Retired ex-champ B.J. Penn wants Nik Lentz at UFC 197, heads to Jackson-Wink MMA

B.J. Penn’s rivalry with Nik Lentz had seemingly flamed out a few months ago, but now the retired UFC Hall of Famer has ramped things up again with a “formal challenge” for a bout at UFC 197 on March 5.

Penn (16-10-2 MMA, 12-9-2 UFC) hinted at a potential comeback earlier this week, prior to the callout of Lentz (25-7-2 MMA, 9-4-1 UFC), when he posted a photo with famed Jackson-Winkeljohn MMA trainer Greg Jackson with the caption “We coming!!” (via Instagram):

Although Penn has not confirmed he’s training with Jackson, all signs point to that being the case.

Throughout a storied career that saw him win UFC titles in two weight classes and compete in some of the sport’s biggest fights, Penn has been reluctant to leave the comfort of his native Hawaii. That’s bred mixed results, and toward the end of his career, Penn lost far more often than he won.

The last time Penn appeared in the octagon was in July 2014, when he suffered a third loss to Frankie Edgar at the TUF 19 Finale. The contest marked Penn’s featherweight debut, but he had little to offer Edgar at the new weight class, and he was thoroughly beaten en route to a third-round TKO loss.

Penn’s defeat to Edgar gave him a four-fight winless streak and marked his sixth unsuccessful trip to the octagon in seven tries. He retired from the sport afterward, citing his inability to compete at the top level any longer.

The fallout of Penn’s loss to Edgar included a feud with trainer Mike Dolce, who helped with portions of his camp, including bringing out Lentz as a training partner. Lentz is another one of Dolce’s clients, and “The Carny” didn’t hesitate to go after Penn, even writing a hateful poem about the former UFC champ.

Clearly Penn didn’t forget about Lentz and is eager to settle the score in a fight. Although Penn’s past 16 fights have come against former UFC champions or title challengers, he said he wants to get his hand on the unranked lightweight, and he wants to do it on the recently announced UFC 197 fight card, featuring Rafael dos Anjos vs. Conor McGregor and Holly Holm vs. Miesha Tate at the top of the March 5 bill.

“This is a formal challenge for Nik Lentz to meet me in the octagon March 5th in Las Vegas,” Penn wrote on Instagram. “Nik you wrote a silly poem about me making fun of me, you said stuff about me and my parents, and you been making a #bringpennback hashtag, I ask you today to be a man and back up everything you said, talk the talk walk the walk, uncle BJ is mad already.”

Lentz has yet to respond to Penn’s challenge, and it’s unclear whether UFC officials would be comfortable with Penn coming out of retirement for a bout that’s less than two months away.

UFC President Dana White recently stated that Penn has been harassing him to return to action, and while noncommittal, White said he will have to see how the situation unfolds.

For more on UFC 197, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.