Issue 094

November 2012

Happy, healed and healthy, BJ Penn’s return to the Octagon is fueled purely by pay-per-view buys, not title belts

When BJ Penn decided after a brutal UFC 137 loss at the hands of Nick Diaz to walk away from the sport of mixed martial arts at the ripe old age of 32, even UFC president Dana White didn’t know how to interpret the move.

“BJ is a warrior,” White said on that October 2011 evening. “What happened to him tonight has never happened to him in his entire career. What he’s thinking tonight he might not think eight weeks from now.”

It took a little longer than eight weeks, but Penn – now one year older – has indeed rescinded his decision to retire and now awaits a bout with a man 10 years his junior, Rory MacDonald. The two meet on the main card of UFC on Fox 5, which takes place December 8th. When he steps into the Octagon on fight night, Penn will have enjoyed 10 months between fights, and he believes the rest has done him well. 

“I think that taking time off really did good to heal my insides,” Penn says. “I probably healed my adrenal glands, healed a few different things, which gave me more drive and motivation. I just tried to take care of everything the best way I could without doing anything illegal or taking any of these controversial remedies to fix getting older. 

“It’s a constant day-to-day challenge to constantly improve and let everything evolve in the training camp. Where I am right now, I’m just very happy, and my body is very healthy.” 

Of course, ‘The Prodigy’ has enjoyed a relatively injury-free MMA career. But the questions surrounding his performances do not often center around his physical condition, but rather on the mental focus needed to properly prepare for an elite-level contest. So with 11 championship fights to his name during Penn’s illustrious UFC career, can a 23-year-old youngster provide him the motivation he needs to put on a vintage performance? 

Absolutely, says the 11-year veteran. “Everybody is like, ‘You have nothing to gain. Why are you doing this? Come on, go fight someone else,’” Penn reveals. “Everybody is saying, ‘Oh, this is a dream fight for Rory. He can get motivated.’ What they’re going to find out soon is that this is my dream fight... They’re going to realize that pretty quickly.”

During his conversation with Fighters Only, it’s hard not to notice Penn’s use of the word ‘them’ when he addresses what will be across from him in the cage – and it’s no accident, either. MacDonald is a member of Montreal’s famed Tristar Gym, a facility headed by the well-respected Firas Zahabi and home to former Penn opponent Georges St Pierre. The UFC’s current welterweight champion, GSP has twice beaten Penn, and controversy surrounded both contests.

Penn stops short of saying his personal feelings toward the team played a large role in picking this particular matchup with MacDonald, but he doesn’t try to hide what it would mean to beat a prominent member of the camp. 

“I don’t know about a rivalry, but I do still hold a grudge,” he admits. “I know Rory is strong. He’s got some takedowns. He’s got a great team and a great bunch of people around him who are going to be telling him the right thing to do as far as, ‘Try to wrestle him,’ or ‘Stay calm. Don’t get too emotional about different things.’ But I think he brings a lot to the table. But when we get there in the ring, they’re going to realize they picked the wrong fight.”

It’s not exactly clear what a win would earn either fighter. With champion St Pierre already sidelined for more than a full year, the contendership ladder has become a murky proposition. GSP is currently scheduled to face interim champion Carlos Condit later in 2012, whilst Martin Kampmann and Johny Hendricks have built impressive win streaks, deserving of championship consideration, and feature on the undercard. 

The winner of Penn vs MacDonald will also find themselves in an enviable position. However, the former champion doesn’t seem overly concerned with his position in the rankings.

On the other hand, he isn’t a big fan of the interim champion’s strategy during his February bout with Nick Diaz, and he isn’t crazy about ‘The Natural Born Killer’s decision to wait nine months to put his belt on the line.

“I really don’t care too much about the title picture being jammed up,” Penn says. “I think it’s crazy that Condit’s not defended that title. That’s what the interim title is for. But, you know what? I don’t mind where it is. I think the fans, more as the sport moves forward, everything is going to unfold, and the people are just going to start buying the fights they want to buy. It doesn’t matter who has the title. 

“If you’ve got the title by not really fighting and running around the ring and doing a bunch of things, I think the fans are eventually going to say, ‘I don’t want to watch you fight, Carlos Condit. I’d rather watch you, Nick Diaz; you tried.’ You know? That type of thing. I think as time goes on, it’s going to be like anybody else. The most popular fighter and the fighter that fights the hardest is going to be the one that gets the most benefits, whether he’s the champion or not.”

Penn’s status as an MMA legend is already secure. And he’s got legions of fans who believe he’s among the hardest fighting competitors in the sport. He has been an MMA superstar since MacDonald was in junior high school, and as one of only two men to hold UFC belts in two different weight classes, there is relatively little left for him to accomplish in the sport. So as relieved as Penn’s fans are to see him return to the cage, it’s difficult to pinpoint exactly what course his career takes after this fight.

“As of now, this really motivates me, this fight,” Penn adds. “I’m not looking past this. I don’t know if this is a one-and-done or we move on to more. But you put these matchups that motivate me together, and then if we do end up in some kind of title picture, I’m sure it’s going to motivate me, also.”

And a motivated BJ Penn has always been the most dangerous. “Rory is going to find out real quick it’s not just a stepping stone kind of fight,” Penn says. “It’s probably going to be such a bad fight that it’s going to throw his career off track for the rest of his career. I really see that happening.”