Once upon a time, BJ Penn was so good that he was thinking about retiring from the sport out of simple boredom.
Then, he lost the first fight of his career against Jens Pulver at UFC 35. That loss motivated him to become one of the best of his generation.
Now, so many years later, Penn is once again sitting on the sidelines, but for different reasons.
Unaccustomed to being physically beat up, Penn was not ready for the aftermath of his bout with Nick Diaz at welterweight and announced his retirement from the sport.
But there are some simple truths that are available for all to see.
One is that Penn is a fighter, pure and simple. Very few have the tools and skills he possesses, and even fewer can implement them with such ease.
The second; Penn should not be fighting at welterweight.
If Penn were to accept his place in the sport—that of being one of the best lightweights on the planet—his return to the division could be just the thing his spirit needs.
And god knows it would certainly help the sport.
Right now, the lightweight division is the deepest division in the sport. With fighters like Nate Diaz, Gray Maynard, new champion Benson Henderson, Frankie Edgar, Donald Cerrone, Melvin Guillard, Joe Lauzon, Clay Guida, Jim Miller, Anthony Pettis and others, BJ Penn would be one of many great fighters.Also, Penn would no longer be trying to “get up” for fighting, one opponent at a time; the division is just too stacked for that kind of thinking. He would be knee-deep in opposition, and fighters as gifted as Penn need more than just one enemy at a time; they need legions of them in order to take the next step in their evolution.
Make no mistake about it, BJ Penn is still one of the most gifted and capable fighters in the sport today. He could easily become the lightweight champion again, should he decide to rededicate himself and add a few small elements to his game; elements which all mixed martial artists should have in their tool box.
He still has the best BJJ/submission game in the division, bar none. He still has among the heaviest hands in the weight class as well, save perhaps for Melvin Guillard.
And he is still one of the toughest men at 155 there is.
Imagine BJ Penn returning to the cage with just a few new tools to his already daunting arsenal: the endurance to throw over 100 punches a round, and the threat of greatly improved takedown skills.
Suddenly, it’s a whole new ballgame.
Near the end of his latest run, Penn seemed content to fight a certain way; stuff takedowns and bang away on the feet. Sure, he used some takedowns against Jon Fitch, but they seemed more a way to just score points; a defensive measure to keep Fitch from taking him down and racking up points from the top position.Penn needn’t be so one-dimensional.
Years ago, he decided to spend time with Randy Couture in order to improve his overall game. He trained hard, absorbed the knowledge and philosophy that Couture freely shares, and in turn he pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the time, defeating Matt Hughes and taking the title.
Another trip to Couture’s classroom would be a great step in the right direction to seeing Penn reclaim the title.
Penn belongs in the fray. The fight game needs him as much as he needs it.
The belt may just be an accessory, but the fights would be epic.
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com