According to a report on ProMMAInsider.com Thursday evening, following his disappointing return to the UFC, Dana White had said it is his wish that BJ Penn retire from competition.
In his most recent setback, Penn looked nothing like his former great self as he fell to Rory MacDonald in a lopsided unanimous decision in which he was lucky to make the final bell.
Although BJ Penn has yet to officially announce his future plans, Dana White has been quick to offer his opinion on what the legendary should do.
“I haven’t talked to him in a while,” said Dana White during the post-fight UFC 156 media scrum. “I’d like to see BJ retire and move on. BJ’s got a gym and I don’t think he’s going to get a Matt Hughes or Chuck Liddell deal. But he’s got the gym over there, which does very well. He’s going to do okay. Don’t worry about BJ, he’s got a couple of bucks.”
Penn has had a career full of highs and lows as he competed both as a lightweight and a welterweight. Although he was able to capture a title in each division, it was his continued trips to welterweight where he often found trouble. The loss to Rory MacDonald as well as his last meeting with Georges St. Pierre showed that he was really not capable of competing with the elite of that division.
At UFC 137, BJ Penn lost to Nick Diaz and retired following that poor outing. Just over a year later he would return to the UFC, facing Rory MacDonald. The result of that fight was similar to the bout with Diaz, with Penn taking a beating. The loss to MacDonald made him just 1-4 in his last five contests.
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