Bodog Beat

B.J. Penn will fight for the UFC lightweight title against Joe Stevenson on Saturday, Jan. 19. (MMAweekly.com Photo)

On Saturday, Jan. 19, at UFC 80: Rapid Fire in Newcastle England, B.J. Penn (11-4-1) has a shot at becoming only the second fighter in UFC history to win titles in two different weight classes.

The first was Randy "The Natural" Couture (16-8-0) who won the light heavyweight title by defeating Tito Ortiz (15-5-1) in September 2003 and then beat Tim Sylvia (24-3-0) in March of 2007 to win the heavyweight title.

Penn captured the welterweight belt in January 2004, choking out Matt Hughes (40-6-0) in the first round of their 170-pound match. He was stripped of the belt later that year for violating his UFC contract by competing in other events.

Now, back in the octagon, Penn will face Joe "Daddy" Stevenson (29-6-0) for the 155-pound title.

"Joe Stevenson's a great opponent," Penn tells MMAweekly.com. "He's got so many weapons, so many tools he brings into this fight and this is the most important fight of my life.I'm going up against a great opponent, but nobody wants to see me win a five-round decision. I'm going out there and I'm going out there to win the fight and finish this fight and that's what I've got to do."

According to UFC odds in the Bodog Sportsbook, Penn is the -285 favorite to win.

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