BJ Penn's presence is truly something special, and the close-quarters proximity of an elevator makes things personal in a hurry. His team of friends and coaches had already crammed into the metal box; they were just waiting for Penn to make his way in.

The "It" factor most athletes and entertainers try to project, the fighting pride of Hawaii has by the truckload. And fans love him for it.

The open workouts for UFC on Fox 5 in Seattle in December 2012 had drawn a strong crowd, which signaled to Penn's starpower remaining intact. Penn's status had taken damage on a different level in recent years, as the kinetic-flowing, blood-licking scrap machine only looked the part in clips rather than in tidal waves.

Frankie Edgar's dominance pushed Penn out of the lightweight division he once ruled, but a first-round starching of Matt Hughes stamped a triumphant return to welterweight. Nevertheless, a stalled effort led to a draw against Jon Fitch, and a one-sided beatdown of a variety no one had seen Penn receive inside the cage followed from Nick Diaz.

Therefore Penn showed up in Seattle with urgency to turn everything around, and rising Tristar product Rory MacDonald was the target. The British Columbia native had some of the same buzz attached to his name as a young Georges St-Pierre once did, and Penn's rivalry with GSP served as proper fuel to keep the war fires raging.


Dec 8, 2012, Seattle, WA, USA; Rory MacDonald, left, fights B.J. Penn during their first round welterweight bout at MMA on FOX 5 at Key Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

And while Penn's focus was strong, and his mood smooth as butter upon entering that elevator, the former two-division champion would be the first to address the doubt surrounding him.

The future Hall of Famer questioned everything about his approach, even breaking things down to ask if he was still worthy of his legendary walkout music. As the elevator buzzed around us with chatter between Team Penn, the star at the center of it all was trying to figure out his place. 

"When that song comes on I know everybody is tuned in and it's time," Penn said in 2012. "It is hard for me to talk about that song, honestly. Sometimes I wonder if I have done that song disrespect because I haven't been on a winning streak. Does the song still give me the same fire it did years ago? We will see. But I have a feeling come Saturday night, I am going to feel the same way I felt the first time I walked out to it. I just feel something right now. I don't know what it is, but it is a great feeling."

Penn would go on to get crushed by MacDonald that night at KeyArena in a marginally worse shellacking than he suffered against the eldest Diaz brother. Fast forward 49 months and swim through a metric ton of projected motivation and reinvigoration later, and the reality of where Penn stands in his fight career has swung to a darker realm.

Plenty of chaos has unfolded in the space between the loss to MacDonald to where the MMA legend now stands following Sunday's defeat at the hands of Yair Rodriguez in Phoenix, Arizona. Two-and-a half years separate a pair of brutal losses, and in both cases fight fans and media alike were left wondering just what Penn was doing inside the Octagon in the first place.

Frankie Edgar crushed the Hilo native with a ground-and-pound assault to close out their trilogy at The Ultimate Fighter Season 19 Finale in July of 2014. Edgar wasted no time putting Penn on the canvas, where he proceeded to unleash a beating Penn no answers for.


Dec 8, 2012, Seattle, WA, USA; Rory MacDonald, left, fights B.J. Penn during their first round welterweight bout at MMA on FOX 5 at Key Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

Following his loss to Edgar in Las Vegas, Penn announced he would retire from the sport he helped build, and it seemed a fitting move for a once great competitor who didn't have much left to offer.

Nevertheless, in his time away from the cage, how things ended against Edgar ate at Penn. The jiu-jitsu phenom turned MMA champion didn't want the final image of his storied career to be the bloodied and bruised version draped in defeat.

After an 18-month stint away from competition, Penn officially announced his intentions to return to the Octagon in January of 2017. And while the coming year would be filled with enough rough waters and scandal to keep him on the sidelines throughout, Penn remained adamant his comeback would be sensational enough to turn everything around.

Rather than face a perennial title contender, the promotion saw it fit to pit Penn against a surging fighter in the process of making a name at the elite level. That fighter was Rodriguez, and the two men would clash at UFC Fight Night 103 on Sunday in Phoenix.

Penn spent the weeks leading up to the fight doing the necessary things to sell the main-event tilt, but his passion in pre-bout interviews had the same effect they've always had.


Oct. 29, 2011; Las Vegas, NV, USA; UFC fighter B.J. Penn against Nick Diaz (not pictured) during UFC 137 at the Mandalay Bay event center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Fight fans started to get excited about the possibility of the unstoppable version of the former welterweight champion emerging.

Fight fans began to think it was possible Penn would return to his grappling roots and neutralize a dangerous striker by giving him an education on the ground.

Fight fans started to believe once again, and Penn's overflowing confidence and "Drain your bank account and bet it all on me" mentality, combined with his talk of another title run swayed some fans into thinking the mythological, motivated version of the once-great champion could actually return.

Unfortunately for Penn, the same song that had been playing since 2011 rolled on, but the end result was at a new level of devastation. While Penn had mustered competitive moments in his previous losses, there was nothing of the sort to be found Sunday night in Phoenix.

Penn found a home for a counter left and a right hand in the opening minutes of the fight, but once Rodriguez started to open up his arsenal and let his weapons fly, the massacre began. The Mike Valle-trained striker unleashed a spectacular display of violence as he pounded away at Penn from all angles in an unrelenting attack.

The fact Penn survived the opening round was a huge accomplishment, but just making it out of a frame is a far cry from the type of performance Penn used to give on the regular... the type of performances that led to him being widely regarded as the greatest lightweight fighter of all time.

When referee John McCarthy stepped in to end the fight in the opening minute of the second round, it felt as if the mercy didn't arrive anywhere close to quickly enough. The young lightning bolt Rodriguez dismantled the weathered veteran in a fashion that will drastically alter the paths of both fighters going forward.


Jan 15, 2017; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Yair Rodriguez (right) knocks down B.J. Penn with a kick in the second round during UFC Fight Night at Talking Stick Resort Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

"The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America" season one winner will absolutely be paired with one of the biggest names in the 145-pound fold for his next go, while Penn will be forced to make the toughest decision of his career. He's already retired or gone on hiatus multiple times over the past 16 years, but should Penn forge ahead on his journey through MMA, the scenery will be different in the aftermath of his loss to Rodriguez.

While Penn's passionate and faithful following has been able to suspend reality time and time again in hopes of a triumphant return by its hero, the ability to do so will be far more trying than ever before.

The 38-year-old competitor had lost one-sided affairs on several occasions inside the Octagon, but his bout against the surging striker was in a different category. As Rodriguez slung one high-powered strike after the next, and did so with the worst of intentions, the potential of Penn suffering serious damage evoked fear for the Hawaiian's well-being.

Penn's legendary chin allowed him to survive shots that would have brutally slept the majority of his peers, but once Rodriguez's shins and toes began to ruthlessly pepper Penn, it became crystal clear the bout would only end one way.

The uncertainty of MMA and the "anything can happen on any given night" reality of the sport will forever keep any matchup up for grabs, but fighters who live in those margins have brutal careers.

A fighter as talented as Penn should never exist there, but that is the cold hard truth of the situation in the here and now.


Jan 15, 2017; Phoenix, AZ, USA; B.J. Penn claps after being knocked out by Yair Rodriguez during UFC Fight Night at Talking Stick Resort Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Penn is responsible for bringing in two generations of fighters and fans who all fell in love with the sport because of watching "The Prodigy" carve his place into MMA history. When his career is said and done, Penn will hold court as royalty and will be remembered for pulling off remarkable performances inside the Octagon.

That said, before time can create the reverence and romance of days that have long since passed, Penn has to get on with facing up to his situation. No one (this author included) can tell Penn when it's time to hang up the gloves for good, because there isn't a soul in the world who knows what motivations pulse below the surface.

Yet, in the aftermath of UFC Fight Night 103, Penn has to know the matchup options for him going forward will continue to be unkind. The potential third divisional title Penn has touted was snuffed out of existence Sunday night, and he was used to promote a future star in the process.

That's fair play and the expected cycle of life in the fight game, but the Rodriguez fight scratched that particular option off the table going forward. The only other scenario would be to use Penn in the notorious "Rich Franklin Option," which would pit him in bouts against fellow aging veterans who are neither in the title hunt nor will be in the larger scheme of things.

Penn's versatility to compete in numerous divisions makes those pairings possible, but there aren't many that seem all too inviting from a stylistic point of view. The only matchups that come to mind off the top would be Dennis Siver at featherweight or fighting Gilbert Melendez in a return to 155 pounds.

Nevertheless, even with several options available, the bigger question looming will be just how willing fans are to watch Penn fight again. Following the loss to Rodriguez, social media platforms lit up calling for Penn's retirement, and while some of that immediate reaction was passionate reaction, there certainly seems to be a larger signal pointing to Penn's long-held magic finally wearing off.


Jan. 30, 2009; Las Vegas, NV, USA; UFC fighter B.J. Penn at the weigh in prior to the fight against Georges St-Pierre (not pictured) for the welterweight championship in UFC 94 at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino. St-Pierre defeated Penn with a fourth round TKO. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

There's no way around the fact the past several years have been unkind to Penn, but continuing to stack up losses and stilted performances will do serious damage to his overall legacy. There's no doubt Penn is a very proud man who is a fighter through and through, but one victory in his past eight outings is that stern look in the mirror fighters do their best to avoid.

And with his most recent loss coming against a leader of the new school like Rodriguez, it's clear Penn's time as an elite fighter passed. With all Penn has given the game and the special moments he's carved into the memories of fight fans to carry, it's somber to think the best of an incredible fighter has come and gone.

But such is the nature of the game, and the odds of a great B.J. Penn redemption have all but flatlined. And that's OK. It's just the way things go--and will always go in mixed martial arts.

On the flip side, there will always be a version of Penn fans remember. Just before stepping out of the elevator that day four years ago in Seattle, he summed it up in classic Penn fashion. He tied it all together with simplicity and humility, and his "what you see is what you get" perfection is the sentiment that will endure forever.

"I saw an article recently that talked about how I still hold court with the fans," Penn said. "All these big names and everybody still get excited about me. People getting excited to hear about my training or what I'm doing... that is really amazing to me.

"I always ask my family and my friends, 'Why do the fans like me so much? I'm the biggest f-up there is.' Is it because I represent the average man? Is it because I'm a fat guy trying to go out there and give it his best shot like everybody else? I don't know exactly what it is, but I'll tell you right now it blows me away. I don't understand it, but I definitely appreciate and love my fans."