BJ Penn talks about loss to Guida, says ‘the desire to compete is still there’

Despite suffering his seventh consecutive loss, BJ Penn wants to continue fighting.

Former two-division champion BJ Penn suffered his seventh consecutive loss at UFC 237, dropping a unanimous decision to wily veteran Clay Guida at the Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

‘The Prodigy’ hasn’t officially won a fight since 2010, when he scored a first-round knockout over Matt Hughes at UFC 123. Yet, despite his slew of bad luck in the Octagon over the last nine years, Penn, the promotion’s former lightweight and welterweight champion, still feels he has the drive to compete and wants to continue testing himself in the UFC.

“I know I am on a losing streak,” Penn said in a recent interview with Chris Taylor of BJPenn.com. “I think they said it is the longest in UFC history or something. But that being said, I am not going out there and getting knocked unconscious. There are ton of guys, who would be considered in their prime, who still get knocked out cold – even this past weekend. I still feel good and the desire to compete is still there. It was a good scrap with Clay, who is a really tough fight for anybody at 155. You know what they say Chris, Babe Ruth set a record for most strikeouts too right.” BJ said with a laugh. “But in all seriousness, I do this because I love it. Anderson Silva said it best. Never feel sorry for the Lion, because the Lion doesn’t feel sorry for himself when he is surrounded by a bunch of Hyenas ready to die.”

You can check out the rest of the interview here, where Penn opens up on his ex-girlfriend’s domestic abuse allegations.

Penn was once considered one of the greatest pound-for-pound fighters in the world and was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2015.