"I am pro Second Amendment" - B.J. Penn talks Hawaii gun laws, improving education system, tackling corruption and more ahead of governor's election

UFC Hall of Famer B.J. Penn has given voters his stance on gun laws, education and the corruption in government ahead of the Hawaiian governor's election in November 2022.

Penn, a former lightweight and welterweight champion in the UFC, announced in October last year that he was running for Governor of Hawaii, the state he was born in. A proud Hawaiian, 'The Prodigy' is focused on his main goal of improving the lives of those that live on the island.

Speaking on KITV, the Hawaii Republican Gubernatorial Candidate was asked a host of questions that ranged from US gun control to corruption to education, all of which are viewed as major problems in Hawaii:

"Of course I knew all that kind of stuff was happening [corruption]. That's why I'm running... I can't be bullied and can't be bought... When I'm talking to all the other candidates, I wanna stand up there and say, 'Hey! If anybody here is running for office just to screw over the people, leave now!' All we ever wanted was someone for the people, not for themselves."

The 43-year-old added:

"I am pro Second Amendment. I'll take all my direction from the law enforcement and ask them what has worked and hasn't worked... [On Hawaii's education system] First thing we have to do is take care of our teachers, all of our teachers are starting to leave. We gotta get the kids inspired and get them into it. We got to get teachers who want to work with the kids. It's the environment... There's a lot of work to be done."

Catch B.J. Penn's full interview here:

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B.J. Penn on his struggles with retirement from MMA

Widely regarded as one of the best fighters to ever step into the octagon, B.J. Penn recently revealed that he initially struggled with life post-fighting. 'The Prodigy' enjoyed an incredibly successful career early on but suffered a seven-loss slump between 2011 and 2019 before announcing his retirement.

Since walking away from the cage, Penn has been involved in a number of controversies. Multiple DUI arrests, drunken assaults and a paternity lawsuit from a former partner have all come after the Hawaiian-born fighter stepped away from the octagon.

Making no excuses for his behavior, the former lightweight and welterweight revealed to Joe Rogan his initial struggle to adjust to 'normal' life post-retirement:

"I was just retired so I wasn't trying to keep my everything perfect in public. I was just running around, I was just a guy trying to come off of a 20-year journey of being the baddest man on the planet. So it was tough, it was really tough to get over that identity. As time went on I was living my life, some more ups and downs and like I say, sometimes I was judged fairly, other times I wasn't."

Watch the clip of B.J. Penn here: