BJ Penn news features UFC President Dana White's plan of convincing "The Prodigy" to hang up his gloves for good if he loses his third fight against Frankie "The Answer" Edgar at the Ultimate Fighter 19 Finale on July 6th in Las Vegas.
Dana White has always been vocal about retirement when his fighters are involved, especially if he deems it needed. And BJ Penn, who has been one of the UFC's stars since 2001, is no exception.
"This is BJ Penn's last fight possibly," White said in an interview with FOX Sports 1 regarding the BJ Penn news. "If he wins, we'll see what he does from there, but if he loses, I will actually push for him to retire."
"The Prodigy" will be fighting at his third weight class when he steps into the Octagon for this upcoming fight. Previously, he has fought in both the lightweight and welterweight divisions, wherein he won both titles.
Featherweight (145 pounds) will be BJ Penn's lightest weight class that he will be fighting at for the first time, and for "The Prodigy", it is something personal, mainly because he is facing the man who took his 155-pound title away from him.
"If Dana had asked me to come to 145, and fight any other people, there's no way I would have done it," Penn said at the UFC 175 pre-fight press-conference.
For his part, though, BJ Penn still promised the fans that he would be fighting the way they are accustomed to seeing him do.
"I want everyone to know that I always gave it the best shot I had, whether it went that way my night," he said about the BJ Penn news. "Fighting is my whole life, the UFC is my whole life. Dana and the UFC gave me the opportunity and I always gave the best I could give."
But for Dana White, seeing "The Prodigy" walk away from the sport for would be difficult, like how it usually is when great athletes retire.
"It could be possibly watching Michael Jordan playing his last basketball game," White said. "It could be Tiger Woods' last golf game."
