BJ Penn: 'There's no sense in me going back into the Octagon and getting beat up in front of everybody'

Will he or won't he?

That's the big question surrounding former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Lightweight and Welterweight Champion B.J. Penn, who recently underwent surgery (for this) and is still on the fence about making his return to mixed martial arts (MMA).

He tells FUEL TV, "It's gotta be right."

"I'm still just hanging out, honestly. At this moment, my guess is probably a little better than yours, but I don't know. I'm enjoying what I'm doing. I am training. I'm starting to train a bit more, for my health a lot. I'm a fighter, I'm a fighter deep inside. If I felt it, if it ever comes back -- not saying that it's gone -- I don't know. You know how being a fighter is, your mind changes from time-to-time. Of course I'm looking, Anderson (Silva) he's 39 and he's in there fighting, I'm like 'I'm 34, why can't I fight again?' It's gotta be right. There's no sense in me going back into the Octagon and getting beat up in front of everybody, that just doesn't make any sense."

If Penn does return, he says it will be at lightweight.

The Hawaiian suffered his second consecutive loss when Rory MacDonald beat him pillar to post at UFC on FOX 5 last December in Seattle. The drubbing capped off a dreadful run of 1-4-1, which prompted UFC President Dana White to call for the former champion's retirement.

Too soon?

While Penn is just 34 years old, he's had a difficult time keeping pace with the new generation of fighters. In fact, his only win in the last four years was a quick knockout over retired Hall-of-Famer Matt Hughes. And waiting for him at 155 pounds if he does come back is Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Anyone think he should just ride off into the sunset?