Former UFC fighter BJ Penn weighed in on the Khabib debate yet again, this time criticizing “The Russian Eagle” for his lack of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu ability. Penn used his enormous grappling ability to compete in various weight classes, whereas Khabib – also a famed grappler – stuck to the 155-pound lightweight division. For Penn, that’s just not good enough.
Penn posted as much on Instagram, pointing out how he was able to use his technical ability on the ground to fight, and defeat, much larger opponents. In fact, Penn believes that it’s precisely Khabib’s lack of jiu-jitsu that is preventing him from coming back to fight Kamaru Usman, the reigning king of the 170-pound welterweight division.
BJ Penn Blasts Khabib’s Lack of BJJ Ability
“Since Khabib has been saying he is the greatest lightweight of all time and I am number 2 best lightweight many people have been asking me why didn’t Khabib fight Usman for the 170 pound belt or compete for 170 belt like I did many times…
In my humble opinion it is because he is not proficient and confident in jiujitsu I believe the reason behind Khabib not fighting Usman is because he does not know jiujitsu like I did and he is not comfortable fighting off his back against someone who is bigger and stronger than him like I did many many times in my career.
I fought at 170 185 and heavyweight and every fight I had to fight from my back and survive and come back and fight harder if I was to get a victory. It’s because of my jiujitsu black belt experience and fighting in my weight and absolute division for years that always prepared me for this…
Gracie jiujitsu and Brazilian jiu-jitsu alone is not enough to be UFC champion but to choose one system BJJ is still the greatest self defense system in the world especially for the little man to fight the big man.
It was just part of the game… Khabib says jiujitsu is easy and he is the best grappler ever but he did not fight bigger opponents in higher weight classes because his style is not prepared for this …and that’s what jiujitsu was created for.. for the little man to defend himself from the big man!
That is martial arts, that is self defense !!” Khabib was undefeated at the time of his retirement, with an impressive 29-0 record. However, he has faced criticism for only competing at 155 pounds, with BJ Penn merely the latest voice joining the chorus.
Do you think Khabib should come back and fight Kamaru Usman, or is he truly done? Is Khabib’s lack of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu ability his Achilles heel? Let us know in the comments.
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