B.J. Penn Runs For Hawaii Council Seat Amid Legal Troubles

UFC Hall of Famer B.J. Penn is running for local office in Hawaii while navigating a series of legal troubles that landed him in custody five times last year.

Penn, 47, filed to run for the District 1 council seat currently held by three-term incumbent Heather Kimball, MMA Fighting reports. The former two-division UFC champion previously ran for Hawaii governor in 2022 but lost that race.

Penn Faces Trial After Five Arrests In 2025

The retired fighter was arrested five times in 2025 on charges tied to alleged abuse of family members, according to court documents. His mother, Lorraine Shin, obtained a restraining order against Penn after accusing him of assault at her Hawaii home. Penn reportedly violated that order multiple times, leading to additional arrests.

In her petition for the restraining order, Shin told police that Penn had begun claiming family members were "killed" and replaced by imposters. "I believe my son [B.J. Penn] is suffering from Capgras delusional syndrome," she wrote, per the report. "He believes I'm an imposter who has killed his family to gain control of the family assets."

A judge ruled in June that Penn was mentally competent to stand trial on the charges. He is scheduled to appear in court on Aug. 28 to continue proceedings on the multiple arrests, but remains free to campaign for the council seat.

Reported via:

• MMA Fighting — UFC Hall of Famer B.J. Penn running for local office in Hawaii amid numerous other legal issues