A trilogy bout between former UFC champions “The Prodigy” BJ Penn and Matt Hughes is planned for UFC 123 in Auburn Hills, Michigan. CagePotato first reported on the bout’s possibility and multiple sources have since confirmed plans for the fight. Penn will return to 170 for the bout.
Penn and Hughes first met at UFC 46 in early 2004 in a one-sided fight that saw Penn emerge victorious by submission late in the first round. Hughes got his revenge at UFC 63 in 2006 after rallying from two rounds down to stop Penn in the third round. Hughes has now won three straight fights.
Penn (15-7-1) has competed eight times since losing to Hughes, with all but one of those fights taking place in the lightweight division. He became only the second man to hold UFC titles in two different weight classes when he captured the UFC Lightweight Championship at UFC 80 in early 2008. Penn went on to successfully defend the title three times before losing to current champion Frankie “The Answer” Edgar in April. A rematch with Edgar at UFC 118 ended in a one-sided defeat for Penn and he will now return to the welterweight division for the third bout with Hughes.
Hughes (45-7-0) lost the UFC Welterweight Championship in his first title defence after defeating Penn and has since encountered mixed results in six Octagon appearances. Losses to reigning 170-pound ace Georges “Rush” St. Pierre and former title challenger Thiago “Pitbull” Alves seemingly spelled the end of Hughes’s time as a top contender, but he has since bounced back with three straight victories. At UFC 117, Hughes put on one of his most impressive performances in years when he choked out Ricardo “Big Dog” Almeida in the first round. A second win over Penn could set up a Hughes title fight.
UFC 123: “Rampage vs Machida” takes place on November 20th at The Palace of Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The event is headlined by a light heavyweight bout between former champions Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida.
(Photo Credit: Sherdog.com)