Yair Rodriguez Discusses Potential BJ Penn Retirement After One-Sided Beating

Yair Rodriguez was the first ever fighter to ever record a knockdown against BJ Penn, as it took Penn absorbing over a thousand strikes to finally fall to the ground. Rodriguez would get a second round TKO finish over Penn at UFC Fight Night 103. Rodriguez, despite putting a beating on the UFC legend, doesn’t know himself if Penn should retire or keep on fighting.

“I don’t know, man. I cannot say that (Penn should retire),” Rodriguez said to MMA Fighting. “I cannot be the one picking that up. It’s part of his life and his career. It’s up to what he wants to do. I felt him, (he was) strong. But it’s up to him, it’s up to him what he wants to do.”

Some pundits have criticized referee John McCarthy for an apparent late stoppage in the fight, but Rodriguez feels that McCarthy did his job well.

“I don’t think [it was a late stoppage], and less with a guy like B.J.,” Rodriguez said. “He’s a legend. When I started punching him on the ground, he was moving. I saw him moving. So I was actually being careful of him throwing up an [upkick] or grabbing me with a submission. I moved and I started hitting him again, and whenever I saw the referee stopping the fight, it was just an amazing moment. But I don’t think they should’ve stopped the fight before.”

Penn hasn’t announced his future plans yet as a professional MMA fighter, but it has been well over six years since he earned a victory.