Former UFC champion BJ Penn has found an opportunity to come out of retirement.
Welterweight prospect Rory MacDonald (13-1) issued a challenge to Penn (16-8-2) on Monday’s episode of The MMA Hour.
“Right now I feel there’s a guy that I want to fight before he leaves the sport, and that’s B.J. Penn,” MacDonald said to Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour. “That’s a guy I really want to fight. I respect him a lot. He’s a legend, and I think it’d be a really good matchup for me to have that fight in Toronto.”
A little over 24hrs later Penn responded via BJPenn.com, “Rory, I accept your challenge!”
Nothing has been officially announced by the UFC.
MacDonald is currently on a three fight win streak, with dominating wins over Mike Pyle, Nate Diaz and most recently a TKO victory over Che Mills. The Canadian’s only loss came at the hands of current interim UFC welterweight champion Carlos Condit.
Penn on the other hand has been on a losing skid, going 1-3-1 in his last five fights. After his loss to Nick Diaz at UFC 136, Penn announced his retirement from MMA during his post-fight speech.
However, now it looks like he is ready for a return to the octagon. Canadian fans could be in luck if this match goes down as planned. UFC 152 is scheduled to take place on September 22 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
