The UFC’s heavyweight champion is seriously ill, and another champ just won a fight most thought he deserved to lose. Other top fighters have been beaten or distracted,

including one big name who walked away from an important bout to be in a movie.
Mixed martial arts’ dominant league could use a dynamite fight night to shake itself from the winter doldrums, and BJ Penn thinks he’s the champion who can provide it at UFC 107.
When Penn enters the FedExForum octagon Saturday night in the UFC’s first major event in Memphis, Tenn., to fight top lightweight contender Diego Sanchez, he realizes he’s under a brighter spotlight than usual.
“It’s just been a stroke of bad luck, with Brock (Lesnar) getting sick and a lot of fights falling out of place,” Penn said. “UFC started off with a big bang with UFC 100, and it’s time for the fighters to pick it up. I definitely want to have this UFC be a big bang for everybody.”
Indeed, the UFC needs the smooth, explosive Penn (14-5-1) as much as the Hawaiian star needs to keep his title. The landmark success of UFC 100 last July has been followed by a stretch of injuries, conflicts and questionable judging in the ever-growing sport.
The biggest setback is Lesnar’s apparent infection in his digestive tract, which will keep UFC’s top pay-per-view star out of the octagon for the foreseeable future at what should be the peak of his career.
Throw in Lyoto Machida’s highly questionable win over Shogun Rua at UFC 104, along with Rampage Jackson’s disregard of MMA to focus on his acting career, and it’s clear UFC could use a kick-start from Penn and Sanchez, who’s getting his first title shot against a champion who hasn’t lost at 155 pounds in nearly eight years.
“I think with everything happening, it’s just a blessing we’re the two guys who get to sign ink on the end of the year,” Sanchez said. “It’s a true Cinderella story. I’m finally getting a title shot against the UFC’s greatest reigning lightweight champ. It just makes for a great fight at the end of the year.”
Frank Mir, who lost to Lesnar at UFC 100, returns in Memphis against tough striker Cheick Kongo, while crowd-pleasing lightweights Kenny Florian and Clay Guida also will meet.
Penn is a significant favorite in his bout, with a well-rounded, jiu jitsu-based attack that’s been too much for every lightweight from Sean Sherk to Florian. Penn thinks he’s even better prepared for Sanchez after altering his strength and conditioning plans during several months of training with Marv Marinovich — the father of Todd Marinovich, the spectacular bust of an NFL quarterback.
“His greatest strength is his tenacity,” Penn said of Sanchez. “He tries to push the pace and all that. It could be very dangerous if you don’t know the fighter that Diego is. That’s a big area that we worked on. We amped up the cardio and made sure our endurance will be ready for what’s going to happen.”
Sanchez (23-2) is getting his first title shot in a career that included victory on the first season of “The Ultimate Fighter,” UFC’s popular television show. After a solid but undecorated career at higher weights, Sanchez dropped down to lightweight in February and emerged as the most interesting contender for Penn’s title.
Sanchez also is a devotee of various new-age approaches to fighting and life, with interests in everything from yoga and meditation to the teachings of motivational guru Tony Robbins. The Albuquerque native says his apartment in the San Diego area has no television or couch, only equipment for workouts and rehabilitation.
“I suppose I’ve thought about this fight since back when he beat Matt Hughes (in January 2004) and he was the champ,” Sanchez said. “I was (thinking), I want to fight that guy. I could go in there and beat that guy, and now it’s happening. ... I always wanted to train with BJ, and that never happened, and I supposed that’s why we’re going to fight now. It’s a good thing we never got together and trained.”