BJ Penn would much rather fight young guys than already established UFC title contenders, at least according to Jon Fitch.
In an interview on “The MMA Hour” with Ariel Helwani, Fitch was asked if he felt Penn was ducking a potential rematch with him.
The former welterweight title contender showed no hesitation in giving an answer.
“Yeah, I do.”
“Now that BJ’s back, that would be fun to settle that [fight] finally, but I don’t think he wants a piece of me. So, he’s going after young guys.”
Penn and Fitch fought back in February 2011 in a closely-contested bout that was deemed a draw.
After the bout, both fighters were supposedly onboard for an immediate rematch, but the bout was scrapped by UFC matchmaker Joe Silva, who claimed the UFC and fans weren’t interested in a second fight.
Penn officially announced his retirement from MMA in October 2011, but he recently agreed to a return bout against rising welterweight star Rory MacDonald at UFC 152.
Fitch has plenty to be bitter about. He is coming off a first round knockout loss to Johny Hendricks, and he was recently forced to pull out of his July 11 bout with Aaron Simpson after suffering a knee injury in training.
Even though he has fallen on hard times, Penn is still a quality opponent in the welterweight division, and a win could’ve expedited Fitch’s climb back up the top-10 ladder.
Penn vs. MacDonald, or Penn vs. Fitch?
Which fight would you rather see?
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