B.J. Penn off UFC 132 card with Jon Fitch's removal due to injury [UPDATED]

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

B.J. Penn will no longer take part in the UFC 132 card in Las Vegas on July 2.

The former UFC Lightweight and Welterweight Champion is off the card after the loss of his originally scheduled opponent Jon Fitch to injury, according to multiple published reports.

UFC officials had been searching for a replacement for Fitch, who suffered a shoulder injury in training, but according to reports Penn told the UFC he'd rather postpone his return.

Penn moved back up to the welterweight division last November after a second consecutive loss to Frankie Edgar at lightweight. At UFC 123 in November, Penn knocked out his old foe Matt Hughes in 21 seconds in their rubber match, and then fought to a draw with Fitch at UFC 127 in February. There's no word on how long he'll stay out of action.

Penick's Analysis: That's a blow to this card. There were some very interesting possibilities presented with Fitch's removal from the card, the leading choice being a bout between Penn and Carlos Condit, but now that he's off the card entirely it's a definite hit to the top of this card. With Urijah Faber and Dominick Cruz headlining a UFC event for the very first time the July 2 pay-per-view event is definitely going to suffer from a buyrate standpoint.

UPDATE: According to Josh Gross at ESPN.com, Penn's decision to pull himself on the card is due to an injury he himself suffered in training that will require rehabilitation. No word on what the injury is or what his timetable for return could be.

[B.J. Penn art by Cory Gould (c) MMATorch.com]

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