Interestingly enough, there may actually be some merit to the argument that the Lightweight division is beginning to see the same problems that the Welterweight and Middleweight divisions have seen. While I believe the talent below Penn is very formidable and evenly matched in many capacities, I once again turn to the fact that BJ Penn is absolutely crushing at the top of the Lightweight division.

While Penn has been doubted in the past as remaining dominant for a length of time, it seems now that he has dedicated himself to the sport enough to be a dominant force for a long time at 155 pounds. It even seems feasible to think he can fight at other weight classes while remaining the 155 pound champion.

Let me ask the ultimate question though… Can either Florian or Huerta defeat Penn? In my opinion, Penn will have the advantage in both matchups. Many fans thought Sherk could topple onto Penn for the lay and pray victory, but he was unable to even sift through Penn’s accurate strikes. How would Florian or Huerta fair?

Florian is an interesting matchup. He’s scrappy, tough on the ground, and an overall decent striker. Penn still has K-1 striking abilities that would likely crush Florian in the standup game. On the ground, Penn is one of the best at 155 pounds. Huerta wouldn’t stand much more of a chance either. While he has frantic pace, a couple of timely jabs could reset rushes or bring the ground game. Unfortunately for us, the Lightweight division may have a huge talent divide once Penn defeats one of the potential contenders right now in the division.

I’ve been criticized in the past by some other writers for these supposed “jump to conclusion” thoughts when it comes to the talent divides in some of the divisions, but they have yet to be proven wrong. Middleweight remains Anderson Silva’s division, and it will likely remain that way for quite some time. Same for Welterweight and Georges St. Pierre. I don’t think Jon Fitch can stop St. Pierre in any capacity, and I’m sticking to that opinion. Penn could very well be included in that crowd.

I will say that the Lightweight division still has a lot of interesting matchups for contention though, and of course, the frantic pace of the lightweight fighters is something everyone should enjoy. Will the UFC begin looking for some Lightweight talent? I wouldn’t doubt it, especially with more of them hitting the mats in the next few months and having the potential to be cut out of the promotion.