Which UFC fighter got stuck in a wave pool? Former two-division UFC champ shared near-death experience

As UFC fighters, combatants are exposed to numerous dangers, including being knocked out cold, enduring dreadful weight cuts, and developing Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) as a result of accumulated brain damage. Yet B.J. Penn, a former two-division UFC champion, says his fighting background helped him get through a terrifying situation back in 2021.

Penn described being sucked into the engine room of a wave pool at a water park and nearly drowning in an Instagram post. The Hawaiian uploaded a photo of his injured face after suffering a swimming pool suction injury, which is known to pose a significant risk of fatal consequences. He captioned the post:

"Last year when I got sucked into a wave pool engine room and thought I was going to die... I kept thinking “don’t die for your kids” I was surfing for a about an hour and the line started getting longer to catch the wave. I was sitting next to the owner of the wave pool by the “wall” where the waves come from. The first wave it shoots out is a dud to get everyone ready for the next wave. The dud wave came back and because I was so close to the wall, the wave swallowed me and pushed me and my surfboard underneath a huge cement wall."

The former UFC fighter went on to describe the horrific incident and the aftermath of dealing with the traumatizing experience.

He concluded the post by expressing gratitude for all the years he spent fighting tough opponents inside the octagon, which, in retrospect, allowed him to remain composed during the near-death experience:

"Maybe I was the first guy in history to get sucked into a wave pool engine room while it is in operation but no matter what happens in life and no matter how scary it is if I can offer you any advice I would just say to “stay calm”. If I didn’t fight tough cu*ts my whole life I might have panicked, but it was just another day in the office."

Check out the full post below:

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When former UFC champ B.J. Penn's estranged girlfriend accused him of physical and sexual abuse

A restraining order was issued against B.J. Penn back in 2019 after his ex-girlfriend Shealen Uaiwa accused him of domestic violence.

Uaiwa was given a temporary restraining order against Penn in October 2019 after she accused him of physical and sexual assault. The order was extended until October 2021 at a hearing later in February 2021.

In a written statement acquired by MMA Junkie, Uaiwa stated that between 2015 and 2018, Penn threatened her mother and brother and attempted to wrestle her down and take my phone away. The former UFC fighter also slapped her in the head when he was drunk, forcing her to perform sexual activities.

She added that Penn has been a drug addict since he was 14 years old and that she did not disclose the occurrences because of his name, reputation, and influence he has had over her life.