Coach Jason Parillo on B.J. Penn fighting again: 'Gun to my head, I'd say yes'

LOS ANGELES – Longtime coach Jason Parillo said he’ll stand beside B.J. Penn until the day he dies.

But the next time Penn steps into the cage – if there is a next time – he wants the UFC Hall of Famer, his promoter, and all of his coaches to be a little more discerning about who he fights.

“If we can all get under the same roof and have the same focus and direction and focus on a guy that’s on his level now,” Parillo told MMAjunkie at a media day for Saturday’s Bellator 170, where he corners headliner Tito Ortiz in a retirement fight against Chael Sonnen.

It’s not yet known whether Penn (16-11-2 MMA, 12-10-2 UFC), 38, will ever make the walk to the octagon again. He hasn’t spoken publicly after a brutal one-sided loss to the 24-year-old Yair Rodriguez (9-1 MMA, 6-0 UFC) at this past Sunday’s UFC Fight Night 103, his first fight since retiring in July 2014 following a similarly lopsided loss to ex-champ Frankie Edgar at The Ultimate Fighter 19 Finale.

A chorus of fighters and industry figures has called for Penn to hang up his gloves for good. Parillo, though, isn’t taking a stance. As a coach, he said it’s his job simply to help the former lightweight and welterweight champ beat whomever is put in front of him. Yet Parillo is critical of the decision to match Penn with Rodriguez, an honorable mention in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA featherweight rankings who’s also No. 8 in the UFC rankings.

“When you’ve only fought one time in five years, and you fell short and got stopped, you don’t really have any business going in there with a top-10 guy,” Parillo said. “When you’re looking out for the best interests of your fighters, you want to put him in a situation where he as at least a 50-50 chance of winning. (As a 4.5-1 underdog), you’re not in a 50-50 chance.”

Parillo indicated Penn’s never-say-die spirit and steep asking price – courtesy of a still-valid championship contract – made it inevitable he would be put in the octagon against a fighter he shouldn’t have been matched with for his return.

Jason Parillo

Penn originally was slated to return against Dennis Siver at UFC 197. But after that fight fell out due to injuries and a sexual assault allegation, he curiously moved up the featherweight ladder, being paired with Cole Miller before getting booked against onetime title challenger Ricardo Lamas and then Rodriguez. Parillo thought after the Lamas fight was canceled, the entire situation should have been reassessed.

“OK, look, let’s go back and find that Cole Miller fight,” said Parillo. “Let’s get that Dennis Siver fight. Let’s get that rust shaken off you. I could even see it with B.J. when he was out there. It’s a different animal when you’re under those lights and when you’ve got a guy in fifth gear that’s got all the talent in the world and young and full of hunger. It’s tough. It was a tough situation. I take my hat off to B.J. because the nuts that guy has to go in there with some of those guys is amazing.”

Even though he landed only four significant strikes and absorbed 55, Penn still protested the stoppage, which came just 24 seconds into the second round after Rodriguez landed a front kick to the face and a rapid series of punches on the floor.

That kind of heart makes Parillo think that if it’s in Penn’s hands, the messages to call it quits might not land. And if Penn decides he is going to continue his career, the coach will answer the call.

“B.J. knows that situation he was put in, and he’s just a fighter,” Parillo said. “People hate me for him sometimes because sometimes people think I should encourage him not to fight, and it’s not like I don’t. If we’re going to have outcomes like that time and time again, (I’d say), ‘No, don’t fight. I love you, you’re my friend, we don’t want to do this situation.’ As a coach, I know he’s going to be fighting.

“Do I think he’ll want to fight again? Yes or no, and you die if you’re wrong, do I think B.J. will try to fight again? I would go yes, he’ll try to fight again.”

For complete coverage of UFC Fight Night 103, check out the UFC Events section of the site.