In the fight business, there’s a cruel reality that athletes can turn old overnight. Well, in BJ Penn’s (Pictured) case, it took Rory MacDonald only 15 minutes to make the former two-divisional UFC champion look like he’s well beyond his prime.
If you were to ask UFC president Dana White, the 33-year-old needs to call it quits … again.
“BJ is a warrior,” White stated during FUEL TV’s post-fight show. “Talk about a guy who doesn’t give up, doesn’t quit, he just keeps coming after you. I have so much respect for BJ. I always have, even through the good times and the bad times, and I’d like to see him retire.
“He’s got plenty of money, he’s got a great family who loves him and he’s got babies, a beautiful wife … He has nothing left to prove to anybody, and everybody loves him. You heard the arena tonight. I’d like to see BJ retire.”
If “The Prodigy” heeds White’s advice, it would mark the second time in 14 months he would hang up his MMA gloves. Penn abruptly retired after dropping a convincing unanimous decision loss to Nick Diaz at UFC 137.
At the time, the Hawaiian claimed a return wasn’t out of the question as long as the challenge got his blood pumping, and after declining scraps against Josh Koscheck and Strikeforce lightweight champ Gilbert Melendez, he decided skyrocketing MacDonald was the right opponent to cut his retirement short.
Unfortunately for fight fans, it appears his comeback may be a one-and-doner.
Penn owns a 16-9-2 professional record. He’s the only fighter to don the UFC welterweight and lightweight titles.
White previously professed Penn is a surefire UFC Hall of Famer.
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December 07, 2012
