Brendan Schaub worried for B.J. Penn's mental health after being targeted in bizarre post
Like many in the MMA community, Brendan Schaub is concerned for the well being of UFC legend B.J. Penn.
Schaub, a former UFC heavyweight contender turned podcaster and comedian, recently commented on the state of Penn's mental health after he was the subject of one of Penn's most recent bizarre social media rants.
Penn posted a video insinuating that he's deceased NFL star Aaron Hernandez, while also claiming that CTE is a conspiracy to fade out aging athletes from contact sports. This post came not long after Penn was calling for police help, claiming that his mom and brother had been murdered and replaced by imposters.
Schaub's original reaction to Penn's post was one of disbelief.
"So many people sent this to me in my group chats and obviously on Instagram," Scahub said on his YouTube channel. "Here's the way I first looked at it: People take shots at me all the time, catch strays, and that's on the internet, and I don't really engage with it. And then towards B.J., I just figured it was another of these 'Real Housewives' of MMA thing, and I was like, 'OK, he's doing it for attention and get clicks and all that bullsh*t, and it's hilarious.' I was like, 'Oh, God. Here we go, B.J.' And I love B.J. It never hurts my feelings. I don't take any of it personal ever. People love drama in MMA."
That disbelief quickly turned into concern after Scahub got a call from former UFC and Strikeforce fighter Jason Miller, who told him that Penn's post was not a comedy bit.
"I was like, 'Oh, well, you took the wind out of my sails," Schaub said. "That's not funny anymore. That's not fun. I was going to repost it, and I had some jokes, and have fun with it, but it's just more sad than anything. I figured he did this because with B.J. stuff, I never had fun with it. It was always like, 'This dude needs help. This doesn't end well. It's a shame to see. It's a legend.' So it takes all the fun out of it. This is not something to mess around with."
Penn, 46, stopped fighting professionally in 2019. He left the UFC on a historic losing skid, having lost seven fights in a row and being 1-1-9 in his last 11 UFC fights. Toward the end and after his UFC run, the Hawaiian stayed in the headlines for many different reasons.
Penn was arrested in 2015 for getting into a brawl outside a bar in Kihei, Hawaii. It was one of the several street altercations Penn was caught on video, with the most infamous showing Penn getting knocked out twice in 2019 also outside a bar in Hawaii. Penn also had two DUI incidents – one in 2021 and the other in 2020.
Penn also ran for Hawaii governor and lost in the republican primary after a heavily scrutinized political campaign.
Scahub, who retired from MMA partly to preserve his mental health, hopes "The Prodigy" can get some help.
"Still a fan. Still love him, but I definitely want to get him help if he's open to it," Schaub said. "There are some sources that can help him."
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Ex-UFC star concerned for B.J. Penn's mental health after bizarre post
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