BJ Penn deserves criticism for not knowing when to call it a day.

The Natural Born Runner

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Fighting at weights you don't belong at, fighting just for the love of fighting, fighting past your prime, these are all very commendable actions from the legends of our sport but it's also bordering on idiotic.

You spend all that time building your legendary legacy just to knock it all down by the end, with a record littered with brutal one-sided losses, one after another, after another. It almost makes you take credit away, as you ask yourself "are they just doing this for a quick payday?".

As a hardcore BJ Penn follower, I will support him until the end, but he's a prime example of someone who is no longer fun to watch because he simply doesn't have it anymore. It hurts to see (in my opinion) a top 10 fighter of all-time, losing to guys he would/could have beaten in his prime.

On the other hand, it also infuriates me when you see a guy like BJ fighting ridiculous opponents. Okay, if he somehow wins these it's legendary, but what on earth was he doing fighting Fitch, MacDonald and Machida? These sort of fights are the fights that could result in you not being able to lead a normal life in the future.

BJ Penn was utterly outclassed by Frankie Edgar when they fought a second time, at that stage I thought he was probably finished. When he put on that showing against Fitch, I still believed, I was shocked by how well he performed against an absolute giant gorilla of a wrestler in Jon. Unfortunately, seeing him get mauled by Edgar in their third fight, along with seeing Rory beat the fuck out of him was enough for me - I have given up on BJ for a few years now.

After Nick Diaz he took almost a year off, after MacDonald he took a year and a half off, and after Edgar the third time he took off almost 3 years. He needs to learn to let it go, that is almost 5 and a half years of hiatuses which are really not helping his attempts to be competitive in MMA.

Forever a fan, but there is nothing cool about getting demolished fight after fight.

Thanks for the memories BJ, I hope you have much success in the future with gyms, websites and any other great ventures you partake in, but please let it go this time - 16-11-2 with 4 lopsided losses in a row is not the way I want to remember BJ Penn, please don't make it 16-12-2.

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1. most fighters couldnt give a shit about Legacy or records. - thats a sherdog fanstasy thing that fighters actually care about Legacy.
2. They love fighting and when its something theyve done for so long its hard to give it up.

put yourself in their shoes,

Chuck got KO'ed 500 times and I thought he would be braindead after Franklin KO'ed him but he wanted to keep fighting, its something they love doing.

but I do agree, but the situation is very different from their perspective
 
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You could say the same for most. Almost all fighters fight 2-3 fights to long as a minimum.

Watch Frankie fight Conor and people will say the he never should have been in the Octagon with him.

But I do agree with you, just saying its not unique.
 
Will always be remembered as the lightweight GOAT

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1. most fighters couldnt give a shit about Legacy or records.
2. They love fighting and when its something for so long its hard to give it up.

put yourself in their shoes,
I get you, but I think that story is overrated.

People always talk about how "fighters just can't stop, they love it too much".

Well how about this:

If I was born into wealth, like it's been reported that BJ was, and I had a love for fighting as an occupation, I would pursue it for sure. If I became the best in the world at 2 different weight classes and I earned a whole lot of money in doing so, alongside opening my own businesses etc. I would then hope that when my time came, I would accept it.

He gets beaten half to death by Nick Diaz, but he still has the itch, I get it. He then takes a year off and challenges another young beast in Rory, that beating was arguably worse. He then takes a year and a half off and then takes the worst beating of the lot against his arch-nemesis in Frankie. At that stage, you have to think about your health, your kids, your wife and your future.

BJ supposedly HAS MONEY, and I get that he "loves" fighting, but compete in BJJ tournaments or teach others, be a coach, don't get brain damage for nothing.

He has been the best for a long time, he needs to accept it's over.

I enjoy writing, I always thought I'd be a sports/music critic/journo, but if I thought it would give me brain damage, I would quit, especially if I was financially secure.

There is no excuses for Penn on this.
 
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I respect the fighting drive and ambition but there is a limit. Health should come first at this stage of his career.
 
Athletes who love their sport have to have the jersey, gloves, shorts cut off forcefully.
It's super rare when a guy gets out in time in any sport, almost everyone overstays their welcome by at least a season or a fight.

Most dudes want to be buried in their jersey or gloves. Is normal. Some examples are just more dramatic than others.
 
Will always be remembered as the lightweight GOAT

3d379da1199c9dc0de8b79f6ffba291a.jpg
In my opinion, he'll never be overlapped. The guy never lost at 155 until he was past it, he dominated like no other, never even dropped.

It's going to take an absolute beast to get past this guy on a Lightweight all-time list.
 
Athletes who love their sport have to have the jersey, gloves, shorts cut off forcefully.
It's super rare when a guy gets out in time in any sport, almost everyone overstays their welcome by at least a season or a fight.
Yeah, that's true but not many of them overstay their welcome by 4-5 seasons do they?

You can use Michael at the Wizards or Tiger falling off a cliff in Golf, but these guys are not getting hit in the damn head.

Michael had 2 years where he was reaching, but BJ Penn has barely been competitive other than perhaps a combined 3 rounds in his last 7 fights.

This has gone too far, it's Nogueira-esque.
 
You could say the same for most. Almost all fighters fight 2-3 fights to long as a minimum.

Watch Frankie fight Conor and people will say the he never should have been in the Octagon with him.

But I do agree with you, just saying its not unique.
It's pretty unique for someone this high level to go this far beyond their prime.

Frankie is still beating top fighters, BJ Penn hasn't won a fight in almost 7 years and when he did, it was a washed up Hughes.

Nogueira comes to mind, but I cannot remember many others who get absolutely blown out of the water 4 times in the row after being an all-time great. Henderson and Couture were still competitive well into their 40's, Anderson still has some spark, Shogun has been over the hill for years but is still beating prospects.

Penn is 3-4 years too late, and we still don't even know if he'll retire this time.
 
Your body is old but your mind is still young. Its not easy to just accept. If they were in the mentality of giving up easily they wouldn't be in the fight game to begin with. Fighting past your prime is fine just as long as you face people that are less skilled or around your age but guys like Penn want to be the best and challenge themselves. I'm not a huge fan but I understand it. Even at 33 I've declined but still have desire to do more in sports.
 
I get you, but I think that story is overrated.

People always talk about how "fighters just can't stop, they love it too much".

Well how about this:

If I was born into wealth, like it's been reported that BJ was, and I had a love for fighting as an occupation, I would pursue it for sure. If I became the best in the world at 2 different weight classes and I earned a whole lot of money in doing so, alongside opening my own businesses etc. I would then hope that when my time came, I would accept it.

He gets beaten half to death by Nick Diaz, but he still has the itch, I get it. He then takes a year off and challenges another young beast in Rory, that beating was arguably worse. He then takes a year and a half off and then takes the worst beating of the lot against his arch-nemesis in Frankie. At that stage, you have to think about your health, your kids, your wife and your future.

BJ supposedly HAS MONEY, and I get that he "loves" fighting, but compete in BJJ tournaments or teach others, be a coach, don't get brain damage for nothing.

He has been the best for a long time, he needs to accept it's over.

I enjoy writing, I always thought I'd be a sports/music critic/journo, but if I thought it would give me brain damage, I would quit, especially if I was financially secure.

There is no excuses for Penn on this.

I completely agree with you as a massive fan of BJ myself and I hate watching him getting beat up by dudes that imo he would smoke in his prime, but this is our perspective as we see his situation objectively.

its a fighters mentality or even a sportsmans mentality that a lot have trouble knowing when to quit. They cant see themselves declining.

I love BJ Penn, the fact that he's never scared to take on anybody, any weight any time makes me a fan right there. the fact that BJ and Anderson might both be gone for good this year aches me.

EDIT: motivation can also be a factor too, and BJ has really never been a super hard trainer, hes motivated to fight, but training he lacks and it will show in his fights.
 
Yeah, that's true but not many of them overstay their welcome by 4-5 seasons do they?

You can use Michael at the Wizards or Tiger falling off a cliff in Golf, but these guys are not getting hit in the damn head.

Michael had 2 years where he was reaching, but BJ Penn has barely been competitive other than perhaps a combined 3 rounds in his last 7 fights.

This has gone too far, it's Nogueira-esque.

Fighting is always going to be more extreme, less fights
Smaller sample size, you can convince yourself that a fight was an aberration, that changing camps or fighting a guy with lots of holes and you'll be competitive.

But like
Derrell Revis in football, he's at least two seasons out of a true competitive prime right now and he's going to probably play another season. Example that came immediately to mind

I know people will say he's his ground man, but I blame his team. Don't coach him. Don't take his money, don't be a part of it. The fighter or athlete will play as long as someone signs him to play more times than not. Greg Jackson shouldn't have taken that dudes money. I mean BJ lost to three champions in a row (including Nick with strikeforce) who are much bigger than him, one can imagine very easily that he could convince himself that fighting a guy on the come up who is a flawed fighter with holes could be what the doctor ordered. I'm shocked that he signed to figth THIS particular guy though, the Siver fight would have been more competitive.
 
i love it that he doesnt get it...
I got it from my rugby days...i thought i could still do it but my body said otherwise but i kept going untill i had to quit because the team was ehm...ended... anyway, i didnt realise how much i needed to stop untill i stopped and started to feel good
 
Same part of their mind that makes them believe something crazy like they can be the best cage fighter in the world drives them to keep going until the wheels fall off.

I can imagine that there is very little in the world that can match the intensity and excitement of winning a belt in the UFC. It would be very easy to get addicted to the rush, money and fame of being on top of the world. A lot of people would keep chasing that high even when it's no longer possible.
 
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A business should know this by now, the fighter isn't calling the shots.
Horrible main event all to try and better market the Mexicans
 
Thats what happens when you don't invest your money smartly
 
Your body is old but your mind is still young. Its not easy to just accept. If they were in the mentality of giving up easily they wouldn't be in the fight game to begin with. Fighting past your prime is fine just as long as you face people that are less skilled or around your age but guys like Penn want to be the best and challenge themselves. I'm not a huge fan but I understand it. Even at 33 I've declined but still have desire to do more in sports.
you're gonna end up a frustrated 40something year old runner who hates running but still needs sports. Sorry but it sucks so keep doing what your doing while your legs carry you
 

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