B.J. Penn said when the Anderson Silva vs. Forrest Griffin co-main event fight got underway, he walked into the bathroom because he didn’t want to watch. He didn’t have to stay there long.
"I heard the yelling. And then I saw Anderson walk in and say, ‘Now it’s your turn,’" Penn told a packed post-UFC 101 news conference at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia. "Tough act to follow!"
It may have taken Penn a little longer than Silva’s devastating KO of the former light-heavyweight champion to put his stamp on the UFC’s first foray into the City of Brotherly Love, but he sure delivered eventually.
"B.J. proved there’s nobody out there who can beat him," Silva said, through his translator Ed Soares.
Unfortunately for Florian that became clearer and clearer as the co-main event went on.
Penn has faced a great deal of criticism since his loss to Georges St. Pierre at UFC 94 in January. It wasn’t because he was beaten in such a one-sided fashion. It was because of the way he simply appeared to run out of gas -- and it’s not the first time his conditioning has been questioned.
But he changed that perception with his performance Saturday night, which was preceded by his well-documented, clearly perfect preparation in which he left the distractions of home in Hawaii to focus solely on this fight.
"I wasn't used to going to places and the fans booing me," Penn said. "I really wanted to come back and show everybody that I am a fighter, you know, fighting is my life."
Silva had his own "demons" to exorcise and he did so in emphatic fashion. He had his critics for not putting away either of his past two opponents. The Philly crowd, well known for their booing -- they once booed Santa Claus -- gave it to him when he walked to the cage before the fight. But their reaction was entirely different following his stunning put-down of Griffin.
The middleweight champion, fighting up a weight class for the second time, dominated former light-heavyweight champion Griffin, avoiding any real damage from a capable scrapper. Was he toying with him? Maybe. Or was he just waiting for the right opportunity to strike. Either way, he finally sent Griffin to the canvas with one single, well-timed and perfectly-placed blow.
How long does it take to get 17,400 fans who started the night vehemently against you to cheer you on with tremendous fervour? Three minutes and 23 seconds, evidently.
Silva has now won a UFC-record 11 straight in the Octagon. The way he looked tonight, it might be another 11 before he tastes another defeat.
Two times at 205. Two knockouts. Remember James Irvin? That was just a tease. Griffin probably wished Silva had stayed at 185.
"I want to see someone in this room, or anywhere else, deny who the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world is," UFC president Dana White said. "Anderson Silva looked like the guy I’ve been talking about."
The same week heavyweight title-holder Fedor Emelianenko decided to go to Strikeforce, where any real challengers will be few and far between, two great UFC champions put themselves back into consideration as the best in the world.
And there might not be any more real challengers for them at all.
NOTES: White said Silva’s next fight will be at 185 pounds, "probably against Dan Henderson." Considering how their first meeting went, I doubt we’ll see a belt change hands the second time around. … White also dismissed any chance of Silva taking on Roy Jones Jr. in a boxing match. "I just don’t see the point," White said. "This is MMA, this is what we do." … Someone asked about him fighting for the 205-pound belt, currently owned by friend and teammate Lyoto Machida. Silva didn’t need a translator for this one. He simply waved his finger and shook his head. … White said Diego Sanchez will likely be Penn’s next challenger for his 155-pound title. Sanchez is good, but again, I don’t see him as a true threat to Penn. … White said they’re looking at doing a show at Fenway Park if they can get MMA in Boston. He’s already hinted at the Rogers Centre for Toronto. And if they can ever get into New York, why not go to Yankee Stadium and make it an A.L. East triple? We’ll pass on Camden Yards and Nationals Park. ... Tito Ortiz, who was booed by the Philly crowd when he was shown on the big screen during the event, will take on Mark Coleman in the first bout of his return to the UFC. Oh, and White also confirmed he and Tito are best of friends again. ... The top submission and knockout awards were no-brainers, going to Penn and Silva, respectively. The other one, best fight, went to Silva and Griffin. That certainly says something about your card when a one-sided affair that didn't even reach the second frame is your fight of the night. It was indeed a fairly boring show overall, relatively speaking. ... White said there is nothing happening with regard to a rumoured WEC-UFC merge. It was just something he had thought about in the past. "We've thought about a lot of things!" White said. ... WEC bantamweight champion Miguel Torres defends his belt Sunday night against Brian Bowles, who believes he is "bigger and more powerful" than anyone Torres has fought before and has the gameplan to defeat him. Torres's response: "I'm going to break his hand with my forehead."
