The UFC announced late Sunday night that BJ Penn’s long-awaited and once-delayed return to the octagon will take place Oct. 15 against Ricardo Lamas in the Philippines.
According to BJpenn.com, Hilo’s Penn will be featured in the main event in a featherweight bout at UFC Fight Night Manila.
Lamas (16-5), ranked fourth in the featherweight division, is matched against a fighter from Hawaii for the second bout in a row. The Chicago native is coming off a unanimous decision loss to Oahu’s Max Holloway on June 4 at UFC 199.
Penn (16-10-2) hasn’t had a bout since losing to Frankie Edgar in 2014 at 145 pounds.
After being inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2015, the 37-year-old Penn was to have fought at UFC 199, but he was pulled from the card and accepted a six-month suspension for violating the mixed martial art’s organization policy on IV usage.