Dana White Believes BJ Penn Could Have Been The Best
BJ Penn stands along side only one man in an elite class in mixed martial arts given that he’s only one of two fighters to have ever held a title in two different weight classes in the UFC. “The Prodigy” spent time as both the UFC lightweight champion and the UFC welterweight champion and produced a legendary career in the process.
UFC President Dana White, however, feels as if Penn could’ve been better than he was. In fact, White recently labeled “The Prodigy” as an underachieving fighter, and added that Penn would likely agree with him:
“That’s a loaded question,” White chuckled when asked by TMZ to name an underachieving fighter. “Listen, there’s guys and girls that probably don’t reach their potential, because they don’t… BJ Penn.
“BJ Penn probably should have been one of the best ever, to ever live, to ever do it. But, BJ was so talented, you know. I just… I don’t know. I think BJ, in his own words, would go back and do things differently if he could.”
If this is indeed how the Hawaiian feels about his iconic career, he may be able to patch up some holes as he announced earlier this year that he would be making his return to competitive fighting under the tutelage of highly-touted trainer Greg Jackson. That return, however, has been postponed after Penn was notified by USADA (United States Ant-Doping Agency) for the use of medically-administered IV during a non-fight period. His punishment is currently unclear, but the 37-year-old had intentions to resume his career prior.