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Penn set to end retirement after calling out Diaz

BJ Penn lost to Nick Diaz in his last UFC appearance © Getty Images

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BJ Penn could be set to end a short-term retirement after an angry post on Twitter at former opponent Nick Diaz suggested he wants to make a comeback in the welterweight division.

Penn retired in the immediate aftermath of his defeat to Diaz at UFC 137 at the end of October, citing a desire to spend more time with his family as a key motivation. However, the 33-year-old took to Twitter on Thursday to take shots at two former opponents, Diaz and Jon Fitch, saying he will be ready to counter their tactics "next time we fight".

The uncharacteristic nature of the tweet led some to question whether Penn's account had fallen victim to a hacker, but the news director of his website, Pedro Carrasco, later confirmed on a forum that the former lightweight and welterweight beltholder is keen to get back into the Octagon after taking some time to reflect on his recent performances over the holiday period.

"There is a reason why he posted it. He is fired up because now that the holidays are over and a lot of his post-fight distractions are behind him he has nothing to do but think about things and he is not happy with the way he performed in his last several fights," Carrasco said.

"I am not here to make excuses for him, but I am pretty sure people, at least with some sense of intelligence, can identify that the BJ that fought [Frankie] Edgar, Fitch and Diaz was not the same Penn that fought the Diegos [Diego Sanchez] and [Kenny] Florians of the world.

"Things change, but as it sits right now, he is back. That killer mentality and fire is back and it's been brewing for a while now and today's tweet is a result of it just boiling over! Expect more from Penn to come for sure!"

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