BJ Penn was unable to pull off a triumphant return to glory against the odds in his much-hyped fight with Rory MacDonald at ‘UFC On FOX 5’ and instead was subject to a one-sided beatdown that’s lead UFC president Dana White to the conclusion that he should hang up his gloves.
“BJ is a warrior,” White declared to Ariel Helwani on 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.”
Penn essentially retired after a tough loss to Nick Diaz last year and it’s hard to imagine that anything that occurred last night will have encouraged him to continue fighting on this time around, so I suspect White’s hunch is correct.
He’s a proud man though and may not be able to rest easy on the back of two consecutive losses like this. I he does ever return I just hope White forces him to do so at his natural weight of 155lbs.
