The real reason B.J. Penn is running for Hawaii Governor - he believes mountaintop telescope is Chinese weapon
UFC Hall of Famer B.J. Penn is considered by many to be one of the best mixed martial artists of all time. Last October, 'The Prodigy' announced his political aspirations by revealing that he was running for the Governor's Office in his home state of Hawaii.
In several interviews since the announcement, the former UFC fighter has spoken about issues he would like to address if he gets elected, such as improving the state's education system and putting a stop to corruption, among others.
However, in an appearance on episode #274 of the MSCS Media Podcast, the 44-year-old revealed one of the major issues he wishes to address as Governor. Penn believes that the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) being built on the dormant volcano Mauna Kea is a Chinese weapon:
"So they are trying to build this thirty-meter telescope up on the mountain and all kinds of stuff could happen on top of Mauna Kea... like [a] gas leak. Anything could happen... eventually it's all going to hit the water... And they are trying to put this thing up there. China owns the thing... I think it's a weapon, I think it's a laser to shoot something, I don't know."
BJ Penn says that he plans to run for mayor of Hawaii County in 2024. One of the key issues is the construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) on Mauna Kea. BJ is against TMT because he believes that the telescope is actually a China-owned weapon. https://t.co/7SQNZOCfsy
Penn questioned the motive of placing such a telescope up on the mountain, saying that the Chinese could make better use of the equipment if they placed it on the international space station.
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The MMA fighter argued that the only motive for placing the TMT on Mauna Kea is for the Chinese to get complete jurisdiction over the dormant volcanic mountain.
Watch the full podcast featuring B.J. Penn below:
When former UFC lightweight champion picked B.J. Penn over Khabib Nurmagomedov as the lightweight GOAT
In a 2022 interview with TMZ Sports, former UFC lightweight kingpin Benson Henderson stated that B.J. Penn was the undisputed lightweight GOAT.
The 39-year-old claimed that the level of competition 'The Prodigy' fought against was more difficult than what Khabib Nurmagomedov faced. Henderson claimed that as far as the GOAT discussion was concerned, 'The Eagle' was not even in the same ballpark as Penn:
"The greatest lightweight of all time? Without a doubt, hands down B.J. Penn... For sure [Penn had a better career than Nurmagomedov, who retired 29-0]. Go look up the record of those 29 people he beat and then go look at the guys that B.J. beat, look at the record of the guys B.J. lost to... For what it's worth, I have got to go with B.J. It's not even close."
Watch Benson Henderson detail why B.J. Penn is the lightweight GOAT below: