BJ Penn has now been ordered to undergo a mental health evaluation, in order to determine whether or not he’s fit to participate in the criminal cases that he’s currently facing. Penn has had issues with law enforcement multiple times over the last few years, but things have become much more serious recently. Not only has his encounters with the police increased, but the nature of them have become much more troubling too. It was Penn’s social media presence that first caused concerns, as he began claiming that dinosaurs and evolution were fake before eventually talking about people being replaced by imposters wearing masks.
That escalated fairly quickly to the point where Penn claimed that his own mother had been replaced by an imposter, before being arrested in his home and charged with “Abuse family or household member: offensive physical contact”. Further unsettling details emerged as Penn’s mother filed for a restraining order against him, but it sadly seems as though this hasn’t solved the problem. Just a few months after these events, Penn was arrested once again and charged with ‘violating a court order for protection’. Then, on October 8th, Judge Peter Kubota suspended the criminal proceedings until Penn could be examined for “fitness and penal responsibility”.
Penn will now undergo testing at the Adult Mental Health Division in Hawaii, where a mental health professional is expected to submit an opinion to the court “as to Defendant’s fitness to proceed, i.e., Defendant’s capacity to understand the proceedings against Defendant and to assist in Defendant’s own defense.” Penn will then be due back in court on January 9th, 2026, when the judge will decide next steps in the criminal complaint against him. This will take into account any recommendations or opinions that the mental health professional gives, including whether or not they believe Penn is fit to stand trial.
There are several possible outcomes for BJ Penn when it comes to both the mental health evaluation and the trial itself, including being remanded to “an appropriate institution for detention, care, and treatment.” Penn has reportedly been arrested 5 times this year according to MMAFighting, so there’s quite a lot for the court to consider in his case. The court has also ordered for an opinion to be submitted by mental health professionals even if Penn refuses to undergo the evaluation, so avoiding it isn’t going to nullify it completely and it will potentially still have some influence on the outcome regardless.
