Former UFC champion arrested in the US for the fifth time after violating protective order

B.J. Penn is part of the UFC Hall of Fame. (Photo: Getty Images)

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Unfortunately, many MMA figures face life's most difficult situations long after hanging up their gloves. For the fifth time in 2025, B.J. Penn was arrested in Hawaii last Monday (15). The former UFC lightweight (up to 70,3 kg) and welterweight (up to 77,1 kg) champion did not comply with a restraining order requested by his mother and was therefore detained by police officers in the city of Hilo during the afternoon.

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In a public statement, local police confirmed the incident and reported that the 46-year-old former wrestler was detained without attempting to fight back. The police also said that Penn was released on bail.

At 16:03 p.m. on Monday, September 15, 2025, Hilo patrol officers responded to a reported trespassing in the area of ​​Puueo Street in Hilo. Upon arrival, officers determined that Penn had trespassed in violation of the terms of a protective order to which he is a defendant. Penn was subsequently located in the area and arrested without incident. On Tuesday, September 16, he was charged with violating the protective order. His bail was set at $2.000, which he later posted.

UFC legend BJ Penn was arrested again after he violated a court-ordered restraining order filed against him by his mother https://t.co/cV8DuO1nvr pic.twitter.com/mKyfobuMra

— MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting) September 17, 2025

Nicknamed the Prodigy, B.J. Penn is one of the most successful fighters in MMA history. He was the second athlete to win belts in two different UFC weight classes, and has defeated the likes of Matt hugs, Takanori Gomi, and Sean Sherk. However, the Hawaiian's final years were disastrous. He suffered eight consecutive losses and was eventually fired from the UFC in 2019 after a video of him being knocked out in a street fight went viral.

BJ Penn has been struggling with mental health issues

B.J. Penn was arrested several times in 2025. Photo: Reproduction/X

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This isn't Penn's first run-in with the law. He's been arrested five times this year and has been banned from contact with Lorraine Shin, the former athlete's mother, since August. In recent months, he's been posting on social media accusing several relatives of being impostors who murdered his "real" family and replaced them.