Fitch, Penn battle to draw at UFC 127

Jon Fitch and BJ Penn were supposed to determine the next welterweight contender in the Ultimate Fighting Championship on Saturday. They merely produced more questions.
Fitch spent almost four minutes pounding on Penn to end the fight, yet it was not enough to overcome Penn's superior grappling in the first 10 minutes of UFC 127's main event in Sydney. Two judges scored Fitch-Penn 28-28 to produce a majority draw.
One judge scored it 29-28 for Fitch. USA TODAY scored the fight 29-27 for Fitch.
AS IT HAPPENED: UFC 127 play-by-play
As they waited for the official announcements, both fighters expected the decision to go Fitch's way.
"I gave up some positioning in the first and second round, but I came back, finished out on top, I did some damage of my own," Fitch said. "I think I did enough to win at least a split decision."
Penn surprised Fitch early by going for takedowns. Most observers, including Fitch and his trainers, expected Penn to look for a win with his striking; before the fight, Penn made a point of telling people he had worked with noted boxing trainer Floyd Mayweather Sr.
But Penn also trained with former rival and ex-champion Matt Hughes, one of the first great wrestlers at 170 pounds in mixed martial arts. The work paid off, as Penn took down Fitch each of the first two rounds and established back control both times.
Penn's takedown attempts surprised his opponent. Fitch did not train defensive wrestling while preparing for the fight because he expected Penn to focus on boxing and counterwrestling.
"It was a great game plan, threw me off," Fitch said. "It took me until the second round to catch my groove."