B.J. Penn will be making his return to competition against Ryan Hall in the FS1 prelims of UFC 232. The last time the legend competed was in June of 2017 when he loss a majority decision to Dennis Siver. Tonight, B.J. Penn makes his return against Hall, a fellow jiu-jitsu black belt holder, and Penn is excited for the scrap:
“I think this is a great fight for me and a great fight for the fans,” B.J. Penn told TSN Friday. “Anybody who loves grappling, they know jiu-jitsu is a big part of the UFC. Here’s two of the best jiu-jitsu guys in the UFC. I’m not going to run from his jiu-jitsu. I’m going to go right after him, and let the cards fall.”
Perhaps the biggest talking point surrounding this bout is the continuation of B.J. Penn’s career. With over 17 years behind him in the sport and having lost five consecutive fights, many people question why B.J. Penn is still fighting. Penn was quick to provide the answer to that question:
“I love this stuff,” Penn said. “I love the process. I love everything. I mean, this will always come up this question. Look at Diego Sanchez. He just got a win. I mean, you could just go on and on, name the names. Fighting’s fighting. You just go out there, do your best, and you keep going.”
“This is me. This is who I am.”
And this love fighting will not wane win after tonight. B.J. Penn insists that he plans on continuing fighting into the future:
“I just want to fight, and keep winning, and get more fights, and just keep fighting for fun. I love this, and I enjoy this.”
What do you think of B.J. Penn’s decision to fight tonight at UFC 232 and into the future?
