White: B.J. Penn wanted Henderson as stepping stone to Frankie Edgar trilogy

RIO DE JANEIRO – B.J. Penn has his trilogy fight set up with Frankie Edgar, and he didn’t have to take any extra steps to get there.

Penn (16-9-2 MMA, 12-8-2 UFC), who hasn’t fought in nearly a year, will emerge from a non-retirement retirement of sorts to coach opposite Frankie Edgar (16-4-1 MMA, 10-4-1 UFC) on Season 19 of “The Ultimate Fighter.” That news came out this past week, and the two will fight at the season’s conclusion sometime in the first half of 2014.

It will be the third meeting between the two, with Edgar taking the first two bouts – both UFC lightweight title fights in 2010.

But according to UFC President Dana White, Penn was willing to take an extra step in order to get to the fight he really wanted – the third shot at Edgar.

White, speaking to a small group of reporters in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday, said Penn asked for a fight with fellow former champ Benson Henderson, thinking that a win over “Smooth” would be enough to then ask for a fight with Edgar and a drop to featherweight.

“He (originally) said he wanted to fight Ben Henderson,” White said. “I said, ‘Why would you want to fight Henderson?’ (He said), ‘Because I think it’ll get me a Frankie Edgar fight.’ I said, ‘Well, why don’t we just talk to Frankie Edgar and see if Frankie Edgar wants to fight you,’ and they do. They both want to fight each other.”

Both fighters have been on rough runs of late. Penn has just one win in his past six fights – a 21-second “Knockout of the Night” against Matt Hughes at UFC 123. Prior to that win, he lost his lightweight title to Edgar at UFC 112, then dropped another decision to him in the rematch at UFC 118.

After his win over Hughes, he fought to a draw with Jon Fitch at UFC 127. Later that year, he fought Nick Diaz and was dominated in the standup game at UFC 137. He alluded at retirement after that loss, but more than a year later, he returned to fight Rory MacDonald this past December – and again dropped a decision with the young Canadian winning the boxing game.

Edgar returned to the win column in July with a “Fight of the Night” win over Charles Oliveira at UFC 162. That got him back on track after three straight losses in title fights. He lost his belt to Henderson at UFC 144, lost a split decision in the rematch at UFC 150, then dropped to featherweight and lost a title shot against Jose Aldo in February.

White said both sides believe they have the edge in the bout.

“Frankie Edgar is saying he’s going to retire B.J. Penn once and for all, and B.J. Penn is saying, ‘I know I can beat Frankie Edgar, and I’m going to beat him,’” White said. “They’ll both be great coaches (next) season – they’re great coaches, and then we’ll get the fight.”

Although White has been vocal in saying he believes Penn should retire, he insists that Penn never went that far and has been keeping the door open, apparently for the right opportunity.

And it looks like that opportunity will be a spot coaching “The Ultimate Fighter” on FOX Sports 1 (he also coached Season 5 of the show), then his first drop to featherweight. Penn was a UFC champion at both welterweight and lightweight.

“B.J. never retired. I was saying B.J. should retire, but he never did,” White said. “It’s not like some of these other guys who have retired and then said, ‘I’m not retired anymore’ when they should stay retired.”

“The Ultimate Fighter 19? is expected to feature light heavyweight and middleweight UFC hopefuls. Filming begins in Las Vegas in mid-October.

For more on the UFC’s upcoming schedule, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.

(Pictured: B.J. Penn)