What’s the story?
This weekend, January 15th, former UFC welterweight and lightweight champion BJ “The Prodigy” Penn makes his octagon return, facing breakout star Yair Rodríguez in the featherweight division. Penn, a legend of MMA is making his second comeback from retirement.
He announced his return to the UFC last year and he finally has a fight, and he has his eyes not just on current opponent Yair Rodríguez, but also a future fight with champion José Aldo.
In case you didn’t know...
In 2014, BJ Penn (16-10-2) made his first comeback from retirement against Frankie Edgar, who had beaten him twice before. Prior to his first retirement, he had victories over legends of the sport such as Matt Hughes, Diego Sanchez and Sean Sherk and in 2015, he was inducted into the UFC’s Hall of Fame.
The heart of the matter
Speaking to MMA Fighting, Penn revealed this fight will not be his last, and that his goal is to grab the belt from José Aldo. “Getting those three titles in three different weight classes, that would just be an awesome accomplishment for myself, and then I could probably get some sleep at night. That is my driving factor.” BJ Penn is one of the three fighters to hold belts in two different weight classes, alongside Conor McGregor and Randy Couture, and only time will tell if he can be the first to hold belts in three, as he has a tough path with highly skilled fighters ahead of him, including Aldo, who is considered by many the best featherweight ever.
What’s next?
A win for BJ Penn is vital here, making his second return. He says he is looking for the belt, and this weekend’s test is the perfect opportunity for him to make his case for a high ranking bout with a top contender, perhaps his old rival #2 ranked featherweight Edgar. Rodríguez is currently #10, so a win for BJ Penn would propel him up the rankings and towards his goal of fighting the champion José Aldo and winning his third title.
Sportskeeda’s take:
BJ Penn is reaching the tail end of his long career at 39, but a win here could give him one last run at the title which he craves. However, a loss would be devastating and would probably mean the end of Penn’s Hall of Fame career permanently, which means the stakes are high this weekend Sunday 15th of January in Phoenix, Arizona.
