Filed under: UFC
With age comes wisdom, but if you’re a pro athlete, it also comes with aches, pains and the beginning of the realization that your career is closer to its end than beginning.
B.J. Penn is not old in any sense of the word. If you’re a longtime MMA fan, Penn seems practically ancient, yet he’s just 31. During a UFC 118 conference call, though, Penn voiced the type of self-reflection that is rarely seen in the macho world of MMA. Noting his desire to re-take his place at the top of MMA lightweight landscape, Penn explained his motivation in a way you’d rarely hear from someone with a resume like his.
“I’m the guy who doesn’t want to let the sport pass him by,” said Penn, who will square off with division champion Frankie Edgar in Boston on Aug. 28. “I want to stay in the forefront. I’m constantly up trying to think of how to tweak things, to keep up with these young kids. I know he’s near my age but he’s young in the sport, and I want to keep up with these guys.”