Former UFC champion BJ Penn recently appeared on Jake Shields’ podcast where he made notable claims about what he refers to as a “Sabotage Squad” that he believes has attempted to undermine both his mixed martial arts career and political aspirations in Hawaii.
BJ Penn was basically sacked from the UFC when a video of him getting KO-ed in a random incident in Hawaii went viral. Dana White was firm that UFC will not feature Penn again after that.
Penn, who unsuccessfully ran for governor of Hawaii in 2022, revealed that persistent interference from this alleged group ultimately motivated his entry into politics. “What happened was the Sabotage Squad just kept sabotaging me, and I was like, ‘You know what? That’s enough,'” Penn explained during the interview. “They kind of hit me from a couple of angles, and I said, ‘I’m just going to run already.'”
The Hawaiian MMA star-turned-politician described his campaign experience as enlightening, suggesting it gave him deeper insights into local issues affecting his home state. Of particular concern to Penn is what he perceives as intentional food insecurity in Hawaii. “Jump in the car, drive down the road, and count how many junk, crappy, worthless trees you see before you find one tree with food,” Penn stated. “It’s not an accident.”
Drawing connections between food accessibility and social issues, Penn cited statistics claiming that “a 1% increase in food insecurity is a 133% increase in violent crime.” He argued that hunger significantly impacts community safety and social stability, using wildlife behavior as a comparative example.
Penn also discussed how the COVID-19 business closures influenced his political awakening. “They closed everything when it was all going on,” he recalled. “I was like, ‘Oh, this is a good reason to run.’ They were closing all the businesses, and everybody was just struggling.”
The former UFC champion acknowledged that his political campaign created some tension within his community, describing it as “a little bit of a civil war in Hawaii” as he found himself running against friends and family. Despite losing the gubernatorial race, Penn maintained that the experience was educational, stating, “I had so much fun running, and I learned so much.”
Penn’s interview highlights a growing trend of combat sports athletes becoming more politically active, particularly in response to pandemic policies.
