Who would have thought that the first non-Brazilian to win the World Jiu-Jitsu Championship and the man they call ‘The Prodigy’ would have a downfall that we are witnessing in 2025? We are of course talking about MMA legend and former two-division UFC champion BJ Penn! As if the second half of his career from 2009 to 2019 wasn’t painful enough, the Hawaiian native recently made headlines for troubling reasons. In a video posted on his official Instagram, Penn alleged that his mother Loraine Shin had been murdered and replaced by a clone. This bizarre claim left fans both confused and deeply concerned about the mental well-being of the legend.

The footage showed Penn’s mother moving around the kitchen. Despite this, Penn insisted that the woman seen in the video was an imposter planted in his home to take away his family’s fortune. Former UFC heavyweight Brendan Schaub addressed the situation on his YouTube channel, ‘Thiccc Boy,’ where he shared his thoughts on the matter.

Schaub feels a majority of it is because of the beating he has taken in his career which has resulted in mental trauma. However, he also believes that more such cases will be heard in the future as fighters have started to open up about their problems on social media. He said, “I think the majority of people’s concern is head trauma. You know. And when you start threatening physical violence and these crazy conspiracy theories that your mom’s not real. Like clearly there’s an issue there you know. And obviously, he has his legal troubles. He is not doing great. I think we are going to start to see more of this from some of your favorite fighters because of social media. That fourth wall is broken down now.” 

Penn has now deleted the infamous video but the controversy remains. While some, including Chael Sonnen, have speculated that Penn might have been trolling, concerns about his mental well-being have emerged. Upon closer examination of the video, many believe Penn may be facing deeper issues. UFC fighter Jared Gordon has suggested that substance abuse could be a factor in Penn’s troubling behavior.

Jared Gordon gives the fans a different angle on the latest BJ Penn incident

UFC fighter Jared Gordon recently made some claims that might not impress Penn’s fans. He feels Penn’s bizarre statements may be linked to substance abuse—specifically methamphetamine. This particular substance is reportedly widespread in his home state of Hawaii and might have affected the mental health of ‘The Prodigy’. While Gordon admitted that he never personally witnessed Penn using the substance, he stated that he had heard rumors and insider talk suggesting that it may be a factor in the former champion’s behavior.

While speaking to Home Of Fight he said, “What I have heard in the past and from rumors and things that I have heard… he [BJ Penn] had me———mine ab-se disorder. But I’m sure he drinks and does others, smokes w–d, probably. But m-th is huge out there [in Hawaii]. And knowing he’s acting the pa—oia, like, the delusion, you know, just screams m-th.”

For fans and the MMA community, it’s heartbreaking to see such a legendary fighter who was once considered unstoppable inside the Octagon in such a situation. What are your thoughts on this troubling development?