Former two-division champion B.J. Penn isn’t done yet because he just booked a fight against submission specialist Ryan Hall at UFC 232 on Dec. 29 in Las Vegas.
The lightweight showdown was announced by UFC officials on Wednesday night.
OFFICIAL: @BJPennDotCom returns to the Octagon to face @RyanHall5050
at #UFC232! pic.twitter.com/rlzl3Y7p6D— UFC (@ufc) September 13, 2018
Penn will make his first appearance inside the Octagon since last June when he lost a majority decision to Dennis Siver, marking his fifth defeat in a row. Penn hasn’t earned a victory in the UFC since 2010 when he beat fell UFC Hall of Famer Matt Hughes.
While Penn has actually retired once already and then flirted with the same decision following his last fight, the former lightweight and welterweight champion is apparently ready to go again.
As for Hall, the former “Ultimate Fighter” winner has been out of action since 2016 when he earned a unanimous decision over Gray Maynard to move his UFC record to 2-0.
Unfortunately since that time, Hall hasn’t seemed all that interested in the opposition being offered to him by the UFC and he’s stayed on the sidelines.
Now it appears the chance to face a legend like Penn was the perfect way to draw him back in again as the Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist will now return in December.
Penn vs. Hall will join a growing UFC 232 lineup that also includes a fight between Cris Cyborg and Amanda Nunes in a champion versus champion clash between two of the best women’s fighters on the planet.
