Apparently B.J. Penn is going to come out of his short-lived layoff from the sport to accept a challenge from a top prospect. Yesterday, Rory MacDonald was a guest on The MMA Hour and issued a respectful challenge to the future Hall of Famer. Penn has been stating that he was basically retired and had no plans to come back, but according to BJPenn.com, Rory's challenge was enough to get him back in the octagon:

In speaking with the director of BJPENN.COM, and after contemplating the matchup and possible return to action with his advisors, BJ Penn issued the following response to Rory MacDonald…

"Rory, I accept your challenge!"

Now all that is left is to get the UFC on board and put "Penn" to paper.

MacDonald wanted the fight at UFC 152 in Toronto on September 22nd and while it obviously hasn't been signed yet, Penn's website certainly indicates that he'll fight Rory in Canada. It also states where and when he'll discuss his next fight:

BJ Penn will be a guest this Thursday on our very own "Just Scrap Radio" to discuss his return to action. Tune in on Thursday at 1 p.m. ET right here on BJPENN.COM.

Rory Mac vs. B.J. is an awesome fight, and I really hope that this is all legit and it actually goes down in September.

SBN coverage of UFC 152