B.J. Penn is looking for date on July 2nd. His previous dance partner for UFC 132, Jon Fitch, has gone out and injured himself, leaving Penn in the lurch. But rather than having B.J. go post a personal ad on Craigslist looking for a 170 lb man, we’ve saved him the trouble and lined up some possible replacements for him to fight in the “#1 Contender Match” at UFC 132. All these guys are considered top 10 welterweights and could be physically available to fight in July.
Josh Koscheck
Probably a longshot to fill the spot for a couple of reason. First of all he might not be healthy in time for UFC 132 as he is still recovering from the broken orbital bone courtesy of Georges St-Pierre at UFC 124. Plus, coming off a loss, does Koscheck really deserve to be right back in the hunt for a title shot? And do we really want to see GSP-Koscheck II? Or, rather, does Koscheck’s face really want to see GSP again?!
Thiago Alves
Thiago Alves is also probably a longshot to get the nod due to multiple reasons – he’s already scheduled to fight Rick Story at UFC 130 (however, that could easily be remedied by the UFC), he struggles to make the 170 lb weight limit (does the UFC really want a replacement for a headlining match not make weight?) and the only man he’s beaten in the past two and a half years is John Howard . While the Pitbull versus the Prodigy could be an explosive, exciting fight, it probably isn’t going to happen.
Diego Sanchez
If exciting and explosive is what you’re looking for, then how about Diego ‘Don’t Call Me Nightmare Anymore’ Sanchez. Sanchez actually is quite deserving of being considered a top contender to the welterweight crown, having knocked off top-rated Paulo Thiago and Martin Kampmann consecutively. A fight with Penn could also be non-stop action and a crowd-pleaser, plus it would allow Sanchez to try to avenge his loss to Penn at UFC 107. But, alas, Sanchez just had a bloody battle with Kampmann last month and got beat up pretty bad so he might not be ready to fight again in July. Plus, Sanchez and Kampmann appear to be trash talking their way to a rematch.
Carlos Condit
The least glamorous but most deserving name on the list is Carlos Condit, and he’s our pick to get the shot at Penn. Condit has only lost one time (to Kampmann) in the past five years (12 fights), including viciously knocking out Dan Hardy in his last fight. Having to pull out of his scheduled tilt with Chris Lytle at UFC 127 due to a knee injury, Condit should be ready and raring to go by July. So let’s get it on, come on!
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
