There has been much speculation as to whether or not our namesake BJ Penn would be coming out of retirement for a fight with Nik Lentz. Recently, Lentz penned an open letter to ‘The Prodigy’ in which he stated his terms for a fight, and that a fight wouldn’t happen unless Penn agreed to those specific terms.
Penn joined Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, where he revealed that his retirement is officially over, and that he’s going for the featherweight strap with famed coach Greg Jackson in his corner.
“That’s who I am, Ariel. That’s who I am. That’s what I do.
“I want to go get that 145-pound belt. That’s definitely a huge motivation for me. I believe with Greg Jackson’s help, I can get that done. And I believe that I will be able to walk away as the only man with three titles in three weight divisions.”
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While many are doubting the former two-division champ’s ability to compete with the best in the world at 37 years old, Penn says there is no doubt in his mind about whether or not he will go through with a comeback.
“I’m going through with this,” Penn said. “If I didn’t have somebody like Greg Jackson to come out and talk to me and tell me that I can do this… of course you’re always going to believe that you’re the best, you’re always going to believe that you can be the champ. But once in a while, you do have to step back and get someone else’s outside opinion.
The featherweight division has been officially put on notice! Who do you want to see Penn fight in his first bout back in the Octagon? Sound off below!