Top 5 Forum Threads of the Week

Jeff SherwoodJun 08, 2013
B.J. Penn claims there is a reason he can no longer summon “The Prodigy.” | Photo: Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com



One of only two men to wear Ultimate Fighting Championship gold in more than one weight class, B.J. Penn has compiled a 1-4-1 record in his last six outings. The drought has led the popular Hawaiian to contemplate retirement on more than one occasion.

In a recent interview with Gulf News, a leading English-language newspaper in the Middle East, Penn pointed to fatherhood as one of the contributing factors in his demise. The 34-year-old last appeared at UFC on Fox 5 in December, when Canadian upstart Rory MacDonald overwhelmed him with strikes en route to a lopsided unanimous decision at Key Arena in Seattle. Penn was outstruck by a staggering 116-24 margin in the defeat.

“I would be the first to say that I was never the same fighter after I had kids, after I had my two daughters,” Penn told Gulf News. “I would say that. It’s true.”

Penn held the UFC welterweight crown from Jan. 31, 2004 to May 17, 2004 and the lightweight title from Jan. 19, 2008 to April 10, 2010. Though he has left the door open to a possible return, he has not won a fight since ambushing longtime rival Matt Hughes in a 21-second knockout at UFC 123 in November 2010.

Items of interest on the Sherdog.net forums this week:

Fatherhood Fade

Down on PEDs

Questionable Matchmaking

Dragon’s Next Dance

No Love for Lyoto


Reader comments are active below.