BJ Penn isn't a nobody tho.
Yeah, but a couple things. I always felt he was inconsistent in his performances and got beat by Jens Pulver. He also came up before I feel the weight class(es) really got any depth. They
suspended the lightweight division after Jens left. He beat Matt Hughes, but really I can't say Matt Hughes is just totally awesome either. Losses to St. Pierre and Nick Diaz. The most impressive fight was against Diego Garcia. He really looked very good there. But again, back to inconsistency, which was Dana White's problem with him too. Except Dana blames the inconsistency on a lack of dedication. So really, I'm not surprised at all. Plus, he's had 4 years to try to take St. Pierre's title. What has he been doing? He fought at light heavyweight, so it isn't as though Welterweight is too heavy for him. My answer? When the weight classes got competitive, he faded.
And yea, the whole had great fights. Henderson was very impressive too. Taking out that lead leg made it pretty easy in the stand-up I figure. And avoiding Diaz' boxing was probably the key. I don't think that conditioning was an issue for Diaz though, he's a triathlete. Got beaten by the bigger - sure - but with a smart game plan.
Yeah, I wasn't talking about his conditioning, I'm talking about his ability to take a beating like that and still keep going (there's a difference between conditioning and toughness). So he has the conditioning, and the toughness, but he simply wasn't strong enough to take Henderson, who is just as skilled. Not to mention that he simply couldn't get his submissions. Henderson was, for a lack of a better word, too damn greasy for any holds to stick.
Females in the UFC? Same problem the UFC had early with certain weight classes. Not enough depth out there to support it. What you will end up seeing is expanded weight classes with obvious mismatches, which is what has plagued Females in any league. You get a girl who fights at 125 and is at her natural weight, goes up against a girl who weighs 140-145, drops the water weight to hit 125 at weigh-in, and then comes back on fight day with a 15-20 lb advantage. Sure, guys can do the same thing, but you are talking weight closer to 180-205 lbs where you see that much weight gain/loss. It means less as you get higher in weight, as there is only so much water weight you can drop and regain that quickly. For the guys, it is like fighting someone 1 weight class higher than you. For females it will be closer to welterweight fighting a light heavyweight.
