REPLAY! BJ Penn Calls Out Mike Dolce: ‘Bring Your Best Guy’

https://youtu.be/jv184KQtfd8

On Wednesday’s ‘UFC Tonight’ Hall of Fame fighter and two division champion BJ Penn joined the crew for an interview and ended up issuing a challenge to Mike Dolce.

Penn was asked about the whole Dolce situation, from his last fight, and Penn said he was sick of talking about that guy and decided to issue a challenge to him, to bring his guy Nik Lentz to 145 and he’d come out of retirement to fight him.

“I’m sick and tired of hearing about Mike Dolce. I’ll put a challenge out right now: You go get Nik Lentz, your boy, bring him down to 145 and I’ll run right through him in one round and then I’ll find you in the back and smash you. If Dolce says I don’t train, let’s do this. I would come out for this. Some things were said, got me heated. I worked with him for 20 days and paid him $1000 a day. I’m sick and tired of hearing that.”

“At 145. Let’s do this. That was my last fight. I had a very bad showing. I’m ready for something like this. I haven’t been in a gym for two years. I’ll come back for the grudge match, then we’ll see what happens.”

“Kenny was talking to me about it and I’ve had to answer this question so many times and you know, let’s end this.”

“I’m not thinking anymore past this first thing, past this first fight. He wants to say this or that, bring your best guy down, let’s do it.” 

During the interview Penn also discussed his career and said that looking back the thing he takes the most pride in is the names on his record. With guys like Matt Hughes, GSP, Diego Sanchez and Nick Diaz, it’s hard not to be impressed with what he’s accomplished.

“To look back at my list of opponents, I’ve got a lot of big names on there. You know, you ask me ‘Is there anybody you wish you would have fought?’ No, I think I’m glad with that list. Me and you [Kenny Florian] fought, I fought George St-Pierre, I fought Matt Hughes, Diego [Sanchez], Jens Pulver, [Nick] Diaz, I fought a lot of people and I’m glad I got to get in there with everybody.”

Bisping and Florian asked the Hawaiian fighter what he’s been up to since retiring and Penn said that he’s been busy with farming taro root, which is used to make the popular dish, poi.

“Since I’ve been retired I’ve been heavy into doing taro, taro farms. The Hawaiians love to eat the poi. If you’ve had the poi and you’re like ‘It’s not to good,’ then you just haven’t had the right connection.”

Penn is known for jumping weight classes throughout his career. He’s fought in five different divisions and says it’s just a part of who he is and says it comes from the way martial arts used to be, the smaller guy taking on the larger guy.

“I think that was just a part of life, that was a part of who I was and you know, when we do Jiu-Jitsu tournaments you grapple in your weight and then you go to the absolute. That’s what martial arts was about, the little man fighting the big man, being able to defend himself and then all these big guys got good and look at my face today.” 

Penn was asked about fighting someone like Conor McGregor:

“You’ve got him, you’ve got ‘Johnny Come Lately,’ he’s out there right now, saying he’s the lottery ticket and all these different things. I mean, me and you [Florian] fought, what’d we pull in, what, 1.1 million? So when I’m at my best I think we could pull some pretty good numbers. He says he’s the guy out there, I mean BJPENN.COM makes some pretty good money out there, you know, I think we’ve got some stuff to say.”  

“I’m a fighter, I can see myself against anyone, just like how you would see yourself against anyone. Even Kenny, Kenny’s been here doing interviews but let me ask Kenny, ‘I’d kill him BJ, I’d kill him.'”

Penn said that he hasn’t been involved in the gym much since retiring, but said that sometimes something just gets to you and once he puts himself into something, he goes full blast, which is why he’s issued the challenge to Dolce and Lentz.

“I’ve been doing taro, just doing different things, you know, sometimes something gets to you and it might be a BJ Penn moment, but once something I put myself in something I put myself in so deep I can’t get out.”

What are your guy’s thoughts on BJ Penn’s possible return?

Sound off in the comments!

MMA’S Best React To Nick Diaz 5 Year Suspension
[ooyala code=”9maGRrdzp7l5qKeuSBuRG7MijJu9o26I” player_id=”bd214e34cfad476984102de4bf5e8da2″ width=”1280″ height=”720″ auto=”true”]