UFC 152's Rory MacDonald says B.J. Penn "better get serious or I'm going to hurt him very badly"

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

The UFC came into Toronto on Tuesday for a press conference to officially announce the UFC 152 card for Sept. 22, but there was a conspicuous absence on the dais: B.J. Penn. The former two-division champion, who will return on that card to face Rory MacDonald 11 months after "retiring," was not in attendance, and with that, MacDonald questioned just how well Penn is preparing for the fight.

"I'm training for the best B.J., you know what I mean?" MacDonald said (via MMAFighting.com). "I'm preparing to be the best version, I'm going to come out evolved. I'm going to come out in good shape, explosive, exciting like I always do, and I'm going to be very technical. I'm going to be on point. I don't know where B.J.'s at. He didn't even show up to this. He's dropping out of the VADA testing. The last time I saw him he looked really out of shape. I don't know where his head is at in this, but he better get serious or I'm going to hurt him very badly."

MacDonald expanded on the VADA issue, which gained some steam as a talking point when Penn wanted to have the results withheld until after the fight if they went with the random testing program. Penn's reasoning was he doesn't want MacDonald testing positive for something and the fight getting canceled, because then he doesn't get paid, but MacDonald thinks Penn was never serious about it in the first place.

"I think he did it just to start s***, to get something going," MacDonald said. "But I was up for it. I said 'let's do it.' I was ready to prove that I'm not on anything and maybe motivate other fighters to start doing it, too. But he was the one that offered it and then backed out of it. He started making all these sayings like they weren't going to release the test before the fight, and all this, and they never did. He started making up all this stuff, so I don't know really what's going on with B.J.'s head right now."

Penick's Analysis: Penn certainly does seem to be in his own world with things at times, and his take on VADA testing never made sense when he's trying to tout a clean sport. Willfully fighting someone who was on something when the point of testing is to keep fighters and athletes from performing while using is nonsensical, and Penn's arguments never moved it past that point. MacDonald's now just got to concentrate on himself, and not on Penn and any issues he may have. He needs to perform on Sept. 22, and if Penn's not ready for him that will be to his detriment.

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