BJ Penn promises Hawaii an NFL team and ‘three UFC fights a year’

Since parting ways with Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), B.J. Penn has followed in the footsteps of fellow former champion, Tito Ortiz, in pursuit of a political career.

Widely known for his legacy as one of Hawaii’s all-time best sportspersons, Penn has already assured the people of his beloved state many different promises of change. On Wednesday (April 13, 2022), “The Prodigy” declared his latest hopes for the future.

“You know the rules!” Penn said on Instagram. “Governor Penn will bring Hawaii its first NFL football team and three UFC fights a year. It’s about time!”

As mentioned, Penn was released from the UFC in Sept. 2019 after video footage surfaced revealing the former UFC Lightweight and Welterweight champion engaging in a bar brawl where he was knocked out (watch here). The promotion was leaning toward making a grudge match with Nik Lentz until the incident occurred.

Penn is tied for the UFC record for the longest losing streak alongside Sam Alvey at seven in a row. He last fought to a unanimous decision defeat to a fellow veteran, Clay Guida, in May 2019.

In UFC’s ongoing history, the promotion has yet to hold an event in Hawaii despite having had stars like Penn and Max Holloway. Coincidentally, Penn makes this promise of UFC events coming to the state when next weekend (April 22 and 23), Bellator will hold its third and fourth Hawaii-based events.

When it comes to the thought of an NFL team, the closest there has ever been to that is the Pro Bowl, which year-after-year sees the league’s fan-voted best players of the year compete against each other representing their respective conferences. The game used to be known for taking place in Honolulu’s Aloha Stadium. However, the NFL has appeared to fully break away from the long-standing tradition as it hasn’t held a game in Aloha since the 2016 season.