Harms

This was in the sports page today for the Houston Chronicle.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/...r/4208747.html


'Champions' clash at UFC 63
Penn ready to take welterweight title from Hughes


By STEVE SIEVERT
For The Chronicle

BJ Penn won't have the belt around his waist to prove it, but as far as he's concerned, he'll step into battle tonight at UFC 63 as the champion.

"Without a doubt," said Penn, "I am the champion. I didn't lose the belt in the octagon, so I am the welterweight champion of the world."

Penn might have a point, but Matt Hughes will be the one introduced as the 170-pound titleholder when the two meet in the main event of UFC 63 at The Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim, Calif.

The history between these two dates back to UFC 46 in 2004. Penn, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt and lifelong lightweight, moved up in weight and stunned the mixed martial arts world by submitting the heavily favored Hughes, who came into the bout with an aura of invincibility and a 13-fight winning streak.

"I wasn't mentally prepared to step into the octagon that day," Hughes said. "I just wasn't focused, and it wasn't my day to be in there. It was the right time for BJ, I guess."


Different routes to rematch
Coming off of the upset victory, Penn was anointed the UFC's next big thing. However, contractual demands sullied his relationship with UFC brass. He walked away from the title belt and headed overseas to fight in rival mixed martial arts organization K-1. He continued to win, but with little fanfare stateside.

Hughes (41-4), meanwhile, got his groove back. A natural wrestler-grappler, he hired a boxing specialist to improve his striking and regained the welterweight crown at UFC 48. Four straight wins since have re-established his ownership of the division.

"There was a monkey off my back after that fight with BJ ... it was the pressure, being away from my family," said Hughes, who between fights runs the family farm in Hillsboro, Ill. "It was a weight off my shoulders. The loss made me refocus, and I think I'm a better fighter now."

Skill-wise, Penn (10-3-1) is the more versatile of the two. He has a huge edge in the stand-up game and his jiu-jitsu experience makes him tough to submit.

The Hawaiian does have a tendency to come in a little soft, and he was still surfing in Hawaii as recently as Wednesday.

Hughes is always a chiseled, if not always well prepared, 170 pounds. He's the superior wrestler, with a devastating ground game that has become his signature strategy.

"He's going to try to cut me or push me into the fence and hold me down, hoping that I'll gas out, and he'll get a decision," Penn said. "I'll be ready."

Tonight's card, available on pay per view ($39.95), also features a key middleweight clash between Houston native and rising star Mike Swick (9-1) and David Loiseau (15-5).


Title shot on line for Swick
It's a big step up in opposition for Swick, who came into the UFC via the first season of The Ultimate Fighter. Loiseau is a Canadian champion and proven commodity in mixed martial arts. His last outing in March was a five-round war in which he dropped middleweight champ Rich Franklin before losing the decision.

"I think he's going to try to finish me to prove a point," said Swick, whose penchant for ending fights in a hurry has earned him the nickname "Quick." "But there's definitely a chink in his armor. I don't want to give anything away, but we're definitely going to exploit that."

A win would likely vault Swick into a title bout against the winner of Franklin and Anderson Silva, who meet at UFC 64 next month.

"That's why I can't wait to get out there," Swick said. "To win this fight against Loiseau would be huge for my career. When you have things put in front of you like this, it's exciting.

"We've got a lot of different strategies and see ways I can win this fight in any area."

The Chronicle is pretty good about following UFC. The author also does a weekly blog on the website. I'm just glad it gets coverage. UFC is pretty popular here in Houston.

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