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BJ Penn’s Return Proves The Fight Game Rarely Has Storybook Endings

In the sport of mixed martial arts, fight fans understandably want to see their beloved fighters and former champions attempt to achieve glory late in their careers or after an extended period of time away from the sport. But as we’ve seen time and time again, the fight game, especially the UFC, is often unforgiving, and

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But as we’ve seen time and time again, the fight game, especially the UFC, is often unforgiving, and rarely does it offer fighters the storybook ending they had hoped for.

That was recently the case with 38-year-old BJ Penn, a former lightweight and welterweight champion and UFC Hall of Famer who returned to action for the first time since July 2014 in the main event of this past weekend’s (Jan. 15, 2017) UFC Fight Night 103 from Phoenix, Arizona.

Penn, who hasn’t won a fight since 2010, was matched up with surging 24-year-old prospect Yair Rodriguez, an explosive kicker with lightning speed. At this stage of Penn’s career, the fight was clearly a bad match-up for him, but that didn’t stop the excitement building inside of fans as the event approached.

“The Prodigy” had brought in the help of legendary trainers Greg Jackson and Mike Winkeljohn to prepare for the bout. He had also reunited with longtime boxing coach Jason Parillo. Leading up to the fight, Penn seemed motivated, saying that he was returning because he could and that fighting was his life.

It was this aura surrounding the former two-division world champion that ignited hope into the minds and hearts of his faithful fan base. While it seemed like a daunting task for Penn to take out Rodriguez, deep down, fans of the Hawaiian were hoping that we would see a resurrection of Penn from his prime; a crisp and powerful boxer who possessed some of the best jiu-jitsu in the world.

He was a savage who licked the blood off of his gloves after dispatching an opponent with the type of finishing ability that embodied the sprit of a warrior, which Penn was and always will be.

But perhaps we should’ve known better. Did Penn, at this stage of his career, really have what it took to topple Rodriguez?

It turned out he didn’t, as the Hawaiian was rocked and battered throughout the first round of the fight before being finished early in the second. His toughness was on full display as usual, but in the end, that just wasn’t even close to enough in today’s fast-paced, cutthroat MMA world.

“The Prodigy’s” fighting future is currently unclear. In the aftermath of the bout, many had called for his retirement, but only he can decide when to hang up the gloves for good. If this is the end for Penn, however, the harsh realities of the fight game were once again on full display.

Looking to erase the memories of his recent losing skid, Penn was only met with the unforgiving nature of the sport he had once ruled. Rather then deliver Penn the storybook ending he was likely hoping for, the fight game smacked Penn in the face with the fact that time waits for no man.

This isn’t the first time this has been seen either, as many of the legends from Penn’s era were met with the same reality.

Revered former light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell lost five of his last six bouts with his last three losses coming by way of stoppage before he retired in 2010. Former longtime welterweight champion Matt Hughes was also knocked out twice in a row before calling it quits in 2011.

Former 170-pound king Georges St. Pierre is one of the few fighters to leave the game on his own terms, and even he has been contemplating a return to action over the last year.

As far as Penn’s career goes, nothing can be taken away from him. His demolitions of Joe Stevenson and Diego Sanchez were brutal and iconic and his stoppages over Hughes, Sean Sherk, Jens Pulver, and Kenny Florian were legendary.

Penn’s accomplishments will always speak for themselves, and the memories he has left fight fans with will live on forever, but the storybook ending he was longing for seems nowhere to be found. His return to action in 2017 reminded fight fans of some brutal truths that we often like to dismiss in the presence of a heart-warming and nostalgic story.

Time catches up to all in MMA, however, and the fight game once again left its mark on another revered legend last weekend.

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Five Biggest Takeaways From UFC Fight Night 103

UFC Fight Night 103 went down last night (Sun., Jan. 15, 2017) from Talking Stick Resort in Phoenix, Arizona. The main card was headlined by a featherweight match between No. 10-ranked prospect Yair Rodriguez and returning former UFC welterweight and lightweight champion BJ “The Prodigy” Penn. The co-main event played host to a lightweight bout

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UFC Fight Night 103 went down last night (Sun., Jan. 15, 2017) from Talking Stick Resort in Phoenix, Arizona.

The main card was headlined by a featherweight match between No. 10-ranked prospect Yair Rodriguez and returning former UFC welterweight and lightweight champion BJ “The Prodigy” Penn. The co-main event played host to a lightweight bout between veteran fan favorite Joe Lauzon and Marcin Held.

Overall, the card, which was the promotion’s first of the new year, provided fight fans with some exciting action from top to bottom.

Let’s take a look at the five biggest takeaways from last night’s event:

Aleksei Oleinik May Be A Heavyweight Dark Horse

Aleksei Oleinik is currently unranked in the UFC’s heavyweight division, but the 39-year-old Russian may be a dark horse in the weight class, and is a fighter fans should keep an eye on.

Oleinik has quietly compiled a 3-1 record inside the Octagon, including three stoppage victories. Already owning a submission victory over Anthony Hamilton and a knockout over Jared Rosholt, “The Boa Constrictor” returned to action last night and scored a submission win over Viktor Pesta. In fact, the submission Oleinik locked in is known as the Ezekiel choke, and he became the first fighter in promotional history to win a bout with it.

With a background in Sambo and jiu-jitsu, Oleinik is an ultra-experienced fighter possessing a 51-10 professional record. To give him even more credit, 42 of those 51 victories have come by way of finish.

If “The Boa Constrictor” can continue to rack up wins inside of the Octagon, he may be able to make some noise in the heavyweight division.

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BJ Penn: Fight With Yair Rodriguez Is ‘Not Difficult At All’

Legendary former UFC lightweight and former UFC welterweight champion BJ “The Prodigy” Penn is set to make his return to action against rising prospect Yair Rodriguez at UFC Fight Night Phoenix on Jan. 15, 2015. Penn hasn’t competed since retiring in 2014 and he hasn’t won a fight since 2010. Initially, many had felt as

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Initially, many had felt as if Penn should’ve been booked against a fighter in a similar situation him as opposed to a 24-year-old surging contender, but “The Prodigy” doesn’t feel as if the bout is ‘difficult at all’:

“So, what you’re saying is when I make this look easy on Jan. 15, I’m the f—— man, is that what you’re telling me?” said Penn, on ESPN’s 5ive Rounds podcast.

“It’s not a difficult [fight] at all. He’s a very good guy, but I feel like I’m training with very good guys. I have a good team around me and I don’t feel anything is anywhere near out of my league.”

Penn will be competing in the 145-pound division upon his return and he said that this decision was made based off of the fact the he has his eyes set on a third world title in a third different weight class:

“There’s more opportunity for me to get three UFC belts at 145 than going to 185,” Penn said. “I already feel really confident nobody will be able to get the 155- and 170-pound belts. I want to get one more world title. Three titles at three weight classes, and without a doubt 145 is my best option.”

In order to accomplish this goal, Penn has relocated from his native Hawaii to New Mexico to train under the tutelage of highly-touted trainer Greg Jackson. Aside from his plan to add another title to his trophy case, Penn said that he’s returning simply because he ‘missed’ fighting:

“I just like fighting again,” Penn said. “Standing in front of people, sparring every day, punching people, getting into a fist fight every morning. I missed it. I can’t live without it right now. While I can still lift my arms up and do sprints, all these things, this is what I want to do. This is what I love to do. This is the best way I know how to make an honest living.”

What are you expecting from “The Prodigy” next month?

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BJ Penn Fires Back At Dana White’s ‘Sad’ Claims

Earlier this week, UFC President Dana White made headlines after labeling former UFC lightweight and former UFC welterweight champion BJ Penn as an ‘underachieving’ fighter, saying that “The Prodigy” could’ve been the best of all-time had he perhaps focused more. The 37-year-old former champion has since gotten wind of those comments, and it appears as

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Speaking with KOHN2, Penn described White’s claims as ‘flattering’ but ‘sad’, adding that he hopes to one day show the UFC boss that he had reached his full potential:

“It’s flattering and it makes you sad at the same time. It’s strange for me to talk, because it’s like one side we’re talking about this Hall-of-Fame career guy, and on the other side, I’m just trying to prove myself. You got to talk about two different people, two different BJs at times. It’s his opinion and he’s entitled to that, and all I can do for my side is get in there and show them. Maybe Dana White will look back and be like, ‘You know what? Look at him now. That guy really did reach his full potential.”

Penn should get the opportunity to win over White, as he’s made it clear that he’d like to make a return to action. In fact, he was scheduled to compete last June at UFC 199, but he was pulled from the bout after violating USADA’s (United States Anti-Doping Agency) guidelines pertaining to IV rehydration. “The Prodigy” is currently looking to return in November at 145-pounds:

“The fight now should be around November,” Penn said. “That’s when we’re looking to come back, so we’re going to talk to the UFC and 100-percent, we want to get back out there, 145 (pounds), and we’re gonna do this. See where this takes us.”

Penn has lost his last three bouts to date and was most recently seen on the wrong side of a brutal beating from Frankie Edgar in 2014, but the Hawaiian has since moved to New Mexico to train under the tutelage of legendary head coach Greg Jackson. Does Penn have one more run left in him?

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Dana White Believes BJ Penn Could Have Been The Best

BJ Penn stands along side only one man in an elite class in mixed martial arts given that he’s only one of two fighters to have ever held a title in two different weight classes in the UFC. “The Prodigy” spent time as both the UFC lightweight champion and the UFC welterweight champion and produced

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UFC President Dana White, however, feels as if Penn could’ve been better than he was. In fact, White recently labeled “The Prodigy” as an underachieving fighter, and added that Penn would likely agree with him:

“That’s a loaded question,” White chuckled when asked by TMZ to name an underachieving fighter. “Listen, there’s guys and girls that probably don’t reach their potential, because they don’t… BJ Penn.

“BJ Penn probably should have been one of the best ever, to ever live, to ever do it. But, BJ was so talented, you know. I just… I don’t know. I think BJ, in his own words, would go back and do things differently if he could.”

If this is indeed how the Hawaiian feels about his iconic career, he may be able to patch up some holes as he announced earlier this year that he would be making his return to competitive fighting under the tutelage of highly-touted trainer Greg Jackson. That return, however, has been postponed after Penn was notified by USADA (United States Ant-Doping Agency) for the use of medically-administered IV during a non-fight period. His punishment is currently unclear, but the 37-year-old had intentions to resume his career prior.

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B.J Penn Receives New Opponent For UFC 199 Return

Legendary former UFC lightweight and welterweight champion B.J “The Prodigy” Penn is scheduled to make his highly-anticipated return at June 4’s UFC 199 from Inglewood, California after a near two-year hiatus away from the sport. Penn was originally scheduled to face off with German kickboxer Dennis Siver, but news broke last night (May 10, 2016)

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Penn was originally scheduled to face off with German kickboxer Dennis Siver, but news broke last night (May 10, 2016) indicating that Siver had suffered an undisclosed injury and would be forced out of the bout.

Fast forward less than 24 hours later, however, and the UFC has found a new opponent to replace Siver and keep Penn on the card.

According to UFC Tonight’s Megan Olivi, Cole Miller will step up on short notice to clash with “The Prodigy” in just a few weeks.

Miller is riding a rough streak as of late, coming up winless in his last two bouts. He suffered a decision loss to red hot rising contender Max Holloway in February 2015, and fought to a no-contest after being eye-poked in a bout with Jim Alers last December.

He will look to add a huge name to his resume when he faces off with Penn.

The former two-division champion hasn’t competed since July 2014, and he too had hit a rocky time near the end of his running, losing three-straight bouts, and being winless since 2010.

Now training with highly-touted coach Greg Jackson, however, Penn will look to make a splash when he enters the cage on June 4 in the L.A Forum.

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