5 Predictions For The Ultimate Fighter 19 Finale

1. B.J. Penn vs. Frankie Edgar

Weight Class: Featherweight They've met twice before, and both times, Frankie Edgar proved to be B.J. Penn's undoing. Why a third fight, then? Well, for starters, Penn asked for it. The losses to Edgar have been gnawing away at him over the years. He wants to know that he can, in fact, beat Edgar - and he was willing to go down to featherweight to do it. Having held both the welterweight and lightweight championships in the UFC at various times, fighting way above his weight class on the 170 side, you might expect Penn to take a final run - but don't count on it. For starters, Penn is a 10-1 underdog. Since his back-to-back losses against Edgar for the lightweight title in 2010, he's 1-2-1, sending Matt Hughes into retirement and fighting to a draw with John Fitch before dropping two straight fights to Nick Diaz and Rory MacDonald at welterweight. Edgar, meanwhile, lost two bouts of his own to Benson Henderson at lightweight, and with no immediate chance at another shot, dropped to featherweight for an immediate fight with Jose Aldo. Losing a close fight, he bounced back with a win over Charles Oliveira, and you get the feeling that he's accepted the third Penn fight out of respect more than anything. Still, a win over Penn is a win over Penn, and would leave absolutely no "what ifs" when it comes to talking about the history between the two. A win would also put him a step closer to another featherweight title shot, even if Penn has never fought at featherweight before. The question is, how will Penn fare against Edgar, years later, at a lighter class? Will cutting the extra ten pounds make a difference in his power? What about his gas tank, which is always a question mark? Do we have the fabled "motivated B.J. Penn" who is in the best shape of his life? Believe it or not, I actually believe that he is motivated here... and I don't think it will be enough. Yes, he went and trained with Jose Aldo. Yes, he'll make 145lbs. And it still won't matter. It's too late for Penn. The sport has passed him by, and he'd be better suited to coaching at this point - he did a solid enough job on TUF. He could honestly beat middle tier guys for the next couple years, but he wouldn't want to - he's only ever faced the best. He's only ever fought in K-1 and the UFC, and you'll recognize most of the names on his record. His last win was over Matt Hughes in 2010. I watched that fight on PPV, and Penn stunned us all knocking Hughes out. I fully expect that fight to remain Penn's last win. Edgar via decision - but I actually do hope I'm wrong so Penn can retire on a high note.