AUBURN HILLS, Mich. – UFC president Dana White believes that BJ Penn is such a proud man that if he had lost at UFC 123, a defeat that would have marked three straight losses, he would have retired.
It’s safe to say Penn isn’t calling it quits anytime soon.
Instead, the Hawaiian mixed martial arts legend provided a rejuvenating jolt to his already-storied career, knocking out former two-time welterweight champion Matt Hughes in just 21 seconds before 16,404 fans at The Palace of Auburn Hills.
“I honestly don’t want to sit here and beat my chest over beating Matt,” Penn told MMA Fighting after capturing the rubber match of the trilogy. “He’s just another guy like me who’s been around the sport a long time. I’m very fortunate things went the way they did tonight. Besides that, I don’t want to harp on anything else.”