BJ Penn's next opponent: 'Let me save your life and save our fight'

BJ Penn’s next opponent: ‘Let me save your life and save our fight’

August 29, 2019

(Video courtesy of TMZSports | Viewing may be limited by broadcast rights restrictions)

UFC Hall of Famer BJ Penn can’t seem to stay out of bar fights on his home turf in Hawaii. His latest on-the-street fisticuffs occurred recently, as Penn is supposed to be heading into the final fight of his UFC career.

Incidents like that could jeopardize the bout, but Penn’s opponent, Nik Lentz, is adamant that he can help not only save their fight, but Penn’s life.

“Somebody needs to talk to BJ, and that’s the whole reason I took this fight in the first place. The whole reason I took this fight in the first place, BJ, is I told you, you need to get your life together,” Lentz said in an interview with TMZ Sports.

“We can have a little peace offering here. Not only will I beat (Penn) up, but I will teach him and I will help him and I will get him out of (Hawaii), where the cameras are sucking him in, where people are taking videos of him on the street. I’m going to help him more than he’s ever been helped in his life. Now I’m still gonna kick his ass for money at the same time, but I’m still gonna help him.”

TMZ released footage of Penn caught on camera on Tuesday in an alleged bar fight, in full back mount landing punches to the head of another man.

Penn was at the Lava Shack in Hawaii, according to a TMZ report. There was evidently some sort of altercation between Penn and the unidentified man, which eventually led to them fighting. The fight ended up on the ground with Penn in mount, legs hooked in, and dropping punches. Several men in red security shirts quickly moved in to try and break up the fight.

“Unclear what started the fight — but we’re told law enforcement responded to the scene. It does NOT appear Penn was arrested and cops say they have no record so far,” read the TMZ report. MMAWeekly.com verified that there was no public record of Penn being arrested at the time of publication.

TMZ later released a second video, which shows Penn getting knocked out briefly by his unidentified foe.

BJ Penn was in another bar fight in June in Hawaii

That was the second time in two months that Penn has been caught on video in an alleged bar fight.

TMZ Sports released video footage in late June of Penn fighting a man on the street outside of a strip club in Honolulu.

The report cited the unnamed owner of Club Femme Nu telling them that Penn was escorted out of the club around midnight after appearing “very drunk.” As Penn left the establishment, he evidently got into and altercation with security personnel and ended up fighting one of them in the street in front of the club.

Police were also called to the scene in that case, but it appears that Penn was not charged or arrested.

When are BJ Penn and Nik Lentz supposed to fight?

Despite having lost his last seven bouts in a row, Penn (16-14-2) has been earmarked for a fight with Lentz, although a date and venue have not been announced. Lentz, however, in the above video, said that he was told by the UFC that the fight was planned for UFC on ESPN 6, which takes place on Oct. 18 in Boston.

UFC on ESPN 6 is expected to be headlined by a light heavyweight showdown between former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman and 205-pound contender Dominick Reyes.

UFC president Dana White has said that he was reluctant to book Penn in another fight, but did so upon an agreement with the Hawaiian that “win, lose, or draw this is BJ Penn’s last fight.”