight, and Frankie Edgar scored a brutal TKO to send Penn to retirement. Will he be able to overcome ‘The Bully’ in Manilla? If so, perhaps he’ll make leeway towards that third fight with Georges St-Pierre.
