BJ Penn on Frankie Edgar Rematch: "August 28 Is Too Far Away for Me"

In the days following BJ Penn’s shocking loss to newly minted lightweight champ Frankie Edgar, the UFC started laying the groundwork for a potential rematch.

While appearing on ESPN.com’s MMA Live, Penn confirmed that both he and the organization are interested in arranging an immediate mulligan, but the Hawaiian would prefer to fight well before the proposed August 28th date.

“That would be a longer delay than expected. August 28 is too far away for me. I’m 31, I want to have as many fights as I can until I can’t do this thing anymore. I want to get in the ring as soon as possible,” Penn told MMA Live.

If the 155-pounders were to meet on the rumored date, it would most likely headline UFC 118 at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts, however the show hasn’t officially been announced by the company.

Immediately after his UFC 112 loss, Penn admitted he wanted to get back into the Octagon ASAP, but wasn’t sure if the UFC would grant him a rematch right off the bat.

“As soon as the fight finished, the first thing I wanted to do was get back in the ring as soon as possible against one of the top contenders. But the UFC got back to us and expressed an interest about rematching Frankie for the title,” Penn continued.

He also went on to say any thoughts of him moving up to welterweight are premature because he only has one thing on his mind at this point in time.

“My focus right now has to be on Frankie Edgar,” the former champion explained. “There’s nothing else for me to think about right now.”

Kenny Florian and Gray Maynard are also rumored to square-off on the same card. It’s believed that scrap would serve as a lightweight top contender bout.

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