UFC fighter stuck in wave pool: Relive B.J. Penn's horrific narration of almost drowning under a wall

B.J. Penn went through a frightening ordeal as he almost drowned under a wall after being stuck in a wave pool.

Last year, Penn shared horrific details of what happened and the aftermath on his Instagram page. He noted that he had been surfing for an hour before the lines to catch waves became longer, resulting in him being sucked into the wall.

He wrote:

"Because I was so close to the wall the wave swallowed me and pushed me and my surfboard underneath a huge cement wall. I remember feeling like I was getting sucked in a pipe and at that moment I got scared. It ended up pushing me into a big dark cement room that fills up with water to push the next wave for the wave pool. It felt like I was in the movie SAW or Final destination."

It's understandable that Penn's initial reaction was fear as he wasn't in control of his body because of how powerful the water was. He added that despite being bounced around and the circumstances, he knew his friend happened to be a legendary surfer and could rescue him, which helped him remain calm in that moment. 'The Prodigy' described the injuries he sustained, writing:

"Everything I bumped up against in the room that hurt me got infected. I got a bad sinus infection and a couple facial fractures from getting knocked around the cement walls and from the fractures the dirty water got in my face and infected my whole sinus. I was on antibiotics for three weeks for my face."

Penn added that he was grateful to survive and concluded his description of the ordeal by advising others to always remain calm if they find themselves in a similar situation.

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How many times did B.J. Penn successfully retain the UFC lightweight championship?

B.J. Penn was one of the most successful lightweight champions in UFC history during his second reign. He was regarded by many as one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the world at the time and proved it through his title defenses.

'The Prodigy' submitted Joe Stevenson via rear-naked choke in the second round to win the vacant lightweight championship at UFC 80. He then successfully retained the title on three occasions, which saw him also challenge then welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre at UFC 94.

The UFC Hall of Famer's title defenses included a TKO win over former lightweight champion Sean Sherk, a submission win over Kenny Florian, and a TKO win via doctor's stoppage over former TUF winner Diego Sanchez. His lightweight title reign came to an end at UFC 112 as he lost a unanimous decision to Frankie Edgar.