The troubled life of UFC Hall of Famer BJ Penn took a disturbing new turn on Sunday when the former champion was accused of abusing a family or household member. The allegations surfaced after a troubling video began circulating online, showing police attempting to handcuff ‘The Prodigy’ inside his bedroom. He was arrested in Hilo, Hawaii, but released the following day on $2,000 bail.

In a shocking defense, BJ Penn claimed the individuals involved—his mother, Lorraine Shin, and his brothers—were not actually his family. According to him, they are “imposter theft clones” pretending to be his relatives in order to carry out fraudulent activities. Despite the claim, the situation only grew more serious.

Police arrested the former lightweight champion again on Monday on similar abuse-related charges. The controversy deepened when his mother, Lorraine Shin, officially filed for a restraining order. As reported by veteran MMA journalist Damon Martin on X, “BJ Penn’s mother also filed for a restraining order today against her son claiming he has been ‘using extreme psychological abuse’ towards her for months, claiming she ‘killed his family and have taken over his mother’s identity.’”

Controversy and legal battles has always surrounded BJ Penn’s personal life, largely linked to his struggles with alcoholism since 2015. Dana White & Co. tolerated this behavior until 2019, when ‘The Prodigy’ set the unfortunate record of losing eight fights in a row. As the former UFC champ’s next fight was about to be announced, a viral clip emerged online showing him involved in a bar brawl, which led the UFC to release him.

The Hawaiian’s recent issues have been linked to CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy), a degenerative disease caused by repeated head trauma. This condition also forced former UFC star Ronda Rousey to retire early from MMA, highlighting how serious BJ Penn’s medical situation likely is.

Former UFC champion responds to BJ Penn’s mental health struggles

Originally linked to football, CTE is now increasingly recognized in MMA, especially among fighters who have endured repeated head trauma. BJ Penn, one of the greatest lightweights in UFC history, has faced this harsh reality firsthand. Over his nearly two-decade career, ‘The Prodigy’ defied his smaller stature by competing across multiple weight classes, including heavyweight and light heavyweight. He became a two-division UFC champion and was the first non-Brazilian to win the World Jiu-Jitsu Championship—highlights of an extraordinary resume.

Yet, amid these achievements, BJ Penn absorbed countless blows to the head, and the long-term effects are now becoming apparent. He once reflected, “If I harm any of these people that are acting like my mom or my brothers, I go to jail and lose everything. If they harm me, nothing will happen to them and I lose everything…“

It’s heartbreaking to witness. Matt Serra, BJ Penn’s fellow former UFC champion, addressed his friend’s current state on Mike Perry’s podcast: “I love BJ, man. When you see him, he’s smiling, and I had on my podcast, we reminisced for like an hour. It was the old BJ, you know, no, but the thing is this– I made sure not to talk about politics or anything remotely close to politics, you know. So I got the old BJ with that interview… and I had a really good time reminiscing with him. But I did see that, I seen that today, and I heard other things. And, you know, it’s very upsetting.”

As BJ Penn faces new challenges, the MMA community is still processing the situation. Updates are limited for now, but stay tuned for more.