UFC Hall of Famer B.J. Penn has been known to voice his share of wild conspiracy theories, but his latest is genuinely concerning.
On Monday, Penn posted a pair of Instagram videos in which he appears to not recognize his mother, Lorraine Shin. Penn believes that his mother has been murdered and replaced with another woman.
In the first of two videos, Penn started with a selfie-style, expletive-filled message directed toward “Paul Abiley.” The text caption overlaid on the video reads: “F*ck the Abiley Family. Paul Abiley (Carlos Riveira) with the help of the government murdered my mom and brother!!! Like & Share. They are trying to steal everything from my family.”
The video then showed Penn’s mother cooking in a kitchen and walking a dog as he continued to explain his theory, while admitting he’s had thoughts of resorting to physical harm.
“This lady right here, look at her ass and legs. She is acting like my 79-year-old mother, but she is not my 79-year-old mother,” Penn stated, as he recorded his mother. “And it’s interesting when you Google ‘Lorraine Abile,’ our house pops up, ’cause this lady acts like Lorraine Inouye. So, you Google ‘Lorraine Abile,’ and this house pops up, and then you look, and my mom’s name starts popping up.”
“… She’s trying to steal everything, and this is not my mother. And I’m putting this out because she’s saying she’s going to get an attorney and try to do something. She’s trying to throw me out and if I attack her, she’ll try to do something, TRO (temporary restraining order) or something else.”
The second video posted to Instagram is similar to the first, but without Penn’s selfie portion, and includes different text captions. “Hilo police, this lady is not Lorraine shin! She is at our Penn family house right now #hawaii,” Penn wrote.
The woman in the video is Penn’s mother.
Penn, 46, has posted multiple pictures and videos with her over the years, which are easily found with an internet search. She was a also key supporter of Penn’s failed political campaign for Hawaii governor in 2022, which she promoted in videos posted to his Instagram account.
In the years before and following his retirement in 2019, Penn has experienced a number of legal troubles, including DUI arrests and a bar brawl assault that led to his UFC release.
A UFC Hall of Famer, former champion and No. 12 on MMA Junkie’s 30 greatest UFC fighters of all time list, Penn’s legacy as a fighter inside the cage has been solidified. However, outside of the cage, his actions have raised speculation of the effects of brain trauma as he continues to display deeply concerning behavior.
lol WTF
Mom is probably thinking about having him finally committed
Damn, that’s concerning. Not even CTE, that’s some schizophrenia shit.
Jeezus Beej…
CTE much?!
This ends poorly.
It’s no secret Penn has been using the hard drugs for years. I’ve seen this type of drug induced paranoia a few times on close friends and family over the years.
Saw someone claim he’s a legit meth head and it’s believable
Honestly that is pretty scary stuff.
If he thinks his brother and mother are imposters intent on doing him harm, that creates an unsafe environment for the both of them.
Sad to see BJ in this state. Truly a ‘phenom’ in his prime. Still think about that Uno KO.
Baloot or whatever its called
also
@ErikApple
I’ll agree with him about the ass & legs! But seriously this is pretty horrific to see. Like someone said before looks like schizophrenia or something. Horrible; BJ was one of my all time favorite fighters.
Jesus Christ I laughed way too hard at this
Damn! GSP really got him.
BJ’s been going down hill for a while now. His Instagram is nothing but insane shit that even Alex Jones would find retarded.
This is scary, hope he doesnt kill his mom!
On Monday, March 10, BJ Penn—a pioneering UFC fighter and champion—shared a chilling social media post in which he appeared not to recognize his own mother.
“This lady right here—look at her ass and legs—she is acting like my 79-year-old mother but she is not my 79-year-old mother,” Penn said in a clip that appeared to show a woman cooking in a kitchen and later walking her dog.
Penn went on to accuse his mother of attempting to steal and sell his home. “If I attack her, she’ll try to do something,” he said in the clip.
Penn’s alarming posts served as the latest example of his deepening cognitive and emotional decline. Once considered one of the greatest fighters of all time, Penn has emerged as a cautionary tale of the long-term consequences of head trauma and conspiracy-fuelled delusion.
Penn, whose real name is Jay Dee Penn III, was once a remarkable fighter. He was the second of nine fighters in UFC history to win championships in multiple divisions, becoming both the UFC lightweight and welterweight champion during his prime. He was also the first non-Brazilian to win the World Jiu-Jitsu Championship at a black belt level. His accolades made him a natural choice as the inaugural inductee in the modern-era wing of the UFC Hall of Fame in 2015.
It was also during this time that Penn’s legal troubles began to surface. He was arrested in 2015 and charged with assault after a brawl at a bar in Kihei, Hawaii. Four years later, Penn’s estranged girlfriend filed a restraining order against him in October from her and Penn’s children, alleging years of physical and sexual abuse. However, it was only after Penn was involved in another bar brawl—one where he was knocked unconscious—that the UFC opted to release him from his contract.
Penn was once again arrested and charged with a DUI in 2021. Footage showed the handcuffed Penn yelling racial slurs at the arresting officers.
Despite his history of alcohol-induced violence, Penn ran for governor in the 2022 Hawaii gubernatorial election. He campaigned on a platform of ending all COVID-19 mandates and restrictions, fuelled by his avid distrust of government.
“I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life but I would never run from a fight or sell out my people,” Penn posted on Instagram in October 2021. “As soon as I step into Hawaii’s Governor office I will remove All new federal and state mandates that have been hurting our economy, residents, and ‘ohana. We will get the best doctors, medicines, therapies, and health care the world has to offer to fight this pandemic and always keep Hawaii among the safest and healthiest states in the union.
“We will get rid of all vaccine passports. Hawaii will be a vaccinated with Aloha and Unvaccinated with Aloha policy for everyone. Same with the masks. We will follow the constitution to the tee. I am not here to fit in with the other politicians, I am here to get our freedoms back!”