BJ Penn did have one bolt of lightning left.
It came Sunday in the form of a second-round uppercut that dropped Dennis Siver, sending Penn on the attack. Alas, the punch turned out to be but a flash in the pan for the Hilo fighter.
Penn’s loss via majority decision at UFC Fight Night in Oklahoma City didn’t resemble the beatdown he took earlier this year, but it will surely leave a mark. Namely to the inside of Penn’s left leg, which was purple after absorbing repeated kicks from Siver.
The Russian-born mixed martial artist from Germany dominated the decisive third round, outstriking Penn 56-14. In a battle of 38-year-old featherweights, Siver looked fresher during the final five minutes, backing Penn into the fence and delivering leg kicks, spinning shots to the body and hard rights that seemed to nearly topple Penn.
By the end, the UFC Hall of Famer, his mobility limited, seemed content to stay at a distance.
The judges scored the bout 29-27, 29-28, 28-28.
“It was a huge, huge honor for me to fight against BJ,” Siver said through a translator. “He’s a legend in the sport. And, of course, it feels great to win against BJ, who is a hero in the sport.”
The question of whether Penn will retire – for good this time – will no doubt be asked again and again from fans and critics alike.
Penn (16-12-2) has already said he doesn’t care about his legacy, but he’s now lost five fights in a row – he’s only exited the octagon victorious twice in his last nine fights – his UFC record of 12-11-2 is nearly .500 and he’s 0-3 as a featherweight.
The fight against Siver, who hadn’t fought in more than two years, was only the second time in 18 fights that Penn wasn’t the headliner.
Still, chants of “B-J, B-J” could be heard echoing inside Chesapeake Energy Arena.
Penn tried to establish his jab in the first round but was frustrated, though he gave his fans wanted they wanted to see with about 2 minutes left in the second round when, seemingly out of nowhere, he caught Siver flush on his chin, sending him to his back.
Penn tried to finish the fight from the standing position before going to the ground. Penn gained side control, but Siver was able to tie him up as the round ended.
Lightning never struck again. Siver delivered 103 significant strikes, while Penn had 57.
“It wasn’t too a bad actually,” Siver said of being dropped. “He caught me, but not too hard, so I slipped and fell down. The time was enough to recover.”
