One of the most respectable welterweight MMA fighter BJ Penn has to postpone his comeback into the octagon due to injury. Initially he was scheduled to fight Ricardo Lamas the UFC Fight Night 97 that will be held in Philippines.
BJ Penn has to postpone his long-awaited comeback to the mixed martial arts arena for once more. His last bout was on July 6, 2014 against Frankie Edgar, which he lost by way of TKO. The injury hindered his comeback, acccording to MMAjunkie.
Earlier this year, the 37-year old fighter planned to make a comeback to the octagon. He was scheduled to fight Dennis Siver on June 4 at the UFC 199 event. But the use of a medically-administered IV for rehydration purpose in a non-fight period got him flagged by the U.S. Anti Doping Agency.
Originally, Penn (16 wins, 10 losses, 2 draws) was the headline for UFC Fight Night 97 in his fight against Ricardo Lamas (16-5) which will be streamed live on UFC Fight Pass, according to report by MMA News.
The unfortunate news made UFC to search for immediate replacement as Fox Sports reported, because the fight night is just 10 days away. As for Penn, there have been no further information regarding his comeback to the octagon.
Penn is one of the most respected fighters in the lightweight and welterweight divisions, as he was the former UFC champion for both. Penn dominated both divisions with his all-round ability in standup and ground fighting.
A holder of the 5th degree black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Penn was trained at the Ralph Gracie Academy. He was also the first non-Brazilian who ever won the black-belt division of the 2000 World Jiu-Jitsu Championship in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. When he switched to MMA in 2001, Penn exhibited his strong striking skills and knocking out his first opponent Joey Gilbert with his punch.
UFC Fight Night 97 will take place on October 15 at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay, Manila, Philippines. The entire event wil be streamed live on UFC Fight Pass.
