UFC Hall of Famer and former two-division league champion BJ Penn was ordered to undergo a psychiatric evaluation to determine whether he is mentally fit to participate in the criminal cases brought against him following multiple arrests in 2025.
On October 8, Judge Peter Kubota suspended the criminal proceedings against Penn until he completes an examination of his “fitness and penal responsibility,” as the court found grounds to doubt his mental sanity.
Penn is required to appear in court on January 9, when the judge will decide on the next steps regarding the criminal case against him.
If the psychiatrist determines that Penn is unable to understand the charges against him and cannot participate in the trial, the court will be presented with several recommendations, including the placement of the fighter into a “an appropriate institution for detention, care, and treatment.”
The court also ordered that the evaluation report be submitted even if Penn refuses to undergo the psychiatric examination, which could also lead to his placement in a medical facility.
In September, Penn was again detained in Hilo for violating a restraining order filed by his own mother. This marks the fifth arrest of the former UFC champion in 2025. Previously, Penn had been repeatedly behind bars, including twice on charges of violence against a family member or a person living with him.
It is worth recalling that Penn claims his mother and brothers were killed and replaced by impostors as part of a conspiracy to seize the family estate.
