BJ Penn can avoid jail time if he pays alleged victim's medical bills after alleged bar beatdown

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) lightweight and welterweight champion, BJ Penn, was taken into custody on Jan. 17, 2015, after allegedly getting "inebriated" and brawling with his buddy, Kuuipo Mokiao, in a hotel parking lot.

Get the initial report here.

"The Prodigy" was arrested for second-degree assault, but then released shortly thereafter pending a police investigation, after his childhood friend suffered a broken eye socket due to the melee -- while Penn walked away fairly unscathed.

But according to a report from MMA Junkie, the former UFC champion can avoid up to five years in prison and a fine of $10,000 if he forks up the cash to pay for the alleged victim's medical bills.

That's according to terms laid to the prosecutors office by Mokiao himself.

While Penn and his legal team have yet to confirm they will agree to the deal, all signs point to them doing so, according to deputy prosecutor John Tam

"(Penn's lawyer) has indicated that, from what I can tell, they want to take care of everything as far as the medical bills."

And it would be a good move on "The Prodigy's" part, as shelling out some coin and getting a little lighter in the pocket sure beats the potential alternative of facing hard time and losing out on some money anyway.

Penn retired from mixed martial arts (MMA) after a technical knockout loss to Frankie Edgar at The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 19 Finale in July 2014. Losing to "The Answer" marked his third straight defeat, dating back to early 2011.