Forget about Motivated B.J. Penn — ‘Prepared Penn’ is the real problem

Long before there was ‘Sea Level Cain’ or ‘TRT Vitor,’ there was ‘Motivated B.J. Penn.’

While most MMA memes are self-explanatory, the idea of Motivated Penn was always a bit more abstract. The B.J. Penn who ripped grown men to shreds then lapped up the blood of his enemies? That was motivated Penn. That was the same Penn who became a two-division UFC champion, the genuine MMA terror who excelled in every discipline of the game. Whereas, the B.J. Penn who got the bejesus beaten out of him into not one, but two retirements? Well, simply put, that was the unmotivated Penn.

The nickname became somewhat of a catch-all for fans to jokingly dismiss a bad performance. It didn’t help that towards the end of Penn’s run, there were plenty of bad performances to dismiss.

Of course, Penn never actually lacked the motivation to not get his face smashed in. The 37-year-old Hall of Famer, who is once again staring down the barrel of another comeback, is clear about that. But still, there grew to be some truth to the nickname, because in retrospect, Penn realizes that he never truly put himself in the best position to succeed — which is exactly why Penn sought out Greg Jackson, to help squeeze the last few drops from an already legendary career before it was too late.

“You know what? When I first got here, I’ll be the first to tell you, I wasn’t freaking doing hot,” Penn said Monday on The MMA Hour from Albuquerque’s Jackson-Winkeljohn Gym. “I was freaking getting taken down left and right, grounded and pounded. I was getting beat up on my feet, kicked, punched. But you know what? Man, Greg Jackson, that guy is the real (deal). You can see all of the other great trainers that he has, but me and him, somehow we clicked, man. Me and this guy clicked. We always did.”

Penn first arrived in Albuquerque in January. At the time, he was 18 months retired and still stewing about the dismal decline that ended his career.

Penn’s last fight, an embarrassing 2014 loss at the hands of Frankie Edgar, left zero doubt in the minds of many that the former UFC champion was a shot fighter. Penn knew the only way the MMA world would sign off on another comeback is if he left the cozy confines of Hawaii for outside help, and so he texted Jackson. So far, the marriage has proven to be a good fit.

“The first thing when I got here, [Jackson] goes, ‘B.J., this is the fun part. You’re excited. Everything.’ This is in January,” Penn said. “And then he goes, ‘if you’re going to do …

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