Yair 'Pantera' Rodriguez is the former 'TUF: Latin America' winner, and the most flashy and entertaining product at 145 pounds. His amazing blend of unorthodox kicks and chain submission offense keeps opponents (and even his coaches) constantly guessing. His last win over a very talented striker in Alex Caceres showed he can throw full powered strikes from all angles for 25 minutes, and that type of experience is crucial to this sport's growth. His brutal (yet beautiful) head kick finish of aggressive power striker Andre Fili showed that you can not play the bull rush game with Yair, as he is an amazing matador when given space.

Pantera has shown incredible cardiovascular with his attrition draining attacks, he can throw flying knees and spinning attacks from bell to bell...his combinations do seem straight out of a video game at times. This fighter is being built up very well, and his path to the belt continues to grow more difficult in different ways. Yair has faced great wrestlers in Charles Rosa as well, so he has grown to be more well rounded over time. We should bear witness to his best version this coming fight night!

BJ 'The Prodigy' Penn made his name well over a decade ago when he stormed the UFC octagon in 2001. He is the first, and only one of the few men to hold multiple titles at the highest level of mixed martial arts. He dominated the best of his time; Takanori Gomi and Din Thomas were feared strikers and BJ was able to not only outbox them...but outclass them in every facet. He defeated the legendary Matt Hughes in his welterweight debut, a weight class he was terribly undersized for. He used his amazingly fast hands to rock Matt and finish him with his lightning back taking skills....BJ attained a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black in one year, when it has taken masters of the sport over a decade to do the same.

BJ only lost to the best of the best, arguably beating a young and primed GSP in a decision that did not go his way. Wins over Diego Sanchez and Kenny Florian established BJ as a legend of the lower weight classes, and his moving up and down to attain titles have placed him as the greatest of all time to some. Penn had shown signs of slowing and lack of motivation in his last few performances, but he seems ready to perform for the people this Sunday night. An old lion is still after all, a lion.

We have a legend in BJ Penn returning to the cage, but we can not ignore that this is after the worst few performances of his career. He supposedly retired after taking a hellacious beatdown from Frankie Edgar over 2 and a half years ago, a performance in which he barely threw any punches or tried to attack in any fashion. BJ has said numerous times that 'fighting is all I know'...so we must hope that he is not returning simply to make a living. Fighting requires a strong mentality and the willingness to win, he must come to kill not survive.

'Pantera' Rodriguez is a serious force at featherweight, and his streaking contender ship is nothing to overlook. He has not faced a top 10 opponent, but he has practically demolished his top 20 ranked foes, and the former knockout on his record is a blemish of former times...amateur fights are there to learn and evolve from.

This is almost a squash match of sorts as I see no real ways BJ can get dominant positions on the feet or the floor, Yair is a constant threat everywhere the fight goes, and he uses both his arm and leg reach immensely well. BJ works well on the inside with his fast hands and accuracy, but Yair is able to suppress brawler/grapplers supremely well so this will pose an interesting clash of styles. BJ is a tough and crafty veteran, so don't expect a squash match...this will be back and forth for as long as it lasts.

Prediction: Yair Rodriguez wins by Unanimous Decision