The UFC lightweight champion BJ Penn (13-5-1) is set to defend his title against Kenny Florian (11-3) at UFC 101 on August 8 in Philadelphia. BJ Penn is coming off a grueling loss to UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre. Penn’s dream of holding multiple belts was shattered, just as his head which was brutally battered by GSP.

Meanwhile, Kenny Florian has earned this title shot. He has beaten a list of top contenders in the 155 lbs lightweight division which include, Joe Stevenson and Joe Luazon. He is well known for his dangerous elbows. Just ask Sean Sherk’s face, which was brutally cut by Florian’s elbows. Sherk was able to survive though and earn a decision.

BJ Penn

“The Prodigy” as he’s called, is 3-2 in his last five fights. The two losses have come at the hands of two elite fighters, Matt Hughes and GSP. Penn is a powerful striker and possesses world class Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu skills. He has never lost a match by submission, so if you’re expecting Penn to tap-out to Florian, you must be out of your mind. But with BJ Penn you never know what to expect. He sometimes takes his opponents lightly, as evidenced in the fight with GSP, but when in top condition he is one of the top pound-for-pound MMA fighters in the world. Not to mention, Penn has never lost in a 155 lbs match. His losses were against bigger fighters (Lyota Machida, St.Pierre, Matt Hughes, Jens Pulver).

Only a few fighters have stupidly chosen to go toe-to-toe with Penn and those few fighters have ended up on their back staring at the lights on the ceiling. Take as an example GSP-Penn I, in the first round of that fight, GSP decided to stand up and trade with Penn. After the first round, GSP ended up a bloody mess and admitted that he was scared going into the second round against Penn.

The key to beating Penn is to mix up attacks. GSP laid out the blue print on how to beat Penn. Wear him down by attempting take downs, make him think that you’re not only going to strike but also shoot. Once he gets tired, he is susceptible to take downs and is vulnerable to a mean old-fashioned ground-and-pounding.

Let me point out that Penn has never won fighting past the third round and this title fight is scheduled for five rounds. His record for fights that went past the third round are 2 losses (TKO, decision) and a draw.

Kenny Florian

“KenFlo” has devastating elbows and has great Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He has not lost since 2006 and is riding a 6 fight win streak. Florian’s losses are to Sean Sherk, Diego Sanchez and Drew Fickett, all top tier fighters. He wins most of his matches through submissions, so it would foolish for him to try and fight Penn standing up. In his last fight with Joe Stevenson, he made Stevenson tap with a rear naked choke hold. Florian is definitely the number one contender in the lightweight division. Florian has always been an underdog and it seems to motivate him for every fight. He doesn’t take anyone lightly and always seems focused.

If Florian can survive the early rounds and wear down Penn in the middle rounds, he might be able to pull off an upset. He should find a way to close the distance so he could utilize those sharp elbows. Florian is also dangerous in the clinch because of his Muay Thai knees.

Penn is a notorious slacker (probably due to his skills, he doesn’t see the point in training hard) and if he takes Florian lightly, Penn might be staring at his first loss fighting as a lightweight.

It will be an explosive fight that features the top two fighters in the lightweight division. Can Penn avoid losing two straight or can Florian continue his 6 fight winning streak?