Dana White is once again claiming that we have seen B.J. Penn compete in the UFC for the last time.
Dana White has shifted back and forth about whether or not to book B.J. Penn in another UFC fight, but after the release of a video showing Penn involved in a Hawaii street fight, White has canceled the B.J. Penn vs. Nik Lentz fight that was targeted to take place in November, and he sounds as definitive as ever that Penn’s fighting days in the UFC are over (Transcript via Bloody Elbow):
“He won’t fight again,” White vowed. “That’s it.”
There was already a great deal of controversy about Penn continuing to fight after losing his seventh consecutive fight to Clay Guida at UFC 237. And seeing the turmoil that is Penn’s personal life first hand, White’s decision seemed to make itself.
“It’s not even that this was the last straw,” White continued, speaking of Penn’s bar fight. “I didn’t love him continuing to fight anyway. But when you have the relationship that he and I have, he’s getting me on the phone, begging me for another fight, begging me for another opportunity, it’s hard for me to, you know, turn him down. But after what I saw on that video, BJ needs to, you know, focus on his personal life.”
Do you agree with Dana White’s decision to cancel the BJ Penn/Nik Lentz bout after the video of Penn street fighting was released?
