By KEVIN JAKAHI Tribune-Herald sports writer ADVERTISING After Nick Diaz made a bloody mess of BJ Penn’s face in UFC 137 last October, the 32-year-old Hilo mixed martial arts fighter announced his retirement. In the cage after the three-round decision
By KEVIN JAKAHI
Tribune-Herald sports writer
After Nick Diaz made a bloody mess of BJ Penn’s face in UFC 137 last October, the 32-year-old Hilo mixed martial arts fighter announced his retirement.
In the cage after the three-round decision loss, Penn told the Las Vegas crowd, “That’s probably the last time you’re ever going to see me. I can’t keep doing this.”
His life seems simpler now, at least from the outside looking in.
Numerous athletes retire but keep coming back, Brett Favre being one in particular that quickly comes to mind.
Whatever the case, Penn will always have a home to train if he ever unretires.
Occasionally, tourists stop and take pictures of his large billboard in front of the BJ Penn Fitness and Training Center on Kinoole Street.
Ross Ebanez and Just Scrap promoter Chad Hao run Boss MMA fighting club out of Penn’s center, where the former UFC champion makes the rare appearance.
“He’s not been in the gym regularly. He comes in periodically,” Hao said. “Since he had his second daughter, he focuses on family stuff.”
Asked if Penn is retired for good, Hao said he had no insight.
“No one knows except him,” Hao said. “He’s not totally out of shape. He does run and surf. He’s keeping active. He’s not sitting down on the couch and doing nothing.”
When Penn does work out with Boss MMA fighters or newbies to the gym, he still shows his world-class skills and, more importantly, compassion when he gets tagged.
“He still spars like a world champion. Even maybe if he’s having an off-day, he’ll find a way to beat you with a smile on his face the whole time,” Hao said. “He’s been training so long and been through every type of training. When he gets hit, he knows it’s a part of training.
“He’s not going to discourage a guy not to come back, beat someone to a pulp and he’ll say, ‘I’m never coming back.’ He takes care of the younger guys.”
ProElite 3
Hilo’s Toby Misech and Waimea’s Kaleo Gambill will be on the card for ProElite 3, featuring Maui’s Kendall Grove against Japan’s Ikuhisa Minowa in the main event on Saturday in Honolulu.
It’s Misech’s first fight in ProElite and Gambill’s second. In the first ProElite last August he scored a first-round TKO over Eldon Sproat. Also on that card, C hadThomas lost to Joey Palemia by unanimous decision as an amateur.
“That promotion is looking for new, fresh, exciting guys to watch,” Hao said. “Toby took his time to put work in amateur fights and get experience, and work out the little kinks. He’s comfortable when he fights and it shows. That’s why he’s there.”
