BJ Penn gets new opponent for comeback bout at UFC 199

MANILA, Philippines – With less than a month to go before his return to active competition, BJ Penn’s first fight out of retirement at UFC 199 on June 4 will come against fellow veteran Cole Miller.

Penn was supposed to face German featherweight Dennis Siver, who pulled out of the 3-round contest due to an undisclosed injury.

Miller stepped in for Siver to square off with Penn, a UFC Hall of Famer and one of the only two fighters in UFC history to win world titles in multiple weight classes.

Penn (16-10-2) announced his decision to come out of retirement this past January after briefly calling it a career when he suffered a brutal third-round stoppage loss to Frankie Edgar in July 2014.

The 37-year-old native of Hilo, Hawaii is currently on a 3-fight losing skid and has not won a single match since he knocked out Matt Hughes in just 21 seconds in November 2010.

On the other hand, Miller (21-9, 1 NC) will be making his first appearance in 2016 and is coming off an anticlimactic no contest against Jim Alers last December due to an accidental eye poke in the second round.

The last time that Miller had his hand raised in triumph was when he submitted Sam Sicilia with a second-round rear-naked choke in January 2014.

Miller, 32, was a contestant on “The Ultimate Fighter” reality television series’ fifth season, where Penn was a featured coach on the show opposite Jens Pulver.

UFC 199, which takes place at The Forum in Los Angeles, California, features two championship clashes as co-headlining main events.

Newly-minted UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold locks horns with former division kingpin Chris Weidman in a rematch, while bantamweight titleholder Dominick Cruz battles longtime rival Urijah Faber for the third time. – Rappler.com