Frankie Edgar had already beaten B.J. Penn in two UFC fights, so it came as a surprise when the UFC asked Edgar to face Penn for a third time.
Edgar complied with the request and on Sunday, he showed that there was no reason for the third fight when he beat Penn yet again. During the third round, it was obvious that Penn was shaky. Edgar, on the other hand, still moved with the same speed as when the fight started.
Edgar was able to restrain Penn on the floor and showered him with shot after shot, resulting in a gash over Penn’s left eye. Referee Herb Dean then stopped the fight.
B.J. Penn vs Frankie Edgar Fight Highlights
After losing, Penn announced his retirement. In the post-fight interview he said that he should have never come back to fighting, but he needed to know if he still had what it took to win.
B.J. Penn said he should never have come back
“The biggest regret would be if I didn’t get in the fight tonight. I’d always kick myself in the butt and complain to Dana White and complain to everybody ‘Man, I could have done it again.’ Now I know for sure I can’t,” Penn told reporters after the fight.
Penn’s loss was only the second time in his career that he went down by strikes.
Edgar, however, was happy with his win. “I want to fight for the title or a fight to get me to the title,” he said.
Penn was a former UFC Lightweight Champion and a UFC Welterweight Champion. He is the second fighter in the history of UFC to win titles in multiple weight classes.
Although Sunday’s fight was the last one for Penn, he went out knowing that he did what he could and in the end learned that his days of competing in the octagon are over. He will likely be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in the future, and will always be known as one of most popular and most respected fighters in the UFC.
B.J. Penn announces his retirement in post-fight press conference
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