He’s back: Dana White announces B.J. Penn’s return to the Octagon

UFC President Dana White recently revealed that former UFC champion B.J. Penn will indeed be returning to the UFC Octagon sometime soon, ending the retirement he announced after losing handily to Nick Diaz last October. While many had speculated Penn would not remain retired long, news broke that he declined a fight against Gilbert Milendez for the Strikeforce Lightweight championship. Now Penn is ready to return to battle apparently, in the competitive UFC Welterweight division. White commented on the subject at the press conference for UFC on Fox 3:

“B.J. hit me about a month ago,” White said during a news conference to promote UFC on Fox 3, which will be held Saturday night in East Rutherford, N.J. “I saw him in Sweden (during an April 14 event) and he wants to come back.” – via espn.com

When asked about the timetable of B.J. Penn’s UFC return, White replied:

“That’s up to him; whenever he’s ready. I don’t ever push guys. Guys know when they are ready; guys know when they’re ready to come back. Guys let me know when they are ready to fight.”

The return of the legendary Penn will be much-anticipated, but many wonder how he will be able to contend in the very stacked Welterweight division that continues to improve at a rapid pace. It will be very interesting to see who he will be matched up against in his returning bout. Penn is no doubt one of  the greatest champions in the sport’s history, having done so in two different weight classes. He always  fought the best talent that the UFC had to offer, facing Matt Hughes, Jon Fitch, and Nick Diaz in his latest return to 170 lbs. Will a return serve to help his already great legacy, or will it bring more believers to the side that views Penn as super-talented but unmotivated?

Further Reading: UFC had hoped for stadium event in Hawaii with B.J. Penn in main event