So if BJ wrecked his rib...

Yes, and Ryan gracie quit in his rematch with ishizawa for apparently the same reason (coleman called it) though people speculate that the fight was a work

my god this is getting annoying, Wish penn would just make a statement that cleared it up

remember when ryan gracie seperated his rib?

"my god this is getting annoying, Wish penn would just make a statement that cleared it up "

He did.

Check MMAweekly, Sherdog or his own website http://www.bjpenn.com/news/View.php?ArticleID=8

Interviewer:
Take us through the second round.

BJ:
I felt great going in, Matt started trying to take me down from my right leg, it's something I expected he might do. He got me down against the fence, but I was thinking about this position alot and I was ready. When he went for a big elbow, he missed and I capitalized and started going for his back. At this moment, when I was making the turn towards his back, I felt my ribs seperate on my right side. Although I didn't know the severity of the situation. I was thinking I have to finish him now because I knew something was wrong. Matt defended himself well and got through the round. When I got up to walk to my corner, I knew something was wrong, but I didn't want to talk about it with my corner. I wanted to be the champ. I wanted to keep fighting.

Interviewer:
What about round 3?

BJ:
I remember standing up out of the corner in pain. But I was thinking, "Earn your title this is what you have to do to get your belt back, fight through the pain". I knew the oppurtunity I had with getting this fight, especially after losing my last fight. I wasn't going to quit on the corner. I kept going because I honestly believed it was destiny. When me and Matt were boxing I felt like I couldn't breathe and had no mobility in my core. But I kept thinking something good is going to happen. When Matt started dominating the stand up I tried for a takedown. I had nothing and pulled to guard. I felt like I couldn't do anything on the ground. But I was still positive. Matt hit me in the ribs from half guard. The pain was so excruciating I had to use my far hand to block it. I would rather Matt pass my guard and punch my face the hit my ribs. When Matt was in his favorite position that he likes. I was still thinking I was going to win somehow. Big John gave me plenty of time. I practiced defending against that position with flexibility, but I had none with my core. Even when Big John stopped the fight, I was still so positive I thought I escaped. Congratulations to Matt, he is a great fighter. It's not his fault that that happened, he fought like the champion he is. He deserved the victory.

Interviewer:
So how are your ribs doing now?

BJ:
There just hurting, I couldn't sleep last night, I couldn't lay down, Every time I breathe it expands my ribcage and aggrevates my ribs.

Interviewer:
How do you think your conditioning was for this fight?

BJ:
I was training great. I trained 5 to 6 rounds a couple times a week. I was also doing explosive cardio and getting proper rest.

"so those that believe that, are you implying he lacks "toughness" then?"

Actually quite the opposite. With such a painful injury, he kept fighting and never gave up. That speaks alot about Penn's 'toughness'

Hopefully we'll hear some trained professional's evaluation of BJ's health soon.

Fi you read BJ's interview about the rib he said he did while in the 2nd round. He said no excuses he lost and Matt did a good job. He said he felt the pain set in in between rounds and that he couldnt bend in certain positions with pain. So with that said, I dont see what kind fo point your making.

The Calf Cruncher

chris simms

shut up already... the guy faught his heart out and you guys continue to sit here and disrespect him.

I believe BJ ,,,I have had ribs separated and it feels like knives into your lungs (although I have never been stabbed)
You can't breathe..you can't move..nothing..there is no way he lost that much gas between rd 2 and 3 without an injury

"there is no way he lost that much gas between rd 2 and 3 without an injury"

I agree. Not only that but he came out of the timeout like a completely different fighter. It would be one thing if the sub failed in the middle of the round, then Hughes poured it on.

But Penn had the timeout to recoup and came out of it worse off. In the 3rd round, there was a standup exchange in which Penn was covering up his body from strikes and lowering his head as the only protection against headshots. That made me think there was something wrong with his torso.

"Everyone here has short term memory. What happened in March? Same thing. He was sluggish in round 2 and 3 in his last 2 fights. "

yeah but Penn eventually faded in that fight and was still fighting, defending and attemping subs at the end.

Here Penn was effectivley fighting off Matt, then transitioning to the back to apply a triangle...and then completley gassed to the point where he couldn't walk, raise his hands or defend???? No way. Even Frank Mir didn't gas that badly in between rounds to Wes Sims or Dan Christisen.

Dsparks has totally hit the correct. You don't realize how bad the separated rib is at first and then all of a sudden it hits you like a brick wall. You really wouldn't understand until it happens to you.

"would a separated rib completely stop the pace he was going at"

I did this before, and it felt like I had been stabbed--it was one of my more painful injuries I have ever received. 

I could not imagine fighting or being touched in the area--it is remarkable these guys fight at all after an injury like that. 

if BJ is "faking" the injury, someone needs to teach him how to do a better job of acting... lol...

he actually DID try to do some acting... in the sense that he tried to cover up the fact that he was in pain, not wanting to let hughes and his corner catch on that he was hurt... that's also why he made no mention of it to his corner...

i spoke with someone who was in the locker room immediately after the fight who said BJ was literally on the ground writhing in pain and was taken to the hospital for x-rays immediately after because he was in so much pain from the ribs...

now... i'm no expert, but if you're gonna' use your ribs as an excuse, why wait 'til you're in your locker room to let on that your hurt when there's nobody around but your own team to witness it...

sounds like it is what he said in his interview... that he was hoping he could fight through it somehow and ended up not being able to...


also... doesn't sound like an excuse either way...

it might be an "explanation" as to why things went the way or the direction they went in, but not an "excuse", seeing as how the end result was what it was... that Hughes became the first person to EVER stop BJ in a fight...

which BJ, himself, and all of us have said Hughes deserves a TON of credit for...

truly amazing performance... no doubt...

and BJ's injury takes NOTHING away from that unless someone tries to claim that BJ went IN to the fight with the injury... but seeing as how it happened DURING the fight... well... regardless of whether it happened from Hughes punching or kicking the ribs, or if it popped out from BJ's moving to the back, Hughes still deserves all the credit in the world for winning that fight in impressive fashion...


just my $0.02... :-)

wow, thanks razegear. Always u provide some insight, to what goes behind the scenes, that we are not privy to.

I remembered u enlightened me alot on the Dana White situation, together with hatyman (sic?) when i started a thread on Penn about a year ago.

Thanks for all the info and insight.

Oh yeah, wish Penn well, from me, and tell him to heal up well and fight again soon.

I definitely think alot of people would pay to see a 3rd fight. People can make excuses for both guys in their losses.

he wasn't gassed. There is no way hughes would have passed his guard if he was just gassed, he would have pounded him from the top, or half but BJ would not have lost guard, you can see his mobility on that side is shit.
BJ popped a rib and lost the fight the same way a cut would have lost him the fight, it sucks to not see the fight go to knockout of ko but shit happens