Despite being arrested on five separate occasions in 2025, B.J. Penn is once again running for office in Hawaii, but this time for a local council seat.
This is not the former lightweight champion and UFC hall of fame inductee’s first venture in politics, as he set out to make a run at becoming governor of Hawaii back in 2022.
In addition to the multiple arrests that Penn is facing repercussions for, he also had a restraining order filed against him by his mother, who is alleging she was victim to severe psychological abuse from the former fighter. She believes that her son is currently suffering from an extreme delusional syndrome, which has been the root cause of his troubles in recent years.
“I believe my son [B.J. Penn] is suffering from Capgras delusional syndrome (a psychiatric disorder in which a person holds a delusion that a friend, spouse, parent, other close family member has been replaced by an identical imposter),” Shin told police when filing for the restraining order. “He believes I’m an imposter who has killed his family to gain control of the family assets.
“In the best interest for my safety, I ask the court for a six-month [temporary restraining order] and have my son ordered to get medical treatment or other source of therapy.”
Even with his current mental state as described by many sources close to Penn, he still intends to move forward with running for office, with his eye on being elected for the District 1 council seat.