BJ Penn has always been a wild man! Unpredictable would be an understatement considering the second-ever UFC double once left the UFC and fought a 225lbs version of Lyoto Machida in K1. In his heyday, Penn was untouchable! The youngest World Jiu-Jitsu champion at 21 and the first non-Brazilian to earn that distinction! Do we need to say anything else? Enter 2025! It is safe to say that the glory days of perhaps the most naturally gifted MMA athlete are over and even by his standards, the past few weeks have been something else. Penn has been making wild accusations, posting erratic videos, and calling out people he claims are conspiring against him.
His claims aren’t just about feuds or rivalries but rather about murder, government conspiracies, and even the idea that his mother, Lorraine Shin is an imposter. Last month, ‘The Prodigy’ posted a video that stopped fans in their tracks. The former UFC champion stood in his kitchen, filming his mother as she went about her day. But instead of a simple home video, the footage came with a chilling accusation. He pointed the camera at his mother and made an unsettling claim. “This lady right here, look at her a– and legs. She is acting like my 79-year-old mother, but she is not my 79-year-old mother…She’s trying to steal everything, and this is not my mother!”
In another Instagram story post, Penn accused a man named Paul Abiley of conspiring against him with the aid of the government and murdering his mother and brother. He wrote: “F— the Abiley Family. Paul Abiley with the help of the government murdered my mom and brother!!!! Like & Share. They are trying to steal everything from my family.”
The MMA community has been left with more questions than answers, unsure whether to treat this as a serious cry for help or another chapter in Penn’s long, troubled history outside the cage. But instead of an explanation, a plea for understanding, or even an outright denial, Penn finally responded to the concern without directly addressing the controversy. He posted a highly pixelated picture of himself in the ring with the statement “I don’t suffer from insanity, I enjoy every moment of it.”
The entire situation had spiraled into something completely surreal. Penn has had public meltdowns before, but this feels different. The erratic nature of his claims, the sheer weight of his accusations, and the paranoia laced throughout his messages all paint a disturbing picture. His social media has certainly turned into a diary of confusion, anger, and distrust. The fighter who once built his name on fearlessness and resilience now seems like a man fighting against shadows!
BJ Penn isn’t alone in paying the silent cost of combat
Penn’s case has reopened a conversation that combat sports have been avoiding for years and one that most fans and promoters would rather not acknowledge. CTE and the associated risks of long-term neurological damage. The slow, tragic decline of fighters who gave their bodies to the sport, only to lose themselves in the process. The signs have been there for decades, but the industry has never been willing to fully confront what happens to its athletes when the fighting stops. For some, it leads to memory loss, personality shifts, and emotional instability. For others, it leads to something far worse.
If we drift towards the pro-wrestling world, then Chris Benoit’s story remains the most haunting example. Once a respected WWE superstar, Benoit’s brain had taken so much damage that doctors said it resembled that of an 85-year-old Alzheimer’s patient. The result? An unthinkable crime that still haunts professional wrestling to this day.
Moreover, MMA isn’t scripted like pro wrestling so the risks are even greater. Fighters like Penn who took brutal punishment for years are now left navigating a future where the consequences of that damage are still being understood. The sport glorifies toughness, but it rarely prepares its athletes for what comes after. Brendan Schaub has already raised the alarm, warning that cases like this are only going to become more common.
To add another case, former interim heavyweight champ Shane Carwin once revealed his cognitive tests conducted at various medical institutions—such as the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health and Boston University’s Concussion Legacy Foundation. The reports indicated damage to his pre-frontal cortex and left hemisphere.
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