UFC legend BJ Penn has revealed he’s keen on making a return to MMA, calling out Conor McGregor and Nik Lentz in the process.
Penn, one of only two men to win UFC titles in multiple weight classes, was speaking on UFC Tonight when he revealed he could be tempted back into the Octagon. He was asked about his work with nutritionist Mike Dolce in the buildup to his last fight against Frankie Edgar, and that prompted Penn to slam Dolce and issue a challenge, per Damon Martin of FOX Sports:
I'm sick and tired of hearing about Mike Dolce. You know what Mike Dolce, I'll put a challenge out right now — you go grab Nik Lentz, that's your boy, bring him down to 145, I'll run right through him in one round and then I'll find you in the back and I'll smash you.
Let's do that right now. I'm ready.
Penn was stopped by Edgar in his final fight in the third round, looking well short of his best at the featherweight limit. Afterward, the Hawaiian lashed out at Dolce on his official website, claiming he “would never hire him again for anything.” The two also had an altercation on Twitter, with Penn saying “I'm gonna have a heart to heart talk with your glass jaw when I see you.”
After Penn’s interview aired, Dolce took to social media himself to assert his position when it comes to the man known as The Prodigy:
It’d certainly be intriguing to see the former champion up against Lentz at 145 and when asked if he was serious about a return to the sport, the 36-year-old reiterated his intentions to fight.
“Mike Dolce wants to say all this stuff—I don't train, I don't do this and that—let's do this,” said Penn. “Bring (Lentz) down to 145, and I would come out for that.”
However, it’s a bout that Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Snowden isn’t really keen on seeing:
Penn also revealed he’d like to square off against current interim featherweight champion Conor McGregor, who is set to fight pound-for-pound king Jose Aldo at UFC 194 in December. Since his win over Chad Mendes earlier this year, the effervescent Irishman has become the face of the brand and a hugely popular figure with fans.
Penn thinks McGregor needs to be chopped down a peg or two, though, per Martin’s piece:
You got him, you got Johnny-come-lately, he's out there right now and he's saying he's the lottery ticket and all of these different things.
When me and (Florian) fought, what did we pull in? One-point-one million (pay-per-view buys)? When I'm at my best, I think we can pull some pretty good numbers. He says he's the guy out there. I think we'd have some stuff to say.
For sports romanticists, it’d be great to see Penn back. After all, he delivered some brilliant bouts against the likes of Kenny Florian, Nick Diaz and Georges St-Pierre. Plus, the manner in which he helped revitalise the lightweight division at a time when the weight class was on its knees also endears him to a lot of long-term UFC fans.
Still, MMA Roasted isn’t completely convinced that coming back would be the best idea for Penn, who admitted on UFC Tonight he’s not been in a gym since retiring:
Indeed, Penn looked as though he was a little past his best before he decided to walk away from MMA. He was dead at the weight during his finale against Edgar, but he didn’t win any of his three fights preceding that, losing to Rory MacDonald and Diaz, and drawing with Jon Fitch.
Having not been active for so long would have surely taken its toll on Penn, especially when you consider there were 18 months between his final fight with Edgar and the penultimate clash with MacDonald. At 36, he may have some embers still burning that could be rekindled, but he’d surely be better served staying away from the sport and keeping his legacy untarnished.
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