The Doggy Bag: The Big and Small Edition

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I'm a big B.J. Penn fan and always have been, but this comeback fight sucks. It is desperate. Rory MacDonald should be fighting other contenders right now. Instead, he's going to fight an undersized, unmotivated Penn who UFC President Dana White talked into coming back for the UFC's sake. I think this might be a one-sided blowout that people will look back on and wish never happened. Penn is a legend, but I want to see MacDonald face real top guys now. -- Noel from Toronto

Tristen Critchfield, associate editor: Although Penn’s temporary retirement only raises more questions about his motivation to compete, I would argue that the Hawaiian is far closer to “a real top guy” than anyone MacDonald has beaten -- his near-miss versus Carlos Condit doesn’t count -- to date. Dominant performances against the likes of Michael Guymon, Mike Pyle and Che Mills proved that MacDonald is one of the sport’s brightest prospects, but all of those guys are mid-level competitors at best.

While some might argue that “Ares” does own a signature victory -- his UFC 129 decision over Nate Diaz -- it has become clear that Diaz is much better suited to contend at lightweight. Assuming he’s healthy and in reasonable shape, Penn has the well-rounded skill set to test the Canadian like no one has since Condit. In addition, Penn has name recognition and drawing power that is surpassed by only Georges St. Pierre in the welterweight division, which is part of the reason why White wants him back. I believe that Penn-MacDonald would have made the top of the UFC on Fox 4 card look much more desirable, as well. At the very least, Fox would be compelled to put more promotional muscle behind such a headliner.

Right now, many of the other top welterweight contenders are either waiting for fights, have just fought or are on the shelf. If MacDonald is able to dominate Penn, it should not be looked at as a regrettable pairing but as something of a coming out party. Just ask Mike Pierce -- who has come up just short against the likes of Jon Fitch, Johny Hendricks and Josh Koscheck -- what it would mean to have a career-defining win. Without it, Pierce found himself on the UFC on FX 3 preliminary card.

Something tells me that Penn will give MacDonald a stern test when they lock horns at UFC 152. At 33, Penn can have several solid years of fighting ahead of him if he so chooses. Despite talk of his decline, Penn has only lost to Top 10 and hall of fame-caliber opponents during his UFC tenure. A win over “The Prodigy” would only serve to put MacDonald in some pretty elite company.

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