BJ Penn seemingly isn’t retired yet.
Legendary UFC fighter BJ Penn hasn’t won an MMA fight since 2010.
In the last eight years, the former UFC welterweight and lightweight champion has drawn with Jon Fitch and suffered five consecutive losses to Nick Diaz, Rory MacDonald, Frankie Edgar (for the third time), Yair Rodriguez and Dennis Siver respectively. During that period, he officially retired once and indicated his intention to retire at least twice.
Not only that, but the majority of fans have been actively supported his decisions to hang up his gloves for good. It’s not that they dislike Penn. In fact, it’s the exact opposite. This mindset doesn’t stem from the fact that he’s losing either. Defeat is inevitable in this crazy game. It’s how he’s losing. We haven’t seen the BJ Penn that knocked out Caol Uno, Sean Sherk or Matt Hughes in a very long time. He has been a shadow of his former self for years. His decline has been a very tough watch.
WHAT. A. PERFORMANCE! @panteraufc blitzes @bjpenndotcom! 🇲🇽👊 #UFCPhoenix https://t.co/Q8ntenagXF
— UFC on TNT Sports (@ufcontnt) January 16, 2017
Bittersweet
The good news is Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu wizard Ryan Hall (6-1, 2-0 UFC) will finally return to the Octagon at UFC 232. The bad news is he will welcome Penn (16-12-2, 12-11-2 UFC) back to the UFC. This will be Penn’s first fight since dropping a majority decision to Dennis Siver in June 2017.
Meanwhile, Hall has won both his UFC fights. The 33-year-old is coming off of his own lengthy hiatus. He hasn’t fought since scoring a unanimous decision victory over Gray Maynard in December 2016. He won his promotional debut via lopsided unanimous decision against Artem Lobov.
BJ Penn gets another shot in the UFC…
This time the MMA legend finds himself up against Ryan Hall at #UFC232 on the back of a five-fight losing streak 😢 pic.twitter.com/K72FJKRkcy
— UFC on TNT Sports (@ufcontnt) September 13, 2018
What could possibly go wrong?
