After street fight, Dana White retires BJ Penn from UFC: 'He won't fight here anymore'

D. White at a UFC press conference. Photo: Reproduction/YouTube UFC

UFC president, Dana White, had even signaled a possibility for the former lightweight (up to 70,3kg) and welterweight (up to 77kg) champion, B.J. Penn, 40 years old, will have another fight for the organization, after the athlete was defeated in eight of his last 10 appearances. However, a recent bar fight involving the Hawaiian ruled out any possibility of a farewell to Ultimate. The 'big boss' statement was made in an interview with 'ESPN'.

See too

Coming off a defeat, Pantoja returns to the Octagon against Matt Schnell in December, says website

Rafael dos Anjos shows poster with McGregor: 'Who thinks this fight still has to happen?'

“He’s not going to fight again,” Dana said with conviction. “It’s not even that it was the last straw. I don't like to see him continue to extend his career. But we have the relationship we have and he keeps calling me and begging me for a new fight, for another opportunity”, commented the boss.

Dana, who has always shown a lot of respect for BJ, due to his glorious past with the company, stated that he still maintains a good relationship with the Hawaiian, in addition to not wishing the fighter anything bad.

“It's hard for me to make him upset, but after what I saw in that video, BH needs to focus on his personal life and get himself together before he thinks about fighting again,” commented White.

Finally, Dana said that it is not her role to criticize or point out the path to success for her former contractor. The president's only wish is for Penn to find the structure to continue his life without major problems outside the octagon or on the battlefield of any other company.

“Look, I don't want to be here on TV judging BJ for his life or whatever. I think we all know what he needs to do and I hope BJ knows what he has to do. I'm not going to sit here like I'm his father or some guy who's above him and pointing the finger. What I saw in that video was sad. I love the boy and I hope he gets his life back together”, concluded Dana.

In the video commented on by White, Penn appears to be knocked out by an individual outside a bar. In another image, BJ appears riding the man, who has his belly on the ground and is suffering blows to the head.

Penn held his last fight in May of this year, at UFC 237, when he went to Rio de Janeiro to face Clay guida. On that occasion, the Hawaiian suffered his seventh consecutive defeat in his career, which currently has 16 wins, 13 losses and two draws. A former title holder, the athlete currently holds the record for the longest series of setbacks in the company. Penn's last triumph came in November 2010.