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Dana White confirmed that BJ Penn has been released UFC to the media earlier today. This comes weeks after White had stated that his business relationship with BJ Penn had come to an end.
Considering everything that has been going on in the former UFC Champion's life outside the Octagon, this does not come as a surprise to most of the fans. With Penn's reputation for alleged violence now well known, it was only a matter of time before UFC cut ties with him.
The UFC legend is a Hall of Famer and has been heralded as the first great fighter to fight across several different weight classes in his career, with fights at Featherweight, Lightweight, and Welterweight to his name.
In this article, we are going to talk about five unfortunate incidents which led to BJ Penn being released by the UFC.
#5 Brawl in a parking lot
BJ Penn has been in so many altercations in the past, that it's impossible to know which brawl is being referred to by its mere mention.
This particular incident took place in 2015 and was the beginning of a series of alcohol-induced violent situations surrounding him.
Penn had a night of celebrations with his friend Kuuipo Mokiao at a hotel parking lot. They had celebrated at Kauhale's Bar in Kihei when the two began to brawl in the parking lot. Reports stated that Penn was in an allegedly 'inebriated' condition.
The brawl was serious enough to send Mokiao to the hospital with a fractured eye socket, while Penn sustained some cuts to his eye. The apparent reason why the brawl started was that Penn attacked Mokiao when his friend stopped him from starting a fight with another bar patron.
During this time, Penn was not with the UFC. He had walked away from the UFC a while back, following his loss to Frankie Edgar.
Thankfully for him, those charges were dropped. He would go onto to return to the UFC in 2017.
#4 Restraining order filed against him
BJ Penn's estranged partner, Shealen Uaiwa, filed a temporary restraining order against Penn back in October of 2018. She also made a petition for an order of protection in the Hawaii Family Court, where she brought forth allegations that Penn had abused her over their 10-year relationship. The order was extended in February earlier this year and is set to expire on the 8 October, 2021.
Although there have been alleged domestic abusers employed in the UFC previously and currently, this was just yet another final star on the camel's back and added to more strain than it should have been when it came to the company.
#3 String of MMA losses
If there is one thing that any business can appreciate, it's a person who helps to draw more eyes to them.
Unfortunately for Penn, this is no longer the case. Although he is a UFC Hall of Famer and a legend for what he has achieved in his UFC career, he is not a draw. Even if you put aside the incidents surrounding him, he has not been able to win a single fight over the past 9 years.
His last win came in 2010.
Since returning to the UFC in 2017, he has been in four fights and he has lost them all. With his last fight against Clay Guida at UFC 237 on the 11 May 2019, he became the record-holder in the UFC for most fights lost by a fighter consecutively — 7.
At this point -- as unlucky as it may sound-- it appeared that he was well past his prime. Had he been winning fights, UFC might even have overlooked certain incidents.
#2 Fights with a bouncer
As if the previous brawl and restraining order were not enough, Penn's behavior continued to escalate after the loss at UFC 237.
He managed to get himself into a physical altercation with a bouncer at a strip club in Honolulu. According to the reports, it happened at Club Femme Nu, where the owner told TMZ that Penn was acting 'very drunk'. Penn was not arrested for the incident, although according to the report, it was said that he was trying to fight everyone at the scene.
When the police arrived, the officers said that Penn had run off from the scene. You can see the video here. This took place in June of this year.
#1 Final brawl in August
All of this was followed by an even worse brawl in a bar. He was involved in fights outside a bar and was allegedly knocked out during the fight.
In the first fight, he landed three punches on a man before the onlookers intervened and stopped him. However, matters escalated to a point where he was knocked out by the same man in a second fight.
According to reports, his friend said that he had not started the fight but had fought back when the man started proceedings.
This was the last straw as far as the UFC was concerned, with Dana White saying that their relations with Penn had ended, and finally confirming the release earlier today. This was possibly the most unfortunate end to what would have otherwise been a glorious career by the MMA fighter.
What do you think of BJ Penn's release? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!
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