Dana White will “Push BJ Penn to retire” if he loses against Frankie Edgar

bj penn

Where does one draw the line in an employer/ employee relationship? When do you have the scenario to come in and tell a dedicated employee, who has given years of service to the industry that it is time to walk away, even it is for their best interest? How do you approach that and is it the right thing to do? Even if done in a tactful and sincere manner is it over stepping a boundary and interfering with someone’s life?

Heading into his third fight with Frankie Edgar, former UFC lightweight and welterweight champion, BJ Penn may be looking at the scenario. Tuesday night saw UFC president Dana White speak very plainly on Fox Sports 1 about “The Prodigy’s” future inside the octagon.

This is BJ Penn’s last fight possibly…if he wins, we’ll see what he does from there, but if he loses, I will actually push for him to retire.

If you are Dana White, you are looking at it from two sides: the promoter who knows that you can still make bucks off one of MMA’s most popular and loved fighters; On the other side, perhaps he looks at it as a concerned friend who does not want to see the fighter put himself in danger of sustaining lasting injury and trauma. Similar almost to the situation after Chuck Liddell suffered another knockout loss to Rich Franklin at UFC 115; White urged the former champion (and arguably his biggest draw) to hang up the gloves, because the health of his friend was more important than making money off of him.

As a writer and fan of the sport, I would like to think White is coming with the same approach, someone he cares about and has nothing left to prove in the sport or to the fans, and should be enjoying the rest of his life outside of professional competition. Will the Hall of Famer listen if he indeed loses and is persuaded to hang them up? To watch events leading up to this possible decision, watch the Ultimate Fighter finale this Sunday, July 5 on Fox Sports 1 for free, which is showcased with BJ Penn vs. Frankie Edgar. This could be the last time we witness a pioneer and true fighter grace the UFC cage.

It could possibly be like watching Michael Jordan play his last basketball game; like Tiger Woods’ last golf game” – Dana White