Jay Dee "B.J." Penn (born December 13, 1978 in Kailua, Hawaii) is an American professional mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner, currently the Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight champion. He holds notable wins over Matt Hughes, Takanori Gomi, Jens Pulver, Caol Uno, Duane Ludwig, Matt Serra, Rodrigo Gracie, Din Thomas, Renzo Gracie and Joe Stevenson. He is the first American-born winner of the World Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Championship (Mundial) in the black belt category (2000). Penn is also the former UFC welterweight champion and was a coach on the The Ultimate Fighter 5 reality show. After winning the lightweight title at UFC 80, he became only the second man (with Randy Couture) to win UFC titles in two different weight classes.
Former EliteXC welterweight champion Jake Shields (22-4-1) has officially reached free agent status after the collapse of his former organization.
Now 30 days after filing a breach of contract against his former employer, Shields reported that the company is in breach of contract and that he's excited to test the open market in search of a new home.
"My 30 days is up today," Shields said on Thursday. "Today I consider myself a free agent. EliteXC still has no reply, but as far as the contract goes, I'm a free agent today."
With recent wins over world-class competition in Paul Daley, Nick Thompson, Mike Pyle, Carlos Condit and Yushin Okami, among others, to his credit, Shields will certainly be in immediate demand.
"My dad manages me," Shields said. "He's just started looking around today. Obviously the UFC being the top show that I'm looking at, but I'm definitely going to look around a little bit. Hopefully I'll be signed somewhere in the next month and be fighting within two or three months."
Currently riding an impressive 11-fight win streak, Shields was left as a title-holder for a now-defunct organization when EliteXC's parent company, ProElite Inc., folded. The Californian competed four times for EliteXC and has mixed feelings about the departure of the promotion.
"It kind of sucked because it was great exposure," Shields said. "People started to know me around. But [leaving EliteXC] could be a good thing, too.
"They didn't have a lot of people for me to fight. I was looking to go up a weight (class) and fight Robbie Lawler because they had no one. Now I can stay at my weight."
Currently ranked as the No. 4 fighter in the world at 170 pounds by WAMMA rankings committee, Shields has his eyes on the talent-rich welterweight division of the UFC.
"I want to fight some of those guys in the UFC," Shields said. "I haven't had a chance to talk to (UFC President) Dana (White) about numbers, but it's certainly a show that I would like to be in right now and hopefully get in there and mix it up."
But while the UFC would certainly seem to have the edge as a potential home for Shields, the Cesar Gracie Jiu-Jitsu product simply wants to face the world's toughest competition.
"It's not necessarily because it's the UFC," Shields said. "It's because that's where the fighters are. I mean the UFC is the show. I've been watching it since I was a kid. So I do want to fight there. But I just think that it's all about fighting the top fighters.
"If [UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre] was in Affliction, then that's probably where I would want to go fight. I'm looking to be a top fighter, and you've got to fight the top guys to be the No. 1. That's just how it goes."
Wherever Shields next destination turns out to be, the grappling expert predicts the answer will come sooner rather than later.
"I couldn't imagine it being more than a couple of week before I'm signed with somebody," Shields said. "Obviously it probably takes a week or two, three weeks. I don't know how long it's going to take my dad to negotiate. You've got to feel around a little bit. But I would think within a couple weeks."
And once signed, Shields insists he will be ready to go right away.
"I'm ready to fight now," Shields said. "I've been training every day. I could be ready to fight in six weeks. If I have an offer in six weeks, I'll be ready to fight in six weeks."
Terry Martin (186) vs. Scott Smith (185.5)
Champ Bobby Southworth (204) vs. Renato "Babalu" Sobral (204)
Yves Edwards (164) vs. Duane Ludwig (163)
Kim Couture (132) vs. Lina Kvokov (133)*
Luke Stewart (170.5) vs. Joe Riggs (170.5)+
Nik Theotikos (185) vs. Luke Rockhold (185.5)^
Lemont Davis (173) vs. Brian Schwartz (175)
Josh Neal (184) vs. Kurt Osiander (185)
Cyrillo Padilha (156) vs. Bobby Stack (155)
Tony Johnson (184) vs. Eric Lawson (185)
Darren Uyenoyama (136) vs. Brad Royster (134)
Alvin Cacdac (143) vs. Jose Palacios (145)
Zakary Bucia (169) vs. Adam Steele (168.5)
* - Kim Couture vs. Lina Kvokov was announced as a 130-pound contest, but Couture was notified prior to the weigh-ins that her opponent would not be able to make weight and agreed to take the fight anyway.
+ - Both Luke Stewart and Joe Riggs made weight on their first attempts, though both elected to remove their fight shorts and weigh in behind a sheet.
^ - Luke Rockhold made weight on his first attempt but elected to remove his fight shorts and weigh in behind a sheet
Less than a day after being reportedly ousted from the UFC in a contract dispute Jon Fitch is now back with the company, the top welterweight contender confirmed to MMARated.com on Thursday afternoon.
After speaking with UFC co-owner Lorenzo Fertitta via phone, Fitch said the two had managed to clear the air, that the fighter would sign the company’s much-maligned video game licensing agreement and was cleared to fight Akihiro Gono at UFC 94, as previously planned.
Fitch added that he still hasn’t spoken to UFC President Dana White and admitted that didn’t like the way he’d been treated by White during attempts to negotiate a deal involving rights to his name and likeness for the upcoming “UFC Undisputed 2009” video game.
“Communication kind of broke down with Dana (White) so we talked with Lorenzo,” Fitch said. “(I) just got off the phone with him and we came to an agreement. We’re going to move ahead and I’ll be back in the UFC. We’re going to sign off on the video game and I’m back. It was never even about the agreement or the contract. It was the approach that we felt Dana was being a little bit hot-headed and was threatening us right off the bat. It didn’t seem like a professional way of doing things.”
Honestly the contract wasn't even that big of a deal. We're not getting paid for it anyways, and it's not a deal where I'm actually going to get another deal with a video game agency. I don't have that kind of pull, most guys don't. It has nothing to do with that. It's that they brought this contract to us and basically kicked in our front door, came in guns blazing, and said 'sign this contract or you're dead.
I am the UFC's bastard son. I mean, from the get go. I don't even know how better to explain it. They didn't have any regard or care for me whatsoever. There's nothing more I want than to be the UFC champ, but something like this and they're going to throw me away?
I also have confidence in the fact that I'm one of the best fighters in the world. I'm going to find a home, and I'm going to find a way to make money no matter what the deal is. I will not be treated and talked to like a dog.
It's not like I've been bad mouthing them or doing anything negative toward the UFC at all. All I've done is go out there and fight my ass off. I'm at a loss. I don't even know what to think right now. I'm still kind of in shock.
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