Shinya Aoki has been slipping more and more UFC references into his commentary as of late, no doubt fueled by his steady climb to the top of Dream's lightweight ranks. Given the frequency of the comments and coming on the greatest night of his career, no less the talk is likely more than just saber-rattling on his part.“I don't even want to say anything about (New Year’s Eve). I've been fighting one bout after another, so I'm exhausted. I was thinking this was my last fight. I just want to rest. After that, then maybe I can decide on something. I'd like to fight B.J. Penn.”
“I want to fight the best in the world, like B.J. Penn and Kenny Florian -- strong guys like that,” he said. “I want to take them out and prove that Japanese are truly strong. I was told by someone that 'you got the belt, now you're number one in the world,' but I don't think so. Being top of the world isn't something so trivial. If I could become like B.J. Penn, I could die (happy).”
