JJ is too new school for Chuck Liddell, and would make it rain after dragging him to the mat. I believe BJ Penn is the only former Champion that would be on top today. He's too much for Bendo to contain for 5 rounds.
The BJ Penn who fought Florian and Sanchez would be a very tough fight for Ben Henderson. I think a prime Barnett, Prime Couture and JDS would all have a shot at beating Cain. And then of course there are the former Pride Champs Fedor and Nog would would definintely have a chance. No former or current fighters should be favored to beat Jones/Silva/GSP/Aldo.
Steve Jennum? Dude he won the tournament in just one fight. PRODIGY. Jennum > anybody in an openweight tournament. Especially that Harold Howard hozzer
BJ Penn tools Ben Henderson at least 9/10 at his best, I`m pretty sure of that. Chuck style wise has a real shot vs Jones to win 5/10. Hughes might take 2 or 3 fights out of 10 vs GSP, possibly, but he wouldn`t break even I don`t think. Shame Fedor or big Nog were never UFC champions, those 2 would definitely win more than 5/10 vs any UFC champ past or current. All in all, BJ Penn is the best bet & a rock solid one at that.
BJ is definitely threatening, but Bendo is well-rounded and his strengths play right into BJ's weaknesses. We've seen Bendo locked in some DEEP chokes, keep calm and escape. He's tougher to submit than a lot of BJ's opponents. He's physically stronger and more active than most of BJ's opponents. It's a tough fight to call. BJ deserves respect because in his prime he was very special. But can you see him submitting current Bendo more times than not? Can you see him knocking current Bendo out? And if he can't submit him or knock him out, then which of these two guys is going to have a better shot at winning a fast-paced (all Bendo's fights are fast-paced), back-and-forth, all-over-the-cage 5 round fight? Prime BJ can always threaten with something incredible. But he can also lose heart if he's not winning after 2 or 3 rounds, when he starts to gas. And unlike many of his opponents, there's nowhere for BJ to stall and rest against Bendo. Bendo is too well-rounded, aggressive and active for that. BJ will need to be working hard every minute of every round to win this fight. :smoke :hat
Penn's gas tank has usually been a problem at 170, and above. He had no problems with Florian or Sanchez did he? He has to use a lot more energy against the larger opponents. I wouldn't be surprised to see Penn beat Henderson now, let alone a few years ago. Why am I the only one that thinks that a hard pressing lightweight with wide punches is tailor made for BJ?