"BJ would have offered a threat" - Chael Sonnen breaks down how a fantasy fight between Khabib Nurmagomedov and B.J. Penn would go
Breaking down a fantasy fight between B.J. Penn and Khabib Nurmagomedov, two of the longest-reigning lightweight champions in UFC history, could be fun, according to Chael Sonnen.
Hall-of-Famer Penn was the second star after Randy Couture to hold championships in multiple divisions (lightweight and welterweight). Khabib was unbeaten in his entire MMA career with a 29-0 record.
On his YouTube show, Sonnen spoke about how B.J. Penn and Khabib Nurmagomedov would push each other to the limits if they had faced off during their prime in the UFC.
"Both of those guys (B.J. Penn and Khabib Nurmagomedov) innovated this sport. Both of those guys went on some incredible runs. And the fantasy matches you think for Khabib are versus GSP. That happened for B.J. and he did them well... it makes me wonder what would have happened if they got in there. I think if they fought five rounds, Khabib wins all five. And are they hard rounds? Very much so. Would Khabib be in spots unlike some of the other matches he had? Possibly. I think B.J. would have been harder to take down. I think B.J. would have offered a threat that we haven't seen before. B.J. would have offered a scramble and got back to his feet. I don't know if that would have been enough to outdo Khabib. B.J. was so good, Khabib was dominant but Penn was tricky. Interesting match, we're never going to get it. But fun talking point," said Chael Sonnen.
Watch Chael Sonnen break down how the fantasy fight between B.J. Penn and Khabib Nurmagomedov would go below:
Khabib retired in October 2020 following his UFC 254 win over Justin Gaethje. Penn's last fight ended in a unanimous decision loss against Clay Guida at UFC 237 in May 2019.
Why is B.J. Penn considered one of the greatest ever in MMA history?
Throughout his MMA career, B.J. Penn has competed in the featherweight, lightweight, welterweight, middleweight and openweight divisions. Many fellow UFC fighters have called him arguably one of the greatest pound-for-pound fighters of all time.
Penn held the No.1 ranking in both the lightweight and welterweight divisions of UFC at one point in his career. This made him the only fighter ever to have such a distinction in two different weight classes. He was also the first inductee into the UFC Hall of Fame's Modern Era Wing.