BJ Penn won’t let his January stoppage loss to Yair Rodriguez be the last thing UFC fans remember about him. The former UFC lightweight and welterweight champion will return to the cage at a UFC Fight Night event in Oklahoma City on June 25.
Penn (16–11–2) will face fellow 38-year-old Dennis Siver in a featherweight contest, the UFC announced. The two men were originally scheduled to fight at UFC 199 this past June.
The Hawaiian has lost four straight and hasn’t won since knocking out Matt Hughes in 2010, while Siver (22-11, 1 NC) hasn’t competed in nearly two years and his last two outings were a unanimous decision loss to Tatsuya Kawajiria in 2015 and TKO loss to Conor McGregor in 2014.
The UFC also announced Johny Hendricks will take on Tim Boetsch in the middleweight division, strawweights Felice Herrig and Justine Kish will face off, and light-heavyweight prospects Josh Stansbury and Jeremy Kimball are set to throw down on the card.
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UFC Fight Night Auckland made official
A heavyweight showdown between knockout artists Derrick Lewis and Mark Hunt will headline the UFC’s return to New Zealand and the promotion announced a handful of other intriguing bouts.
Australia’s Daniel Kelly, fresh off a win over Rashad Evans, will face Derek Brunson who recently lost a controversial decision to Anderson Silva. Two-time UFC title challenger Joseph Benavidez takes on Ben Nguyen at 125 pounds and John Moraga meets UFC newcomer Ashkan Mokhtarian in another flyweight bout.
