It has been rumored that UFC 99 in Cologne, Germany will be headlined by the ‘Prodigy’ B.J. Penn (13-5-1 MMA, 8-4-1 UFC) and the number one contender, Kenny Florian (11-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC) for the UFC’s Lightweight Championship.
The last time Penn competed at lightweight he destroyed then champion, Sean Sherk, with a TKO victory after 3 rounds. He is fresh off of his ‘Grease Gate’ loss to George St. Pierre, but Penn has not lost in the UFC at 155lbs since 2002.
Florian is on a streak of his own, winning his last six fights in a row. His last loss was a title fight over two years ago to the very strong Sean Sherk. After that fight, Florian rededicated himself and joined team Sityodtong which has done wonders for his striking.
Since joining Sityodtong under the tutelage of Mark Dellagrotte, Florian has been nothing short of dominant, winning four of his last six fights by submission, one by TKO, and one by unanimous decision. Not only did Florian start finishing fights like he promised, but he did it against tough competition such as Din Thomas, Joe Lauzon, Roger Huerta, and Joe Stevenson.
With both fighters on impressive win streaks in the 155lb division and Penn hungrier then ever after his controversial loss, this promises to be a very entertaining fight between two of the UFC’s biggest stars.
This card is already rumored to be co-headlined by Rich Franklin and Wanderlei Silva at a catch weight and will feature the return of lightweight Caol Uno as he is set to battle the very tough Militech fighter, Spencer Fisher. It is also looking as though the legendary Mirko ‘CroCop’ Filipovic could be returning to the UFC to fight on this card.
It is obvious the UFC wants to make a big impact with their debut in Germany and this card is stacking up to do just that. With this card taking place in June and the highly anticipated UFC 100 in July, it is sure to be a great summer for MMA fans all around the world.
By: Tim Thompson