BJ Penn: Fighting Hughes is all I have to live for

From the UFC 123 media conference call featuring Rampage Jackson, Lyoto Machida, Matt Hughes and BJ Penn. BJ Penn:

“I think what keeps me motivated is I don’t want to go in the bar and drink. There’s not much to do in Hilo. There’s nothing to do. I’d way rather be training to fight in the Octagon.”

“I think once you’ve been where me, Lyoto, Rampage and Matt have been, a lot of other stuff, it just seems boring. This is the only thing that keeps me feeling like I have something to live for.”

“As soon as Dana gave me that text, he said, you want to take a fight with Matt Hughes, I got chicken skin all over my body and I was like, I gotta a reason to live for a couple more months. I think fighters are just used to that adrenaline.”

“I feel good (at welterweight:). I feel like I haven’t missed a beat. I feel like it was just yesterday when I was fighting in the welterweights. So as far as that, nothing drastic. Just preparing for the legend. Preparing for Matt.”

“Coming off two losses I probably would have accepted anyone Dana offered me. But in offereing Matt he kind of offered me a gift, because I always hoped me and Matt would do it again.”

“I think what went wrong (back to back losses to Frankie Edgar) was that I didn’t win those fights. But besides that I don’t know. I really don’t have much to say about that. All I can really do is step back and say that Edgar did a great job and he’s the champion right now. And I want to get back to the top of the lightweight division. And I want to be the champion again.”

“… as far as changing my camp, yeah I think I train harder. I started running again and doing roadwork and trying to push my different energy systems and do a lot of things. That’s not the only reason why the fight went the way it did, you know you gotta improve at everything with your boxing and your takedowns and your wrestling. It is what it is.”

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