BJ Penn's return to the octagon lasted less than six minutes after 'The Prodigy' suffered a heavy loss to Yair Rodriguez in Phoenix.
Penn was competing for the first time in two-and-a-half years, against his Mexican opponent. After announcing his return early last year, the Hawaiian legend was pulled from a number of fights due to injuries.
Against Rodriguez, Penn lost the first round, before the was floored by kick in the opening seconds of the second round. He failed to recover from there, with referee John McCarthy halting the bout after 24 seconds of the round.
WHAT. A. PERFORMANCE! @panteraufc blitzes @bjpenndotcom! 🇲🇽👊 #UFCPhoenix https://t.co/Q8ntenagXF
— BT Sport UFC (@btsportufc) January 16, 2017
After such a vicious loss, Penn's comeback to competitive action may be short lived. A UFC Hall of Fame inductee, Penn is one of only three fighters to be multiple weight UFC Champions, along with Randy Couture and Conor McGregor.
The 38-year-old failed to speak to media after the fight, but his opponent Rodriguez, in a telling statement that his time in the octagon may be over.
Despite the loss, fellow professionals were effusive in their praise of the former champion.
Nothing but respect to BJ. He's a legend and has accomplished amazing things.
Fighters don't age gracefully.
— The Diamond (@DustinPoirier) January 16, 2017
Penn is a legend and always will be !!! Thanks BJ !!! @ufc #ufcphoenix
— patrick cote (@patrick_cote) January 16, 2017
