UFC Fight Night 103 headliner B.J. Penn: 'I'm all in. We're going for the 145-pound title'

PHOENIX – UFC Hall of Famer B.J. Penn said his comeback isn’t a one-off thing. He’s restarting his career with an eye on gold.

“I’m all in,” Penn (16-10-2 MMA, 12-9-2 UFC) told MMAjunkie in advance of his FS1-televised headliner at UFC Fight Night 103 opposite Yair Rodriguez (8-1 MMA, 5-0 UFC). “We’re going for the 145-pound title.

“When we get that title, I’ll sit down with my friends, family and trainers and talk about what’s next – talk about the future. A man’s mind changes from time to time. But 100 percent, we’re going to go for that belt first.”

UFC Fight Night 103 takes place Sunday at Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix. The main card airs on FS1 following prelims on FS1 and UFC Fight Pass.

It’s been two and a half years since Penn last set foot in the octagon, and afterward, the title was the furthest thing from his mind. A brutal third-round TKO loss to Frankie Edgar prompted him to call it quits, reasoning he no longer had what it took to compete at a high level.

That performance, and the two lopsided losses that preceded it, will loom over a matchup against a bright up-and-comer in Rodriguez, who’s dazzled UFC fans with acrobatic wins over five straight opponents. The 24-year-old fighter is an honorable mention in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA featherweight rankings and still has yet to scratch the surface against top-tier opposition.

Rodriguez’s manager pushed for the fight, according to Penn, no doubt to provide the young fighter a bridge to marquee opposition. And while Penn is well aware he’s no longer the 21-year-old phenom who set the UFC world on fire, he’s young enough at heart, and he’ll teach the young Rodriguez a lesson.

“The manager made a big mistake for Yair,” Penn said. “The manager just didn’t look. He probably thought, ‘Ah, B.J. is done. He’s a big name.’ But he didn’t look back in history. Whenever I get embarrassed, or I lose bad, I come back 10 times stronger every single time. I think the manager is going to have to be sitting there now and think, I really did a bad move for this kid’s career.”

Check out the video above for more from Penn ahead of his fight against Rodriguez.

And for more on UFC Fight Night 103, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.