A word with BJ Penn

May 22, 2008

UFC lightweight champion BJ Penn left for Las Vegas Monday to get ready for Saturday night’s showdown with Sean Sherk in the main event of UFC 84: Ill Will.

Before he left, I had a chance to talk to “The Prodigy” and here’s a sampling of some of the things he had to say.

On how he trained for the fight: “I used a lot of short guys to do the sparing with. I brought in a lot of national champion wrestlers, All-American wrestlers, and great jiu-jitsu guys with great takedowns. I had all kinds of guys. I’ve done everything I can. Conditioning, striking, wrestling, jiu-jitsu, nutrition. You name it, I’ve done it.”

On what Sherk can expect: “He’s going to be surprised that I’m stronger than him. I’m going to throw him down and beat the crap out of him. This is a different fight you know. I plan on just beating him up.“

On Sherk’s “alleged” steroid use: “For me, if you put so much into something and here’s another guy on the side cheating, it’s just ridiculous. There’s no place for that.”

On plans for the future: “You know what, back in the day I used to think about what I’m going to do next. Right now, I’ve just got to beat Sean Sherk. Nothing happens until Sherk is done.”

On what happens Saturday: “I’m going to walk straight up and start unloading combinations. If he shoots, I’m going to stuff him down on the ground and get on top of him. If he’s on top of me, I’m just going to have to go for the basic armbars, triangles and omoplatas. Try to slap him in his ear and break his eardrum.”

Expect more on the fight in tomorrow’s Star Bulletin.

Posted in Fights