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Brett Okamoto
Former UFC star BJ Penn was arrested and charged with third-degree assault on Tuesday, his sixth arrest of 2025.
Penn, 46, was taken into custody without incident at 11:50 a.m., according to the Hawaii Police Department. Officers responded to a report of assault at 1 a.m. the previous day at a residence in Hilo, Hawaii. The 45-year-old alleged victim accused Penn of punching and kicking him multiple times. The alleged victim sought medical treatment for injuries related to the assault.
Penn, whose birth name is Jay Dee Penn, posted $1,000 bail, according to police. He is scheduled to make his initial court appearance on the assault charge on Dec. 2. In Hawaii, conviction on a third-degree assault can result in one year in jail.
Penn, a former UFC lightweight champion, has been involved in a string of legal issues in 2025 and was ordered by a judge to undergo a mental health evaluation last month. Penn is scheduled to appear in court regarding that evaluation in January.
Most of the issues have stemmed from Penn’s stated belief that “imposters” have replaced his family members. His mother, Lorraine Shin, was granted a protection order against him earlier this year after making allegations of domestic abuse against him in May.
In April, Penn publicly asked the Hilo Police Department to investigate the murders of his family members, asking it to “investigate these fake frauds who are trying to steal everything from my family.”
Penn retired from mixed martial arts in 2019. His career ended on a seven-fight losing streak from 2011 to 2019, during which he suffered three losses via knockout.