Frankie Edgar Says It’s ‘Tough’ To See BJ Penn Losing

Frankie Edgar would probably like to see BJ Penn retire, but also respects his old rival’s wishes if he wants to continue competing.

Penn is currently on a seven-fight losing skid — the longest in UFC history — after most recently dropping a unanimous decision to Clay Guida earlier this month. Edgar contributed to one of those losses as well as two other losses in championship bouts back in 2010.

And having watched the rise of “The Prodigy” back in the day, the former lightweight champion finds it hard to see Penn losing fight after fight nowadays:

“I watched B.J. coming up and his highlights and it’s tough seeing him lose fight after fight,” Edgar told MMA Junkie. “But he’s the guy in there, not me. He knows what the deal is, he knows what he wants to accomplish, so I can’t knock anybody that wants to do what they want to do.”

Should Penn Retire?

Many have called for Penn to call it a day, while others say it’s his choice, adding that he at least isn’t losing in devastating fashion like other longtime veterans. Edgar seems to be in between both sides of the argument.

“Do I wish he would retire and just enjoy life? Probably,” Edgar added. “It’s probably what’s best for his body, but I don’t really know what’s going on in his head. … I’m sure everybody has a little piece in it, but ultimately it’s up to him. No one is putting a gun to his head and making him fight. It’s all on him.”

While beating Penn now isn’t much of an accomplishment, “The Answer” boasts the distinction of beating the Hawaiian, arguably, in his prime twice. Edgar became the lightweight champion after defeating Penn via unanimous decision at UFC 112, before outpointing him once again in a rematch at UFC 118.

The New Jersey native was a massive underdog heading into that first fight, and sees similarities ahead of UFC 240 when he challenges another Hawaiian in Max Holloway for the featherweight title.