Once again, Dana White has gone too far. Kevin Iole's article at Yahoo! Sports this week focused on former UFC champion Frank Mir, and Dana White was quoted as stating Frank Mir's talent made him think of BJ Penn:

"Frank Mir is so talented, when I think of him and try to draw a comparison, the only person I can think of who is a fair one is B.J. Penn," said White, the UFC's outspoken president. "When they came into the UFC, they were young and cocky and had all the ability in the world. They were able to do things that other guys never could even think of doing, so they didn't have to work as hard as the others did.

"But now they're getting older and that window is closing. B.J. is finally taking his game completely seriously now and wants to leave his mark on this sport. He went out and said he would do it and he did. And now that's where Frank Mir finds himself. A committed and dedicated Frank Mir can be a very, very big factor in the heavyweight division."

Where do we even begin? First of all, how does Frank Mir remind anybody of BJ Penn? BJ Penn is one of the most talented fighters in mixed martial arts today. It's not just because he has unbelievable flexibility and great jiu-jitsu. There are plenty of talented fighters out there who have brilliant jiu-jitsu skills. One of the factors is that he is great at nearly every skill needed to be a complete fighter. He has very good striking skills that were a major factor in his wins early in his career. Is Frank Mir as complete as BJ Penn?

The answer is a resounding “No!”. The other comparisons that White makes are at least valid to an extent. Both have had great starts to their careers. Penn absolutely crushed Takanori Gomi and then defeated Matt Hughes for the UFC's Welterweight title, and Frank Mir managed to break Tim Sylvia's arm to win the UFC's Heavyweight Championship.

Once Penn returned to the UFC, he had trouble with losses to Georges St. Pierre and Matt Hughes at UFC 58 and 63 respectively. Penn has since won the UFC Lightweight title by defeating Joe Stevenson at UFC 80. Mir's road was different.

Mir has never been overly impressive. He lost a tough bout to Ian Freeman at UFC 38 in which he was basically dismantled in the standup game. He beat Tank Abbott... not relevant. He beat Wes Sims, but showed some signs of poor cardio in the second matchup. After winning the title and being involved in a horrible motorcycle accident, he dropped an understandable loss to Marcio Cruz, won a lackluster decision to Dan Christison, a lost a quick fight to Brandon Vera.

The biggest difference in the careers of both fighters is that Penn lost to fighters that were at the top of their games and at the top of the division. Mir lost to Cruz, a very green newcomer to the sport, and an up-and-coming Brandon Vera who simply overwhelmed him, but was just breaking out in the division. The fact is that the comparison in their careers is only skin deep. If you take a closer look, the comparison just isn't there. Mir isn't a complete fighter, and he doesn't remind me or probably anyone else except for the UFC of BJ Penn when he fights. Unless I see Mir come out with technical striking skills and putting opponents away, it'll remain that way.

After a highly entertaining event at the end of 2007 for the UFC, they will start things back up on Saturday with UFC 80: Rapid Fire from Newcastle, England. The event will feature the Lightweight championship title bout between Joe "Daddy" Stevenson and the rejuvenated B.J. Penn. Penn will come in as a favorite after easily demolishing Jens Pulver in his previous bout at the TUF Season 5 Finale. After a long wait for the title picture to unfold, Penn is now looking to prove that he is training harder and has refocused his energy to being the best in mixed martial arts. Fabricio Werdum will make his return to the cage after a lackluster performance against Andrei Arlovski at UFC 70: Nations Collide. Werdum has since moved to the renowned Chute Box camp to improve his striking and overall technique in the cage. He'll take on the former #1 contender in Gabriel "Napao" Gonzaga who is fresh off a loss to Randy Couture. Let's take a brief look at each matchup, and we'll give you our predictions in the process.

Main Event: Joe Stevenson vs. B.J. Penn
Lightweight Championship Bout

Joe Stevenson will have his work cut out for him in this matchup. B.J. Penn has been renowned for being one of the best fighters pound for pound in the world for many years. His only knock has been his inability to go deep into fights. His cardio training was his most obvious flaw that contributed to that inability and opponents managed to squeeze out victories against him because of it. He'll have to show up in phenomenal shape with his gas tank full in order to take out the pitbull in Joe Stevenson.

On paper, Stevenson doesn't seem to have an overall advantage in any department. B.J. has been known to have very good striking ability, and has put guys out in the past using just his hands. Penn also has some of the best jiu-jitsu we've seen in the cage, and his flexibility only makes it even tougher for opponents to work him on the ground. Again, the one area in which Stevenson may hold an advantage is the cardio area. Stevenson has solid wrestling abilities with some good submission work to counter B.J., especially if he grows tired.

The big problem here for Joe is that he really doesn't offer much in any area of the fight. He shouldn't want to trade with B.J. for very long unless he can catch an aggressive Penn early. The ground is where Stevenson can dominate if he can get on top of Penn, but Penn's jiu-jitsu would likely cause Stevenson to be on the defensive, even while Penn is on his back.

This fight will come down to cardio. If Stevenson can make this 5 round battle last longer and longer as it goes on, he has a much better chance of putting Penn out for good. Penn will probably want to end this within a 3 round limit before pushing his cardio to the max. Penn's jiu-jitsu alone is scary enough to put him on top in this matchup. Stevenson is definitely a good bet though.

Leland's Prediction: B.J. Penn via submission, Round 3

I’m tired of starting my prediction of every B.J. Penn fight with, “If B.J. comes in shape, no one can beat him.” I believe B.J. Penn will come in shape, and I think he will show why many people, including myself, feel he is pound-for-pound one of the best fighters in the world.

B.J. has tremendous flexibility and uses it to his advantage to avoid takedowns. He has dynamic striking and a solid chin, as proven in his fights against Pulver, Machida and GSP.  Of course, his jiu-jitsu is also off the charts. The only knock against B.J. is his cardio. He has shown a tendency in the past to fade in the later rounds. I feel that for once, B.J. has learned his lesson and will be able to take Stevenson out.

Joe Stevenson is a very underrated fighter. Joe has a solid wrestling base, good striking, and an underrated jiu-jitsu game. Stevenson is going to have to control B.J. in this fight and set the pace of the fight. If he lets B.J. control the pace of the fight, it will be a short night for Joe Daddy. The problem for Joe in this fight is he doesn’t have a lot of ways to win. His striking isn’t crisp enough to hurt B.J., he doesn’t have the superior jiu-jitsu game, and I think he’s going to have a tough time taking Penn down. The best bet for Joe is to clinch with Penn and use that to set up his takedown. From there he should look to control top position and work some ground-and-pound. He’s going to have to be on the defensive, because B.J. can take your back at some weird angles. However, if he’s too defensive, the fight is going to get stood up. 

Joe's Prediction: B.J. Penn via TKO, Round 2
____________________________

The success of the UFC since the unveiling of ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ has been inescapable.  One is hard pressed to explore any corner of humanity without hearing mention of Chuck Liddell or Forrest Griffin for example.  The culture of the Octagon is here in a big way.  If the growth of the last two years is any indication of what is to come, 2008 will be bigger and better than ever.  

The first ’08 offering from UFC is just days ahead and the main event of B.J. Penn - Joe Stevenson is evidence of the company’s growth alongside the maturing of the U.S. fanbase. For the first time since the resurgence of the Zuffa promotion, two lightweight fighters stand alone as the headliners on a pay-per-view offering. 

When Sean Sherk and Hermes Franca met in their now infamous title bout at UFC 73, the fight was coupled with Anderson Silva and Nathan Marquardt’s middleweight contest. The lightweight division has not been slighted in any manner by the UFC brass; it’s received its fair share of marketing and visibility. Roger Huerta, Kenny Florian and even Penn have nabbed top billing on SpikeTV, but the 155'ers have yet to drive a PPV outright. 

It’s a testament to the company and the education (self, in many respects) of the stateside fans that this is even a possibility. It was only years ago that the UFC lightweight division was dead. A four-man, two event tournament ended in a split-draw at UFC 41 between Penn and Caol Uno. The tournament was supposed to award someone the belt that Jens Pulver vacated, but instead had quite the opposite effect. The division was put on hold, and all but canned.

2004 and UFC 58 witnessed the resurfacing of the division, and return honors went to Spencer Fisher and Sam Stout. Yves Edwards and Jens Pulver both had the trumpets blaring and red carpet rolled out during their return fights, ready to be crowned the king and savior of the lightweights. Both were derailed in stunning fashion by younger, lesser known fighters. The losses by the two made for good TV, but did little to lend credibility to an already injured, hampered division. 
Enter B.J. Penn. The Hawaiian’s nomadic journey through the MMA world and weight classes has come full circle. “The Prodigy” made his lightweight return at the TUF 5 finale against the man who took the belt from him five years earlier. Penn dominated the bout and with a little convincing from Dana White, was given the opportunity to reign supreme. 

That opportunity comes on the 19th against TUF champions Stevenson. Sherk’s recent fall from grace is another blow that has been dealt to the UFC’s youngest and lightest division, but that’s all it is; just another blow. Another shot at a weight-class that has been killed more times than Kenny, but is still here, and stronger than ever.  

The division that gave us arguably three of the best five UFC fights in 2007 has been granted the chance to kick off ’08 in similar fashion. The fans and UFC have spoken, and the division finally appears secure and here to say. Something crazy could happen and throw the weight-class for a loop yet again. If history has anything to say on the matter, its words are ‘all bets are off.’  Not bad advice, especially if your betting on the fight being a bust. The fact it’s there, with top-billing, kicking off the UFC’s year says more than enough. Besides, the little guys always seem to do things in big ways.