One of the most revered fighters in the entire history of the UFC, BJ Penn, has raised some concerns with his recent conspiracy theory. The legendary former two-weight kingpin claims that someone is impersonating his mother, which has taken the whole MMA community by surprise. Many people have discussed the situation with Penn, with Mike Perry coming out recently with a message of support.
What is the whole fuss about? For the unversed, BJ Penn claims that someone is impersonating his mother to claim their family belongings. Hearing this, the first reaction that Mike Perry had was doubling down on the fact that “something is going on with BJ and his mother.” ‘Platinum’ doesn’t seem sure about the current mental state of Penn as many people have pointed out that ‘The Prodigy’s mental health is in decline due to chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or, as most fans would know, CTE.
Mike Perry believes that the effects of taking repeated blows to the head might have been apparent during a fighter’s active period in his or her career. But witnessing the controversy surrounding BJ Penn, the former UFC and current BKFC star, doesn’t seem so sure anymore. “I don’t wanna learn too much about CTE. I thought it would happen shortly after a concussive blow,” Perry stated on his Overdogs Podcast.
While recalling the whole narrative that BJ Penn shared about the alleged imposter of his mother, Mike Perry expressed shock, and he indeed hopes that the former UFC champion gets better. But what do you think ‘Platinum’ believes is the reason behind the conspiracy? Well, living in Hawaii, maybe there’s nothing better to do, according to Perry. And maybe this is Penn’s idea of “fun.”
“He’s pretty much saying, I guess, his mother isn’t his mother. She’s been replaced by either an alien or just some woman, claiming to be his mother with her name, and trying to get some stuff that BJ or his mother own,” Mike Perry added. “Yeah, really thrown off by this and wish better for BJ and hope that he gets this figured out and that he’s doing alright over there in Hawaii.”
While Mike Perry has one theory, another UFC fighter has shed some light on the whole situation with BJ Penn. In fact, the fighter in question claims that he’s heard some rumors about alleged substance abuse. Here’s what he said.
BJ Penn’s fall from grace
BJ Penn was the face of MMA at one point, creating a level of excitement only a few fighters could, especially in the lower-weight divisions back in his day. He was the fighter and only fighter to have three lightweight title defenses, until Khabib Nurmagomedov matched that record in 2020, and Islam Makhachev broke that record this year.
But as epic as his rise was, his fall from grace was equally sad, marked by two different decades. From 2001 to 2009, ‘The Prodigy’ was unstoppable, fighting across three different weight classes, and becoming the second 2-weight champion after Randy Couture, at lightweight and welterweight. He registered his last victory in a title defense against Diego Sanchez at UFC 107 where he won the fight via a fifth-round doctor’s stoppage.
The decade that followed: 2009 to 2019, was the nightmare that is still unfolding for the Hawaiian native. From losing his title to Frankie Edgar to a seven-fight losing streak, ‘The Prodigy only registered one win in that period, that too over an aging Matt Hughes in 2010. You could tell that all that Penn knew in life was fighting, so it was difficult for him to adjust to life after competing in mixed martial arts.
From spreading conspiracy theories on his social media to starting fights and even being knocked out outside a bar in Hawaii, to recently making claims about his mother being an imposter—the situation looks dire for the former UFC lightweight and welterweight champion. BJ Penn is one of those fighters that fans want to see living a great retired life. Instead, what we’re getting is an icon that is crashing and burning. We sincerely hopes he gets the help he needs, and realizes how many people are rooting for him to get better. For now, we can only wait and watch.
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