Penn Gets a Taste of Blood In Victory Over Stevenson

There was blood all over B.J. Penn's face, chest and arms and he seemed to enjoy that. After all, it wasn't his blood.

After Penn submitted Joe Stevenson in Ultimate Fighting Championship 80's lightweight title match yesterday in Newcastle, England, Penn rolled back onto the blood-smeared mat, raising both hands in triumph. Then, as he rode on the shoulders of one of his corner men, Penn beat himself in the head and then licked his gloves.

After missing out on winning the outright lightweight title twice and leaving the UFC for more than two years, Penn looked like a madman during his bout and afterward. He is now the second man in UFC history to win a championship in two weight classes.

"I just want to be the best ever," Penn said in a pre-fight television interview. "Is that too much to ask?"

Penn (13-4-1) knocked Stevenson (33-8) on his back just seconds into the fight and showed his control on the mat through the remainder of the first round. Then with about 30 seconds left in the round, Penn drew a geyser of blood from Stevenson's forehead with a glancing right elbow.

The blood flowed between Stevenson's eyes, not in them, allowing the bout to continue. Stevenson was re-energized by the blow, but Penn weathered the onslaught and went to work himself.

Two minutes 38 seconds into the second round, Penn charged Stevenson, knocking him to the mat, and went straight into the mount. He eventually took Stevenson's back and stretched him out with a rear naked choke, making Stevenson tap at 4:02.

Penn has admittedly been obsessed with building a legacy in ultimate fighting. So after winning the welterweight belt against Matt Hughes in January 2004, Penn wanted to move up in weight classes to prove his nickname as "The Prodigy" was for real.

He left for K1 in Japan in order to do so and was stripped of his UFC title. After more than two years away from the UFC, Penn returned in June to beat rival Jens Pulver.

After yesterday's fight, Penn was asked whether this was the start of a new, more dedicated, era in his career. Penn, 29, answered, "Look at these abs. You tell me."

In the other bouts, heavyweight Fabricio Werdum (10-3-1) defeated Gabriel Gonzaga (8-3) via technical knockout with 26 seconds remaining in the second round. Werdum, who also beat Gonzaga in 2003, took several hard leg kicks in the first round but got Gonzaga to the mat and against the cage and pounded on his head from the side position.

Welterweight Paul Kelly (8-0) defeated fellow England native Paul Taylor (8-3-1) in a unanimous decision after dominating him on the ground. Welterweight Marcus Davis (19-4) knocked out Jess Liaudin (12-9) with his first punch, just 1:04 into the first round.

Light heavyweight Wilson Gouveia (10-4) knocked out Jason Lambert (23-7) after Lambert mauled him for the entire first round. Gouveia connected with a solid left hook that dropped Gouveia 37 seconds into the second round. Middleweight Jorge Rivera (15-6) beat Kendall Grove (10-5) via technical knockout.