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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
B.J. Penn retired last October after getting beat up in the final two rounds of his fight with Nick Diaz. But after several months out of action, Penn got the itch to compete again, and wanted to return against rising welterweight competitor Rory MacDonald.
After the fight was delayed due to a cut MacDonald suffered in training, Penn took the time to get in better shape, and seemed to be saying all the right things coming into Saturday's UFC on Fox 5 event in Seattle. None of it mattered come fight time.
The talk of motivation, of wanting to be considered one of the best in the world; none of that came into play during Saturday's fight. Instead, the younger, faster, bigger, stronger, and in 2012 better Rory MacDonald beat Penn up for three full rounds en route to a decision win.
Following the fight, UFC President Dana White commented on Penn's future, and what he'd like to see the former two-division Champion do next.
"He didn't say it tonight but I think B.J. is probably going to retire," White said during the Fuel TV post-show. "I wouldn't mind seeing that. He came back with a fire lit under him. Let me tell you what: That kid looked so good tonight. Rory looked better than he ever looked. The body punches he threw, you dont see punches like that in mixed martial arts. He really put it to B.J. tonight.
"B.J. is a warrior. Talk about a guy who doesn't give up, doesn't quit, and just keeps coming. I have so much respect for B.J. I always have, even though the good times and bad times. I‘d like to see him retire. He’s got plenty of money, he's got a great family that loves him, he's got babies, a beautiful wife."
"He has nothing left to prove to anybody, and everybody loves him. You heard the arena here tonight. I'd like to see B.J. retire."
Penick's Analysis: I think we truly might have seen the end of B.J. Penn's fighting career on Saturday night. Unless he tries to come back at lightweight, where he's always had the most success, then there's no reason for him to come back. He's not big enough at welterweight to compete with a bigger, stronger, faster guy like MacDonald. There's no shame in losing to a man who could be a future Champion at 170 lbs., but Penn got destroyed in this fight, and it was never even competitive. For longtime fans that's sad to see and hard to admit, but that's where he's at now, and there's just no clear reason for him to return to action after that fight.
[B.J. Penn art by Cory Gould (c) MMATorch.com]
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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