Penn, 46, has faced mounting legal troubles and concerns about his mental health. The latest incident, confirmed by Hawaii Island Police in a press release, saw Penn picked up by authorities on November 4, charged with third-degree assault, and released on $1000 cash bond.

“At 1 a.m., police responded to a report of an assault at a residence on Kanoa Street in Hilo. The 45-year-old male victim reported that Penn punched and kicked him multiple times before the victim was able to leave the area and contact police,” police officials wrote in a statement. “The victim later sought medical treatment for his injuries at Hilo Benioff Medical Center.”

Penn’s initial court appearance in the matter will come on December 2, 2025 at the Hilo District Court.

The incident is the latest in a troubling string of legal issues for Penn, who has previously claimed that family members, including his mother, had been replaced by imposters. Penn’s mother, Lorraine Shin, had previously issued a restraining order against the former fighter; his fifth arrest of the year came in September, when he violated that order.

An earlier report by MMA Fighting noted that when filing for the restraining order, Penn’s mother, Lorraine Shin, believed her son was suffering from a rare form of mental illness. “I believe my son [B.J. Penn] is suffering from Capgras delusional syndrome (a psychiatric disorder in which a person holds a delusion that a friend, spouse, parent, other close family member has been replaced by an identical imposter). He believes I’m an imposter who has killed his family to gain control of the family assets.”

Penn held both lightweight and welterweight gold in the UFC over the course of his career, and was the biggest mixed martial arts star from Hawaii until Max Holloway came along. A UFC Hall of Fame member, Penn is remembered for fights with Matt Serra, Matt Hughes, Frankie Edgar, and Georges St-Pierre, among others.

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On Monday, Penn was arrested once again, for the fifth time in 2025 after violating that restraining order.

Hawaii Island police issued a statement on the matter, which reads in part that “At 4:03 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 15, 2025, Hilo patrol officers responded to a report of a violation in the area of Puueo Street in Hilo. Upon arrival, officers determined that Penn had entered a property in violation of the terms of a court order for protection in which he is the respondent.”

Penn was arrested in the area without incident, the statement continued. “On Tuesday, Sept. 16, he was charged with violating the order for protection. His bail was set at $2,000, which he later posted.”

Penn has not publicly commented on the matter. However, previous, concerning social media posts by the former champion and UFC Hall of Fame member indicated that he believed family members, including his mother, had been replaced by imposters.

A report by MMA Fighting noted that when filing for the restraining order, Penn’s mother, Lorraine Shin, suggested her son was suffering from a rare form of mental illness. “I believe my son [B.J. Penn] is suffering from Capgras delusional syndrome (a psychiatric disorder in which a person holds a delusion that a friend, spouse, parent, other close family member has been replaced by an identical imposter). He believes I’m an imposter who has killed his family to gain control of the family assets.”

Penn won both lightweight and welterweight gold over the course of his UFC career, and in his prime was considered one of the best to ever compete in MMA.

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With that in mind, the Japanese promotion has enlisted the help of UFC legend B.J. Penn, one of the island state’s most famous athletes, as well as Enson Inoue and Egan Inoue.

The promotion announced their plans to host an event in Hawaii at a press conference earlier this week in Wakiki Beach, and in a subsequent press release.

“Today, we have two big announcements to make. Starting today, we will attempt to host RIZIN’s first international event here in Hawaii, next year. Of course, we understand that RIZIN is still not a common name, but we will do our best to become the most dynamic and dramatic combat sports event in Hawaii,” RIZIN Fighting Federation CEO Nobuyki Sakakibara stated.

In regards to Enson Inoue, Sakakibara added that “He will support us locally, along with many others.” Those others including Egan Inoue and Penn, who were both in attendeance. Sakaibara also noted that Bellator CEO Scott Coker and Super RIZIN star Floyd Mayweather were supporting the effort.

Penn would give the following statement:

“I want to thank everybody for coming out here today and supporting mixed martial arts. I want to give a very big ‘thank you’ to Sakakibara for putting this event on and for looking towards Hawaii as a place to hold many future events. I’m very glad that the fighters in Hawaii will get this opportunity to showcase their talents. I want to thank Enson Inoue for having me involved in this event. Enson is a big inspiration to my career and Hawaiian Mixed Martial arts period. I’ve known him since I was 10 years old, watching him fight in Japan and America, in the UFC. It’s done wonders for everybody in Hawaii. Thank you Enson for all that you’ve done for us. Thank you to all the fans and thank you to everybody for coming out here. Thank you RIZIN, we expect great things from you guys. I will be supporting you, Sakakibara.”

Both Inoue brothers competed in PRIDE, Sakaibara’s previous promotion, which was eventually bought up by the UFC. Penn did not, but did fight in Japan under the K-1 banner.

Penn recently came up short in a run for governor in his native Hawaii.

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On Monday, the Hawai‘i Police Department confirmed in a press release that the MMA star, who has had repeated run-ins with the law over the years, was arrested this past Saturday and charged with operating a vehicle under the influence of intoxicants. MMA Fighting was first to report news of Penn’s most recent run-in with the law.

The arrest stemmed from a call reporting a reckless driver on commercial property in the island’s Hamakua district.

“Upon arriving on scene, police learned through witnesses that Penn had arrived at the business earlier in a gray Toyota pickup truck. Prior to police arrival, the 42-year-old was observed talking loudly towards employees and later drove off the property in a reckless manner,” police officials stated.

“While officers were at the scene speaking with the business employees about the incident, they observed Penn return to the property. Officers contacted Penn and observing signs of impairment, arrested him for operating a vehicle under the influence of intoxicants. Penn was later released pending further investigation.”

Video of the encounter, showing an irate Penn, has been making its way around the internet.

Last year, Penn was hospitalized following a single vehicle crash, which led to its own DUI investigation by Hawaii police. His UFC career ended in controversy after multiple instances of public intoxication, including one in which the former lightweight and welterweight champ was knocked out in a parking lot scrap ahead of a proposed fight with Nik Lentz. That led UFC President Dana White to finally pull the trigger on cutting Penn.

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In an Instagram Live appearance with coach Jason Parillo (h/t MMA Junkie), the 41-year old said frankly that while he wasn’t sure what might happen, “It takes too much. Too much f*cking work. At this age, it just takes too much f*cking work.” The fighter once known as “The Prodigy” added that “you never know what’s going to happen, but it takes so much work.”

Penn admitted that he has people on both side of the fence, some encouraging him to fight on, while others urge him to hang up the gloves. “There’s so much people telling me to fight again,” said Penn. “Other people telling me don’t fight again. It’s a lot to take in.”

It appears one reason for B.J. Penn sticking around well past his prime is difficulty adjusting to life outside the sport, as he later admitted that “If I could get anything else going in life than just a fist fight, it would be nice.”

“But it’s so fun and I love the process and all those things about it,” he added. “Then you get in the gym and start doing good with active fighters and next thing you know you’re trying to fight and biting off more than you can chew. You might be, you might not be. But the process itself, it’s a lot to just do a camp or whatever.”

Penn had been expected to fight Nik Lentz at some point last year, per UFC President Dana White. However, after video emerged of Penn in a bar brawl ahead of the proposed fight, the UFC opted to release him. The incident was one of two such altercations for Penn, who also rolled his vehicle in an accident that led to a DUI investigation back in February.

Penn (16-14-2) has not won a fight in nearly a decade. His last victory came against Matt Hughes at UFC 123 in November 2010. That knockout led to a fight the following year with Jon Fitch that ended in a draw. Following that, Penn found himself in wars with Nick Diaz and Rory MacDonald. Retirement talk swirled after the Diaz fight, and to a lesser extent after the MacDonald bout.

Instead, Penn moved to featherweight, for an ill-fated rematch against Frankie Edgar. That was followed by losses to Yair Rodrgieuz and Dennis Siver, before a return to lightweight. Back at 155lbs, he’d find himself submitted by Ryan Hall in 2018, and lost a decision to Clay Guida last year.

Earlier in his career, however, Penn earned notable wins over Diego Sanchez, Kenny Florian, Matt Serra, Matt Hughes, Duane “Bang” Ludwig, Takanori Gomi, Renzo Gracie, Jens Pulver, and others. Along the way, he held the UFC welterweight championship, and helped build the lightweight division, defending the 155lb title three times before losing the belt to Frankie Edgar in 2010. To that point, only Jens Pulver and Sean Sherk had held gold in the weight class inside the UFC.

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Big Island Now reported Tuesday that the troubled Hall of Famer is being investigated by Hawai‘i PD after he lost control of his vehicle, a black Toyota Tacoma pickup, and flipped it near the Prince Kuhio Plaza in Hilo, Hawaii. Penn resides in the city.

The crash took place on February 7, reportedly after Penn left the Lava Shack — the same bar Penn was at during an altercation last summer, one of two incidents that cost him his spot on the UFC roster.

Penn, 41, had been linked to a fight with Nik Lentz at UFC Boston prior to those incidents. The struggling legend, 16-14-2, has not won a fight in a decade, with his last victory coming against Matt Hughes at UFC 123 in 2010. Despite a seven-fight losing streak, UFC President Dana White had signed off on one last bout for Penn — prior to video surfacing of him being knocked out outside the Lava Shack. That, and an altercation outside a strip club, sealed Penn’s fate with the promotion.

White would come out and declare that Penn was released by the UFC the following month.

All this adds up to a rather troubling picture. Penn’s condition following the February 7 crash is not currently known, other than he was transported to hospital. Due to a change in Hawaiian law, a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) test was not performed on Penn prior to him being taken from the scene for medical treatment. The new law states that in cases of a single vehicle crash where the driver requires medical attention, his health supersedes the need for any roadside blood alcohol test.

However, the Hilo Medical Center where Penn was treated reportedly reached out to Hawai’i police with the results of blood tests performed there.

Penn last competed in the UFC back in May, losing a unanimous decision against Clay Guida at UFC 237.

Cageside Press has reached out to the Hawai’i Police Department and will provide an update when more details are available

Update, 2/12/2020: Hawai’i PD media relations officer Alan Richmond provided a media release in response to our query regarding the investigation into B.J. Penn.

Hawaiʻi Island Police are investigating a one-vehicle accident that occurred on (February 7) at about 7:39 p.m. on Highway 11 in Hilo.

Police received several calls of a motor vehicle accident, with one caller reporting a “black truck speeding, losing control and flipped into the embankment fronting Prince Kuhio Plaza.”

Police found a black Toyota Tacoma truck registered to M S Petroleum, of a Puueo Street address in Hilo in the embankment area against two poles on the Prince Kuhio Plaza property.

Investigation revealed a sole occupant and operator of the truck, later identified as Jay Dee Penn of Hilo. Jay Dee Penn is also known as “BJ Penn” the UFC hall of fame champion. Penn was injured and taken to the hospital for immediate care, which was paramount for his safety.

Included with the traffic investigation there are several cases that include operating a vehicle under the influence of an intoxicant, consuming or possessing liquor while operating a motor vehicle and inattention to driving. When the investigation is completed it will be routed to the Office of the Prosecuting Attorney for screening and potential charging.

Hawaiʻi Police are committed to protecting the roadways and keeping drivers safe.

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He had a fight, then he didn’t, following a couple of scandals. Now, B.J. Penn has been released by the promotion he won two titles in. The news come by way of Yahoo Sports, citing UFC President Dana White. And while many will breath a sigh of relief, it’s not all good news.

As recently as June following UFC 240, White had confirmed Penn (16–14–2), who has not won a fight since 2010, would face Nik Lentz at an upcoming event. However, Penn’s life seemed to be disintegrating around him, and he was caught on camera in not one but two altercations outside bars in his native Hawaii. One video appeared to show him being knocked out.

Given that, most fans and pundits grew concerned for Penn, who gave his side of the story to Canada’s TSN.

All’s well that ends well, right? However, there’s a catch. The UFC really had little choice here. As Penn was under contract, and not retired, they were required to offer him fights, else said contract would eventually expire. By releasing him, the UFC is signalling that they don’t want Penn fighting for them — but he’s now free to fight elsewhere.

A very real possibility, especially with Bellator having added Hawaii to their itinerary.

B.J. Penn made his pro, and UFC, debut in 2001 at UFC 31. He won the welterweight title at UFC 46, but was stripped of the title after leaving the promotion following a contract dispute. He then won the lightweight title at UFC 80, defending it three times (while mounting a failed bid to reclaim the 170lb strap against Georges St. Pierre) before losing the belt to Frankie Edgar in 2010. Losing an immediate rematch to Edgar, Penn would defeat Matt Hughes that same year, battle to a draw with Jon Fitch in 2011, then lose his remaining seven fights with the UFC.

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Finally coming around to what most pundits and fight fans have known for a while, Dana White has admitted that B.J. Penn should not be fighting. And following a pair of videos depicting Penn in altercations outside bars/clubs in his native Hawaii, White is pulling the plug on Penn’s scheduled fight with Nik Lentz.

Penn addressed the incidents just yesterday, downplaying them in an interview with Canada’s TSN. However, there’s no getting around the fact that if you’re scrapping in parking lots, you shouldn’t be fighting professionally.

Speaking to ESPN’s Brett Okamoto in Abu Dhabi ahead of UFC 242, White said that “he won’t fight again.”

“That’s a wrap,” he added. “It’s not even that this is the last straw. It’s — I didn’t love him continuing to fight anyway. But when you have the relationship that he and I have, and he’s getting me on the phone, begging me for another fight, begging me for another opportunity, it’s hard for me to turn him down. But after what I saw on that video, he needs to focus on his personal life and get himself together before he thinks about fighting again.”

“I haven’t personally, but we have as a company,” White said when asked if Penn had been notified of the decision.

“I don’t wanna sit here on TV and pick B.J. apart on his life or whatever. I think that we all know what B.J. Penn needs to do and hopefully B.J. Penn knows what B.J. Penn needs to do. I’m not gonna sit here like I’m his father or I’m some guy who’s above him, pointing the finger at B.J. and B.J. needs to do this and that. What I saw in that video was sad. I love the kid and I hope he gets his life together.”

White also seemingly reached out to Penn in the video, or at least left the door open to help the fighter in ways other than allowing him to compete. “Obviously the guy calls me and I’m still putting him in fights. If B.J. Penn needed me, all he’s got to do is pick up the phone and ask.”

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B.J. Penn has been in the news over the past couple of weeks, for all the wrong reasons. A pair of incidents that had him in altercations at bars in his native Hawaii, including one which appeared to show him knocked out, or at least down, raised questions about his return to the octagon later this year against Nik Lentz.

If everyone’s being honest with themselves, there was a huge question about whether Penn should be fighting anymore anyway, even without these recent incidents. However, a UFC star slugging it out in parking lots while having a big fight coming up is a huge red flag.

Penn (16–14–2), who has lost seven straight bouts in the UFC (the only reason it’s not eight is a UFC 127 draw with Jon Fitch), has stayed mum on the subject, as has his website, BJPenn.com.

However, on Wednesday, the former lightweight and welterweight champ opened up to Canada’s Aaron Bronstetter, over at TSN.

As Penn tells it, the more recent incident involved an acquaintance who had become upset, although Penn did not give a reason why, suggesting it may have been something that was said, or “an old past thing.”

“I was like, ‘no, no, I don’t want to fight, we’re friends, everything is cool,’” Penn told TSN. “He even walks outside and I’m thinking, this is silly I’m going to go get him, calm him down and get him to come back inside and enjoy the concert, we’ve got some other friends there. I walk outside to go give the guy a hug and then he hits me twice and I’m like no, calm down. I try to give him another hug and he hits me a couple more times and he hits me again.”

Penn then claimed that whoever uploaded the video did so in a way that only showed the worst of it.

“Whoever put that video up cut it in half, I wish they had the whole thing that showed me trying to hug the guy. Finally my adrenaline picked up because he was hitting me so much so I said go ahead and hit me again, really I thought the guy would eventually just say forget it BJ, whatever, walk away, but he hit me and he hit me good and knocked me down and then when I got back up he tried it again and I just had to defend myself and that’s what you see in the second video.”

Penn also addressed the earlier strip club incident, originally from June. “There was another video on TMZ of me holding somebody on the ground,” Penn said. “I’m in the middle of a custody case right now and from that last one I already got a lot of flak from the custody evaluator, from their lawyer of course, from my lawyer.”

“The last thing I want to do is get into any type of trouble, my custody case, me seeing my kids depends on all this stuff and it’s just really strange how things just happen and you never see this kind of stuff, but here I am in a custody case and this happened twice.”

Penn’s full interview with TSN can be found over at the TSN MMA Show – Episode 104. Penn vs. Lentz, meanwhile, does not yet have a firm date.

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While most fans would rather see B.J. Penn anywhere but the octagon, it appears Dana White has had a change of heart on letting the Hall of Famer compete again. During UFC 240’s fight week, news broke (originally by TSN’s Aaron Bronsteter) that Penn would take on Nik Lentz, at a date and venue yet to be made official. Both UFC 242 in Abu Dhabi, and UFC 244, have been suggested.

The return of the former two division champ, however, isn’t exactly being met with open arms. Penn (16–14–2) is the very definition of a fighter unwilling or unable to walk away from the fight game. The Hawaiian legend has not won a fight since 2010, is mired in a seven fight losing streak in the UFC, and is 1-9-1 dating back to 2010. One win in nearly a decade.

That’s a long fall from his heydey, where Penn claimed both the lightweight and welterweight titles in the UFC, in separate reigns.

While Penn looked marginally better against Clay Guida at UFC 237, there’s a question of whether even that would be enough against Lentz. Lentz (30-10-2, 1NC) is 2-2 in his last four fights, most recently being submitted by Charles Oliveira at UFC Rochester in May.

However, there’s been bad blood between Penn and Lentz for years. And grudge matches generally sell.

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