It's very sentimental when a longtime veteran and pioneer of the sport decides to call it a career and hang up his gloves for good. BJ Penn had supposedly done that back at UFC on Fox: Henderson vs. Diaz when Rory MacDonald decisively controlled him and sent him into what would only be his first retirement. However, there came a point when Penn felt that itch to get back into the Octagon and asked Dana White if he could give him another shot. Seeing an opportunity, White asked if he would not only be willing to face Frankie Edgar for a third time, but be willing to coach opposite him on season 19 of The Ultimate Fighter. Both fighters agreed and the match was set. While the season overall was a disappointment, the coaches fight at the finale certainly was not. Penn came out with an aggressive style of coming forward at Edgar, forcing the man who took his UFC Lightweight Championship to back peddle and circle around. However, Edgar proved his confidence that he was a better fighter then when he faced Penn both in their first two encounters when he took him down practically at will. Then in the third round, Edgar took Penn down and started some brutal ground and pound forcing a TKO near the end of the round. No tears were cried but it was emotional for everyone at the Mandalay Bay Events center and Penn definitely showed some emotion as he walked away to his locker room for the last time.
Matthew Salzer fell in love with Mixed Martial Arts when he watched Pride Fighting Championships on Japanese TV. He is a lifelong wrestler having earned a Bachelor of Science at Missouri Baptist University. Matthew is the Senior Editor at MMA Freak and has written for Funky Monkey MMA, H4 Entertainment, and MMA Fiends.
