BJ Penn: Teammates have to fight each other
“I think teammates have to fight each other, and I knew that the whole time,” Penn said. “That’s why I…
“I think teammates have to fight each other, and I knew that the whole time,” Penn said. “That’s why I would always distance myself. Of course they have to. I always thought it was B.S. that [Josh] Koscheck and [Jon] Fitch wouldn’t have to fight, but they can just keep taking turns going for title shots, but they never had to fight each other? That doesn’t make sense.”
As Penn told Ariel Helwani on Monday’s show, that’s part of the reason why he chooses to do his training camps in Hawaii, far away from the more established gyms on the mainland where potential future opponents train.
“You know why I never went to any of these places and trained? Because it’s the same thing that you see with guys like Rashad Evans and Jon Jones. Now there’s a big problem because of that. That’s why I always kept my distance from anyone. I had a thousand chances to go train with Jon Fitch, but I knew I’m probably going to fight this guy one day, so let’s be friends when we’re done fighting.”