UFC Hall of Famer B.J. Penn arrested on assault charge in latest sad twist

Former UFC star B.J. Penn is facing legal trouble again in Hawaii after being arrested and charged for allegedly beating up a man on Tuesday morning, according to a news release issued by Hawai’i Police. 

Police were called to an assault at a home in Hilo, Hawaii, at 1 a.m. Tuesday, where a 45-year-old man told officers that Penn had “punched and kicked him multiple times before the alleged victim was able to leave the area and contact police.”

“The victim later sought medical treatment for his injuries at Hilo Benioff Medical Center,” according to the release. 

Cops caught up with Penn at 11:50 a.m. and took him into custody without incident and charged him with third-degree assault. 

Bail was set at $1,000, which the ex-fighter posted. 

Penn will return to court on Dec. 2. 

Tuesday’s incident was Penn’s latest run-in with the law this year after he was arrested five times over a four-month span related to an ongoing family dispute. 

His last arrest came back in September when he violated a court-ordered restraining order that his mother, Lorraine Shin, had been granted against Penn.

The 46-year-old former fighter had claimed that his family had been replaced by impostors after being killed. 

Penn had been first arrested this year in May on family abuse charges after he allegedly pushed his mother into a car. 

Penn had been a Brazilian jiu-jitsu prodigy and became the first non-Brazilian to win the black belt division of the World Jiu-Jitsu Championship before making the jump to MMA. 

He debuted at UFC 31 and eventually took hold of the UFC Welterweight championship in 2004 and the lightweight championship in 2008. 

Penn’s last UFC bout came during UFC 237 on May 11, 2019. 

Penn was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2015.