B.J. Penn's Team Releases Statement On Domestic Abuse Allegations

Ultimate Fighting Championship Hall of Famer B.J. Penn made headlines yesterday after his estranged girlfriend and the mother of his two children, Shelean Uaiwa, filed a restraining order against him. The order was granted in February 2019 and is active up until October 2021.

Penn has not been arrested or charged by police at this time and on Thursday, his team released a statement through his BJPenn.com website.

“BJ is in a highly-contested child custody case involving his two young daughters,” the statement read. “The order of protection has made serious allegations against BJ. The allegations are so, misleading, hurtful and false that any further comment by BJ or about BJ would cause more damage to the well-being of his children and potentially further inflame the pending custody proceedings. BJ and his family ask that you respect their privacy at this very difficult time.”

Uaiwa has full custody of their two children, pending a June hearing, and Penn can currently only see them under supervision. In the filing, Uaiwa accused Penn of striking her on several occasions, menacing her mother and threatening to kill her brother and entire family. Uaiwa wrote that Penn has been a drug addict since he was 14 years old and once wanted to commit suicide when he got cocaine on their oldest daughter. She wrote that she has not gone public until now because of Penn’s “name, reputation, the control he has had over my life and I was scared.”

“I feel fearful for my safety and my [childrens’ lives], and for the influence he has over my children,” she wrote.

Penn is currently riding a six-fight losing streak and has not recorded a win inside the Octagon since his knockout of Matt Hughes at UFC 123 in November 2010. The 40-year-old is scheduled to fight Clay Guida at UFC 237 on May 11 in Brazil.