Hawaii native Penn is loco for the Duke City
Jackson-Wink-trained fighter faces crucial fight tonight in Oklahoma
Among the offerings at Kimo’s Hawaiian BBQ restaurant in Albuquerque is the loco moco, a dish as delicious as it is artery-clogging: a hamburger patty on a bed of rice with a fried egg on top, all smothered with brown gravy.
For MMA legend B.J. Penn, a native of Kailua, Hawaii, a loco moco is a little piece of home.
But Penn, who has trained for the past year-and-a-half at Jackson-Wink MMA in Albuquerque, also feels right at home in the Duke City.
He loves chile, red or green. Who knows, he might even put it on a loco moco.
Some current and former Jackson-Wink fighters from out of town — Tim Kennedy for one, as expressed a couple of years ago to national MMA writer Ben Fowlkes — disdain Albuquerque and have said they wouldn’t set foot in the place were it not for J-W.
Penn has nothing but good things to say. Not even the most obvious drawback from a Hawaiian’s perspective — no beach, other than Tingley — seems to bother him.
“You know what, Albuquerque really grew on me,” Penn said on Friday by phone from Oklahoma City, where tonight he’s scheduled to face Germany’s Dennis Siver on a UFC Fight Night card. “I love the sky, I love the beautiful clouds. I love the Sandias, I love all the different (running trails), the food is amazing.
“That’s a cool place, man, a cool place.” One does get the impression that Penn is at home wherever he hangs his four-ounce MMA gloves. He trained for years at his own gym in Hawaii but also has worked at the legendary Nova União gym in Rio de Janeiro.
And to still be fighting at age 38, coming off four straight losses, being an optimist obviously helps.
Neither the four losses nor the prospect of fighting Siver (22-11), a versatile, 13-year MMA veteran with a deep bag of tricks, seems to faze him.
“He’s got a lot of experience,” Penn said of Siver. “He’s a veteran of the sport. He’s had a lot of fights, so he’s going to be comfortable.
“(But) I think I have some advantages. I’ve got a longer reach. I’ve got some height over him. I think I’m gonna do well out there.”
Yes, Penn said, Monday morning, win or
lose, he’ll evaluate. But, those four losses notwithstanding, he remains intent on adding the UFC featherweight title to the lightweight and welterweight belts he won before coming out of an announced retirement and establishing a training base in Albuquerque.
“I like (the sport). I love it,” he said. “I’ve been getting better results in gym than I’ve been getting in the Octagon lately. I’m still here. I still believe I’ve got a lot left, and I still love it.
“I love doing this, and I wouldn’t rather be doing anything else.”
Penn (16-11-2) has fought only once since coming to Jackson-Wink, a loss by secondround TKO to former J-W fighter Yair Rodriguez.
Earlier, Penn was suspended for six months for what was acknowledged to be an unintentional doping violation — the improper use of a syringe. He was to have fought Siver last year, but the German withdrew due to an injury.
Siver, who’s also 38, is on a two-fight losing streak. Given their age and recent results, is tonight’s a do-or-die proposition for both men?
Yes, Penn said, but only because they all are.
“Every fight is do or die,” he said. “Every fight is the most important fight of your life. If you don’t believe that, you’re crazy.” Then again ... no.
“I don’t look at it as do or die, just coming in and knowing my skills,” he said. “... I trust my stuff, and I’m gonna bring in a lot of faith and a lot of strength.”
Penn, nicknamed “The Prodigy,” has been fighting MMA since 2001. He defeated Matt Hughes for the UFC welterweight title in 2004 and beat Joe Stevenson for the lightweight title in 2008.
Now, he’s seeking a third UFC title at 145. However unlikely that possibility might seem for a 38-year-old riding a four-fight losing streak, Penn doesn’t worry. The journey itself is the real trophy.
“I just fight for the fun,” he said. “... We’re just gonna perform our best, and on Monday we’re gonna think about what’s next. I’m not thinking right now, ‘Oh, this might be my last fight, I’ve got to win or it’s over.’
“I’m just gonna go out and have some fun.”