MMA News: B.J. Penn vs. Joe Stevenson is Official for UFC 80

B.J. Penn will fight Joe Stevenson for the UFC interm lightweight title. (MMAWeekly.com photo)

With the status of lightweight champion Sean Sherk (33-3-0) in limbo due to a steroids case, octagon matchmakers have officially announced that Hawaiian superstar B.J. Penn (12-4-1) will face Las Vegas fighter Joe Stevenson (33-7-0) for the interm UFC lightweight title at "UFC 80: Rapid Fire," on Jan. 19 in Newcastle, England.

“B.J. Penn and Joe Stevenson are two of the top lightweights in the world,” says UFC president Dana White. “Penn is the former world welterweight champion and Stevenson is unbeaten in the UFC as a lightweight. Both of these guys are known for their ground games and their will to win, so not only will it be a great fight, but the winner will become the interim world lightweight champion."

Coming off a win over Jens Pulver (21-8-1) in June, Penn says he's looking forward to stepping into the cage again. "I’m very excited to be fighting for the UFC lightweight interim title and to be matched up against Stevenson," he explains. "Our styles are very similar, and we both want the interim title, so I think it will be a good fight and an excellent fight for the fans.”

With four back-to-back wins as a lightweight, Stevenson feels confident about the match. “I’m really excited to fight BJ, and I’m happy to have the chance to fight for the interim title,” he says. “I think B.J. is an awesome fighter. He has a dangerous ground game, but I don’t think it will be too big of a factor. And he’s not going to knock me out, so I’m confident that it will be my hand that’s raised at the end of the night.”

The card also features a heavyweight match between Gabriel "Napao" Gonzaga (8-2-0) and fellow Brazilian Fabricio Werdum (9-3-1).

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