B.J. Penn has spoken out on his most recent defeat and touched briefly on his fighting future.
Penn took on Ryan Hall on the preliminary portion of UFC 232 on Dec. 29. “The Prodigy” was in search of his first victory since Nov. 2010. Instead, he ended up being on the receiving end of a highlight reel heel hook courtesy of Ryan Hall. Once again, Penn’s fighting career has been called into question.
B.J. Penn Talks Being Submitted By Ryan Hall
Penn recently spoke to BJPenn.com‘s Chris Taylor. Penn admitted that Hall took him by surprise:
“I was shocked at how deep Ryan [Hall] was able to sink in the leg lock right off the hop. The timing was perfect. I tried to run and pull my leg out, but I wasn’t going anywhere as my knee was still stuck inside his hips. So I tried to defend my knee and turn it up towards the sky. By the time I looked back he had already switched to the heel hook and my ankle just popped. You know I felt like I had one of the greatest training camps in my life for this fight. Training in Brazil at Nova Uniao was nothing short of amazing. I can’t thank Leo Santos and coach Andre Pederneiras enough for their efforts. We had practiced everything, including leg locks, and I felt great. It just didn’t work out this time around.”
Penn went on to say that he’d like to enjoy his time home and heal before making a decision on his career:
“It is swollen. There’s some bruising and what not. But it wasn’t my knee. It was my ankle that popped. It is what it is. Hats off to Ryan Hall, that submission was the perfect storm. I just got back home to Hawaii. I’m going to let my ankle heal up and then I will contemplate what is next for my life.”
What do you think B.J. Penn will do?
