It’s a thing of rare beauty when trash talk so resoundingly comes back to haunt its originator. To set the scene, BJ Penn had claimed multiple times to have seen GSP broken and giving up. He openly called the welterweight champ a quitter, which, for someone with the work ethic and attitude of GSP, is the worst insult you can deliver. From the get-go of their clash, it became apparent that GSP was determined to feed Penn his words in the form of a steady diet of wrestling, punches and elbows. The Team GSP master strategy of taking the sting out of Penn in the early rounds worked a treat, and by the fourth round it was a testament to both Penn’s conditioning and Brazilian jiu-jitsu technique that he was able to avoid being finished. Completely wrung out, mentally destroyed and having absorbed many blows to the head, BJ Penn’s corner decided he could not go on. It may be harsh to say BJ Penn quit on his stool, but when asked if he wanted to go on, I didn’t hear anything to suggest he really wanted to.

Having now destroyed every fighter who has ever made him look fallible, GSP can truly lay claim to being one of very best ever. He has defeated nearly everyone to have sat near the top of the welterweight division. On this performance, it’s hard to seeing him losing a fight any time soon, but, perhaps the last remaining man who could present him a challenge, Thiago Alves, is set to be his next title defence. After that, a move up to 185 lbs to take on Anderson Silva amy be the best option. There has been an almighty argument raging, about a member of Georges St.Pierre’s corner rubbing Vaseline on his shoulders. I’m wondering when anyone has seen BJ Penn even attempt a greco-style takedown, which would make this a useful trick. It’s beyond me what potential benefit doing this deliberately may have given a GSP who was firmly in control of the fight.

It’s anyone’s guess what this slice of humble pie will do to BJ Penn, but here’s hoping it pushes him to even greater heights. There’s a formidable queue waiting for a pop at his lightweight belt, including the red hot Kenny Florian. The best way for BJ to prove his greatness now is to smash all comers at 155lbs, and fights with Shinya Aoki, Eddie Alvarez, JZ Calvancante and Josh Thomson down the road should be enough of a challenge even for him.