BJ Penn announced what might have been his retirement in his postfight interview with Joe Rogan at UFC 137 after losing a unanimous decision to Nick Diaz. The disheartened former UFC welterweight champion hung his head low in what was the worst beating he has ever received.
Though Penn fought valiantly and showed tremendous heart in the fight, he just didn’t look like the old BJ Penn. Diaz himself admitted in the postfight press conference that he didn’t think Penn is fighting where he should be.
“He’s the best there is,” Diaz told reporters. “But he should be fighting at 155.”
A former lightweight champion, Penn moved back up to 170 pounds after back-to-back losses to current champion Frankie Edgar. Though he had already lost twice to Georges St-Pierre as well, Penn felt more comfortable having to cut less weight to compete at welterweight.
“I think if he trained with me, he would’ve gotten in shape and won some of those fights,” Diaz added about Penn, who he regarded as one of his favorite people in the entire sport of MMA.
As tough as it might be to hear, Diaz is telling the truth. Penn simply isn’t training at the level he should be. Unlike many fighters who temporarily relocate to work with a top-level training camp, Penn has trained primarily in his home state of Hawaii.
It’s hard to blame a father for wanting to be with his family. However, if Penn wants to continue fighting at the high level he expects of himself, he just isn’t getting the competition he needs in training. He certainly isn’t working with the level of partners that Nick Diaz does, such as his brother Nate, Jake Shields, Gilbert Melendez and the members of Cesar Gracie Jiu-Jitsu.
Penn doesn’t really train with any top-25 partners outside of his occasional work with Matt Hughes, who has struggled in his older years and has always been mediocre in the standup game.
A permanent move to California to train with Diaz and the boys at Cesar Gracie Jiu-Jitsu could be just what the doctor ordered if Penn is looking for a career resurgence. These guys train as hard as anyone in the sport and Penn is already friends with the Diaz brothers. The transition wouldn’t be as dramatic as it might seem.
No one could blame BJ if he does decide to retire. However, if he chooses to make a return to the Octagon, he needs to step up his training to get back to the elite level that he was once at.
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