CONFIRMED: B.J. Penn agrees to face Diego Sanchez in Manchester
It has been confirmed that UFC lightweight champion, B.J. Penn has agreed to face Diego Sanchez at UFC 105 in Manchester, England on November 14th.
Sources close to the 155 pound champion told Dave Meltzer of Yahoo!Sports about the news, meaning a quick turn around for the Hawaiian native after winning earlier this month against Kenny Florian.
Penn vowed never to return to the UK after UFC 80 due to the low Pay-Per-View buys affecting his paypacket. But with this event going out for free on SPIKE TV it seems that the promotion have compensated him accordingly and he has done a u-turn.
He faces stiff competition in the form of “Ultimate Fighter” season one middleweight winner, Diego Sanchez who has looked impressive in his two lightweight outings to date, decisioning both Joe Stevenson and Clay Guida.
At today's UFC 102 pre-fight press conference in Portland, Ore., White said he was working on a deal that would see the organization host a third event in November.
And while UFC 105 will air on SpikeTV on Nov. 14 and UFC 106 will be seen on pay per view Nov. 21, White said the potential new date won't be viewed on either platform.
"It's Penn-Sanchez, but I don't know where yet," White said. "We're working on a deal right now. That fight might end up somewhere else – and it definitely won't be in Manchester."
