When news first broke of the impending third fight between former UFC welterweight champion Matt Hughes and former UFC welterweight and lightweight champion BJ Penn, I immediately contacted two very good friends of mine.

Spencer Kyte of Heavy MMA and Josh Nason of Bleacher Report are more than just friends, they are like brothers in an industry that can swallow some people whole. That is why when I go to them with an opinion or a question, I know I will get an honest, forthright answer that will always pique my interest that much more.

Spencer thought that it said a lot about both fighters. He commended Hughes for still wanting that big challenge while he questioned Penn's motive for taking the fight. Was it simply a matter of wanting to take a bigger payday against a proven veteran that he has a history with or was it simply a matter of BJ taking a fight that he can train even less for.

Nason actually liked the idea of the matchup. With the way Hughes looked against Almeida he certainly showed he had plenty left in his tank. He also questioned whether Penn is simply unable to hang with the younger fighters who seem to be taking over the sport. Much like the majority of people I spoke with, Josh wanted to see a rematch between Penn and former Pride lightweight champion Takanori Gomi.

As far as I'm concerned, I don't like the matchup. The fan in me is afraid that if Hughes wins he will start looking for another shot at the title and as we all know, he simply can not hang with Georges St. Pierre assuming he defeats Josh Koscheck and remains the UFC welterweight champion. I would have rather seen Hughes take on Matt Serra again if the latter is successful against Chris Lytle at the end of this month at UFC 119.

Going back to Penn, I too would have loved to see him do battle with "The Fireball Kid," who himself is coming off a thrilling first round knockout against Tyson Griffin at UFC on Versus 2 last month. Regardless of who Penn fights, allowing him to go back up to welterweight at this point gives him a reason to come in at a heavier weight which in turn means less training and more eating.

That got me to thinking about the way Penn's career has gone. Will he go down as perhaps one of the most disappointing fighters in MMA history despite the unparalleled success he has had throughout his career? There are athletes in every sport who are blessed with immense talent, but for some reason or another, whether it be physical or mental, just can't seem to reign that talent in on a consistent basis.

At the end of the day will more people focus on the failures of Penn or the titles and significant victories he has accumulated throughout his career. Ultimately the answer to that question will fall squarely on the shoulders of Penn. He has stated numerous times that he wants to go down as the best fighter ever, this next fight should go a long way in proving whether or not he is truly serious.

As for Hughes, he continues on what many conceive to be an unannounced retirement tour. A tour that has seen him rack up three wins in a row. Will a fourth straight win cause him to shoot for the stars one more time or will it just be another notch in a belt that has collected a boatload of victims?