BJ Penn to Fight Diego Sanchez

According to Sherdog.com this morning, sources say that BJ "The Prodigy" Penn will now face off against Diego "Nightmare" Sanchez on UFC 74's undercard. UFC 74's main event features a UFC heavyweight title fight between Randy "The Natural" Couture and Gabriel Gonzaga, which is set to take place on August 25, 2007 at the Mandalay Bay in Les Vegas, Nevada.

It had already been rumored that Sanchez was set to make his appearance at UFC 74, but against PRIDE veteran Hayato Sakurai. Sources of Sherdog.com seem to have put out the fire supporting those rumors.

Penn, the 28-year-old Hawaii native, recently stopped Jens "Little Evil" Pulver, in a lightweight battle, with an extraordinary submission win at the Ultimate Fighter 5 Finale.

However, the same thing cannot be said for Diego Sanchez. Sanchez tarnished his perfect MMA record with lackluster performance, to say the least. Sanchez lost by a unanimous decision to long hated opponent Josh Koscheck at UFC 69: Shootout, where the two circled around like little fairy's for most of the fight. Sanchez now stands with a record of 17 wins and 1 loss.

There's actually a lot at stake in this fight. It would be a devastating blow to Penn if he loses to Sanchez, on the other hand, it would be a huge step-up for Sanchez if he somehow manages to pull out the win against "The Prodigy." In addition, if Penn loses it would most likely further his chances for a rematch against Matt Hughes and/or Georges St. Pierre, the sole reason why he decided to move back up the welterweight division.

Looks like UFC 74: Respect is starting to shape up real nicely, the Penn-Sanchez bout will join the St. Pierre-Koscheck and the Couture-Gonzaga heavyweight title match. Sweet fragrant lord, I can't wait for UFC 74!

I was always impressed by PRIDE's cards, they would usually contain intriguing matches from start to finish. The UFC is finally taking a page out of PRIDE's match-making and producing kick-ass cards.

The Lianger