“Just Want to Say Thank You Hulk Hogan”- UFC Legend Details How Hulk Hogan Helped Him in His Career

Published 12/23/2021, 8:00 AM EST

‘The Prodigy’ made his UFC debut way back in 2006. Since then, he has fought against many fighters and has achieved what many can only dream of. Penn’s list of achievements includes capturing the UFC lightweight and the UFC welterweight belt.

Penn also tied the record for most title defenses in the lightweight division by defeating Sean Sherk, Kenny Florian, and Diego Sanchez. For his historical and record-breaking performances, UFC inducted Penn into the Hall of Fame in 2015.

The former UFC double division champion, B. J. Penn announced his retirement from the MMA scene after his last fight with Clay Guida. Penn ended his MMA career at the age of 43, with 7 back-to-back losses. It is highly unlikely that B.J. will make his return to the octagon.

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However, during a recent interview for his own website, Penn shared the criteria for his return. The legendary fighter talked about his love and respect for wrestling icon, Hulk Hogan.

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Penn said, “When we were talking about having him (Hulk Hogan) come out, I was just thinking of having him come and sit in the front row. But yeah, imagine walking out with him? Geez, I would come back for one more fight to make that happen.”

B. J. Penn talks about his inspiration for taking combat sports

In the same conversation, Penn revealed how his love for sports originated after watching the Hogan. He shared, “You know how it is. Everyone has that guy they look up to as a kid and for me, that man was the Hulkster.”

The prodigy opened up about how Hulk Hogan was his hero and a source of inspiration while he was growing up. He added,” Those are such some good memories to look back on. Hulk Hogan was a larger-than-life figure and I hope he realizes how many lives he’s touched in such a positive way.”

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Also, Penn shared his favorite memory from his childhood was watching Hulk Hogan body-slam and pin Andre the Giant at WrestleMania 3. He also thanked the ‘Hulkster’ and said, “Just want to say thank you Hulk Hogan.”

The former UFC champion also revealed that meeting Hogan Hulk is on his bucket list.

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Do you think B. J. Penn will ever make a return? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

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Written by:

Siddharth Negi is a UFC writer at EssentiallySports. This English graduate, who has been following MMA and the culture surrounding the sport for almost four years, elected to fuse his degree and interest to provide fans with the background information beyond the fights. Negi believes that combining his vast knowledge and curiosity for every little fact of the sport with his love for language can bring a change to the reader’s point of view.

“Just Want to Say Thank You Hulk Hogan”- UFC Legend Details How Hulk Hogan Helped Him in His Career

B. J. Penn talks about his inspiration for taking combat sports

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