For better or worse, MMA legend BJ Penn is reportedly planning another UFC return.
The decorated former UFC lightweight champion will return against The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) winner Ryan Hall at an unknown event. The fight was first reported by ESPN’s Ariel Helwani. The bout does not have an official date or time:
“It appears as though BJ Penn isn’t done yet. According to multiple sources, the UFC is currently discussing booking Penn vs. Ryan Hall later this year. The lightweight fight isn’t signed yet and a date hasn’t been finalized at this time, as well. November or December has been discussed.
“According to sources, Penn is currently in Brazil training for his return. The 39-year-old Penn (16-12-2) has lost his last five fights in a row and hasn’t won since he knocked out Matt Hughes in November 2010. His most recent fight was a June 2017 majority decision loss to Dennis Siver. Hall (6-1) hasn’t fought since his December 2016 win over Gray Maynard.”
A Risk Worth Taking?
Penn has been out of the Octagon since dropping a majority decision to Dennis Siver in June 2017. He has lost his last five MMA bouts including two by knockout. He looked especially weathered in his UFC Fight Night 103 loss to then-rising featherweight prospect Yair Rodriguez.
‘The Prodigy’ remains one of the most storied fighters in UFC history due to his insistence on fighting anyone at any time, but his UFC record appears a bit lackluster at this point.
It’s a fair question to ask if he should risk slipping it further towards .500 at this point. Penn would be risking a lot against an opponent who is not a big name. Hall has been out of action since a December 2016 decision win over Gray Maynard. He won The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 22 lightweight tournament by defeating Artem Lobov in December 2015.
Hall has had a well-documented struggle getting fights from the UFC due to a grappling-centered style deemed boring by many.
For better or worse, MMA legend BJ Penn is reportedly planning another UFC return.
The decorated former UFC lightweight champion will return against The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) winner Ryan Hall at an unknown event. The fight was first reported by ESPN’s Ariel Helwani. The bout does not have an official date or time:
“It appears as though BJ Penn isn’t done yet. According to multiple sources, the UFC is currently discussing booking Penn vs. Ryan Hall later this year. The lightweight fight isn’t signed yet and a date hasn’t been finalized at this time, as well. November or December has been discussed.
“According to sources, Penn is currently in Brazil training for his return. The 39-year-old Penn (16-12-2) has lost his last five fights in a row and hasn’t won since he knocked out Matt Hughes in November 2010. His most recent fight was a June 2017 majority decision loss to Dennis Siver. Hall (6-1) hasn’t fought since his December 2016 win over Gray Maynard.”
A Risk Worth Taking?
Penn has been out of the Octagon since dropping a majority decision to Dennis Siver in June 2017. He has lost his last five MMA bouts including two by knockout. He looked especially weathered in his UFC Fight Night 103 loss to then-rising featherweight prospect Yair Rodriguez.
‘The Prodigy’ remains one of the most storied fighters in UFC history due to his insistence on fighting anyone at any time, but his UFC record appears a bit lackluster at this point.
It’s a fair question to ask if he should risk slipping it further towards .500 at this point. Penn would be risking a lot against an opponent who is not a big name. Hall has been out of action since a December 2016 decision win over Gray Maynard. He won The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 22 lightweight tournament by defeating Artem Lobov in December 2015.
Hall has had a well-documented struggle getting fights from the UFC due to a grappling-centered style deemed boring by many.
BJ Penn is one of the greatest MMA fighters of all-time, but it has been a rough ride for him over the last few years. He has retired from the sport three previous times. Penn, who has been an icon to the MMA community, has won some big fights as a lig…
BJ Penn is one of the greatest MMA fighters of all-time, but it has been a rough ride for him over the last few years. He has retired from the sport three previous times. Penn, who has been an icon to the MMA community, has won some big fights as a lightweight and welterweight in […]
BJ Penn is a supporter of Chuck Liddell vs. Tito Ortiz III going down under Oscar De La Hoya. Penn, who was speaking to media during International Fight Week ahead of UFC 226 tomorrow night (Sat. July 7, 2018), said he’s happy for both Liddell an…
BJ Penn is a supporter of Chuck Liddell vs. Tito Ortiz III going down under Oscar De La Hoya. Penn, who was speaking to media during International Fight Week ahead of UFC 226 tomorrow night (Sat. July 7, 2018), said he’s happy for both Liddell and Ortiz and will be tuning in to the fight […]
The concept of quitting is a taboo subject in mixed martial arts.
But in the heat of the battle in the Octagon, even some of the toughest human beings on the planet can be brought to their physical and mental breaking point.
To prove it, in this article, we’ll tell the stories of 10 UFC fighters who came to the painful conclusion that they had no other option left but to cast the stigma aside and quit on their stool.
Chris Leben
Leben is one of the toughest fighters to have ever set foot in the Octagon, which made it all the most shocking when he waved the white flag following the first round of his fight with Uriah Hall at UFC 168 in late 2013.
The already bloodied Leben, who had a reputation for possessing a granite chin and having the ability to take ungodly amounts of punishment, was attempting to take the fight to Hall in the dying seconds of the opening round when he suddenly ate a lightning-quick right hook flush to the face that floored him with a few more shots connecting cleanly on the mat before the bell saved him.
Leben rose back to his feet like a zombie afterwards and staggered back to his corner dazed and confused, asking his corner if the fight had been stopped.
They assured him that wasn’t the case, but that fact didn’t seem to put his mind at ease.
”I’m done man, I’m done,” Leben suddenly said. “Stop it.”
It was a poignant moment to see such a battle-hardened warrior admit that he had nothing left, and even more so in hindsight given that it would later emerge that Leben really was done.
After all the wars he’d been in over the years, both inside and outside of the cage, ‘The Crippler’s’ memorable career came to an end that night.
Fighting an opponent in the octagon is one thing, but over the years, some mixed martial arts stars have gone one step further and taken it upon themselves to battle the UFC themselves. In this article, we’ll explore 10 such instances where big-name fighters have sought to slug it out with the sport’s leading organization […]
Fighting an opponent in the octagon is one thing, but over the years, some mixed martial arts stars have gone one step further and taken it upon themselves to battle the UFC themselves.
In this article, we’ll explore 10 such instances where big-name fighters have sought to slug it out with the sport’s leading organization in a court of law, and often found that it can be just as grueling and painful a process as going toe-to-toe with a bitter rival in the octagon.
Mark Hunt
The fan favorite knockout artist was incensed after losing to returning superstar Brock Lesnar at UFC 200 in 2016 only to then discover that his opponent had subsequently tested positive for banned PED clomiphene, leading to him being suspended for a year and the fight being amended to a no contest.
Hunt had claimed pre-fight that Lesnar was using performance-enhancing drugs and afterward became convinced that the UFC had purposefully turned a blind eye to his opponent’s PED use in the lead-up to the fight, noting that he’d been allowed to circumnavigate a required four-month USADA testing period for all returning fighters.
As such, Hunt filed a lawsuit against UFC, Dana White and Lesnar in 2017 seeking millions of dollars in damages, accusing them of Conspiracy to Commit Racketeering, Fraud, False Pretenses, Breach of Contract, Breach of Covenant of Good Faith and Fair Duty, Negligence and Unjust Enrichment.
A few months later the UFC would join White and Lesnar’s lawyers in filing motion’s to dismiss, claiming Hunt’s suit had “an utter dearth of specific allegations,” and a failure to establish a link, “between the injury asserted and the purported injurious conduct.”
However, that motion was denied and Hunt and his legal team are now pursuing an amended lawsuit that alleges the UFC intentionally delayed announcing Lesnar’s fight with Hunt until a month before UFC 200, because he was, “using banned substances and needed additional time in order to circumvent testing procedures.”
The case has yet to be resolved, but in the meantime, Hunt has continued to fight in the UFC, while recently warning his future opponents, “if you get popped for steroids I’m suing your punk-asses!”
