Was Penn’s decision to take time off a wise one?
I want to thank all the fans for their love and support, Penn said. I have decided to take some…
I want to thank all the fans for their love and support, Penn said. I have decided to take some time off to enjoy life, train and teach. I will keep you guys posted with what’s next.
Regardless of what he ultimately chooses to do, Penn is making a good decision in allowing himself time to fully consider the implications of retirement. Fighters shouldn’t call it quits after losing; there’s simply too much emotional baggage, too many clouds getting in the way of good decision-making. They spend months with a singular focus on defeating one person, and the emotional letdown when things don’t go their way is enormous. Losing sucks, and you’re allowed to be upset, but you surely can’t be expected to make rational decisions.
The smart money is on Penn returning to the Octagon at some point in 2012. You don’t take fights from lightweight all the way to heavyweight without having a burning fire for competition. You can’t get that satisfaction from walking the streets of Hilo and educating a future crop of jiujitsu artists.
He’ll be back. We don’t know when, we don’t know where and we don’t know what weight class he’ll settle into. But we haven’t seen the last of B.J. Penn in the Octagon.
I’m sure of it, even if he isn’t.