B.J. Penn injured, out of UFC Fight Night 97 main event against Ricardo Lamas
UFC Fight Night 97 takes a major hit as headliner BJ Penn withdraws with an injury.
UFC Hall of Famer BJ Penn has suffered an injury in training camp, forcing him out of his main event match-up against Ricardo Lamas at UFC Fight Night 97. MMAJunkie was the first to confirm the injury.
Penn’s (16-10-2), who is one of only two fighters to win UFC titles in two different weight classes, has not competed since suffering a third round TKO to Frankie Edgar at The Ultimate Fighter 19 Finale in 2014. Penn announced his retirement from the sport of mixed martial arts immediately after the loss.
It obviously didn’t stick. This would have marked Penn’s first foray into the UFC’s featherweight division after spending most of his career competing as a member of the lightweight and welterweight divisions.
The Hawaiian was almost immediately inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in July 2015 during the UFC’s International Fight Week. He was expected come out of retirement at UFC 199 in June before being pulled from the card after he disclosed his usage of a prohibited IV to the United State Anti-Doping Agency.
His opponent, Lamas (15-4), a UFC former title challenger, is looking to get back into the win column after suffering a decision loss to Max Holloway at UFC 199. Prior to this setback, ‘The Bully’ earned a dominant decision over longtime UFC veteran Diego Sanchez at the TUF Latin America 3 Finale in November. This performance helped him rebound from a third round TKO loss to Chad Mendes last April.
UFC Fight Night 97 will go down at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines on Oct. 15.
The UFC has yet to make an official announcement. There is no word on whether the promotion will look to book a rematch against Lamas.
With Penn’s injury here is how the rest of UFC Fight Night 97 looks:
Main Card – UFC Fight Pass – 10 a.m. ET
Prelim Card – UFC Fight Pass – 6:45am ET
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