Dana White wants B.J. Penn to retire, but Rich Franklin may have more left

LAS VEGAS – On the night one of the UFC’s superstars announced his retirement, the company’s president sounded off on another pair of the sport’s legends and their futures.

When it comes to former lightweight and welterweight champion B.J. Penn, Dana White believes it’s time for him to hang up the gloves. But former middleweight champ Rich Franklin? He might have something left in the tank.

White said it’s all about the damage accrued by his fighters through the years and not wanting to see them get hurt by sticking around past their primes.

“They won’t say yes (to retiring),” White said of Penn and Franklin. “I want B.J. Penn to retire. Rich hasn’t taken the punishment some of these other guys have taken. His last fight didn’t turn out too well for him, but he’s not some guy who is consistently getting knocked out. He’s not a guy consistently getting injured.”

White spoke to media members following UFC 160 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. At the start of the post-event news conference, White announced that former light heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin was retiring from the sport.

Penn (16-9-2 MMA, 12-8-1 UFC) has lost two in a row and has just one win in his past six fights. In October 2011, he lost a “Fight of the Night” decision to Nick Diaz at UFC 137 – but was left battered and bloodied after being outboxed for three rounds. And this past December, he suffered a similar fate against Rory MacDonald.

Franklin (29-7 MMA, 14-6 UFC) hasn’t had a win streak since 2008. In his last outing, he was knocked out by Cung Le in November.

Though he wasn’t getting knocked out, and hasn’t been truly knocked out since a TKO loss to Matt Hughes in September 2006, White said the punishment Penn has been taking all adds up.

“B.J. is too tough for his own good,” White said. “B.J. might not be knocked out, but the shots B.J. took would’ve knocked out a normal human being. He’s had his head bounced off the canvas like a basketball by Matt Hughes, by Georges St-Pierre and then Rory just did it to him. B.J. Penn has left that octagon looking like a f—ing alien. He’s too tough for his own good. You don’t knock out B.J. Penn. B.J. Penn absorbs every amount of punishment you give him. It doesn’t mean he hasn’t been taking damage. He’s taken a lot of damage, and I don’t want to see him take anymore.”

It’s a situation White has been in before with former champions like Chuck Liddell and Matt Hughes, both of which now are retired – and in the UFC Hall of Fame – and hold executive positions with the company. The same, White said, will be true for Griffin – who also will go into the Hall of Fame in July alongside his “Ultimate Fighter” Season 1 counterpart Stephan Bonnar.

For the fighters at the top of the sport, White believes they have nothing left to prove and need to walk away as healthy as they can.

“Forrest Griffin has made a lot of money, he’s got a beautiful family,” White said. “I know this isn’t how promoters are supposed to talk, but I care about these guys and I don’t want to see any of these guys get hurt. It’s not worth it. What more could Forrest Griffin accomplish that he already hasn’t? He’s already done things people said he couldn’t do and he wouldn’t do. Why?

“B.J. Penn, too. Dude, you’ve won belts in two different weight classes. You’re one of the greatest ever. You became a huge superstar. You have money. You have a beautiful family. But it’s hard, man. It’s hard to walk out of that – the arena’s packed, everybody’s screaming your name, you’re making tons of money. It’s hard to walk away from that – really hard to walk away from that.”

White said for fighters like Penn and Franklin, they don’t necessarily get offered fights when they’ve had longer periods of inactivity. Although they might not be retired, if they want to get back in there, they’ll let it be heard.

“These guys know – they call me when they’re ready,” White said.

(Pictured: B.J. Penn)