Former UFC champion BJ Penn announced his retirement from fighting after being defeated by Nick Diaz last month. Now, after taking a few weeks to ponder his future, Penn says a return could be in the cards if everything lines up.
"If I ever feel it again, I'll come back," said Penn, while a guest on Inside MMA recently (thanks to MMAMania.com for transcribing). "If it interests me, if it excites me, I don't want to be sitting in the locker room saying, 'I can't believe I'm still doing this.' If it excites me, we'll see how everything goes, but I definitely need some time away."
Penn, who lost his UFC lightweight title to Frankie Edgar, said his coaches asked him to take a hiatus after that defeat. Instead, "The Prodigy" took a rematch with Edgar - a fight he also lost - before defeating Matt Hughes via knockout. He fought Jon Fitch to a draw before losing a decision to Diaz at UFC 137.
"Bunch of my coaches pleaded with me to step away from the sport, take some time off," Penn said. "I was just kind of in the mix, I kept going, kept going, trying to push myself. I don't really like the results I've been getting."
