“As far as I understand, the opponent is already chosen and everybody’s working for that goal on March 5th, as far as I understand, you know? I talked to Dana (White) and we’re going to see how this all plays out.”
— The B.J. Penn comeback tour seems to be ready to make its first stop, as “The Prodigy” has revealed that his first opponent has already been selected for a possible bout at UFC 197 on March 5, 2016, in Las Vegas, Nevada. But, according to his comments on the Anik and Florian podcast (via Sports Joe), he is under strict orders from Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) President Dana White to not spill the beans in regards to whom he’ll be facing. It likely won’t be Nik Lentz, as “The Carny” has a laundry list of demands for Penn before he agrees to meet him in the cage even though Nik said he’d face “Baby J” anytime, anywhere. UFC 197 will feature a heavily-anticipated Lightweight title fight between division king Rafael dos Anjos and current Featherweight title holder, Conor McGregor. When you add in a co-main event title fight between women’s Bantamweight champion Holly Holm and Miesha Tate — and the return of Penn — the pay-per-view (PPV) event is looking to be one of the can’t miss cards of the year.