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B.J. Penn to have cataracts surgery, isn't sure if he'll fight again

Former two-division champion B.J. Penn will undergo surgery to repair eye damage from cataracts this week.

USA TODAY Sports

Future Hall of Famer B.J. Penn has been suffering from cataracts in his left eye, and the UFC helped to set him up with a doctor in Utah that will fix the problem for him. Penn, who has lost his last two fights and has flirted with retirement for a while now, discussed the surgery on his website:

"I got a cataract in my left eye and I'm heading out to do see Dr. Crandall", disclosed the former UFC Champion. "He is the guy that did Margarito's eye and the UFC set this up for me."

He said that he's been dealing with the issue for over a year, and apparently enough was enough for the former champion. The UFC set him up with Crandall because his surgery on boxer Antonio Margarito was successful enough to allow Margarito to pass athletic commission tests and resume his career, which apparently hasn't been the case for any other athlete. If the surgery is successful, Penn said he's still not sure if he'll continue to fight or not:

"I'm definitely hesitant to fight right now with the cataract in my eye", he expressed. "People ask me all the time if I'm going to fight again and I almost just want to change the subject because right now, I definitely don't want to fight with a cataract in my eye."

...

"The number one reason for the surgery is just for daily life," said the future Hall-of-Famer. "I have a tough time driving at night when the lights are shining and I'd like to get that back. On the other hand, you never know what you're going to be thinking if the surgery goes well. If I go in the gym and I'm knocking down all my sparring partners and doing awesome I would definitely think of fighting again."

He said in the piece that his eye was not a factor in his loss to Rory MacDonald at UFC on Fox 5 and that Rory just fought a great fight, but you'd have to think that it had some effect. Hopefully the surgery is successful and Penn can resume fighting if he wants to.