“The Prodigy” is back at it (again).
In recent years, unfortunately, retired Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) legend B.J. Penn has gained notoriety for spreading bizarre conspiracy theories, including a recent claim that the government murdered his mother and replaced her with an impostor.
This past weekend, Penn shared another outlandish theory on Instagram, alleging that former UFC heavyweight-turned-podcaster Brendan Schaub is actually Aaron Hernandez, the former NFL tight end convicted of murder who died by suicide in 2017.
“CTE IS A WAY FOR SPORTS LEAGUES TO SAY EXPENSIVE ATHLETES IN THEIR 30’S HAVE BRAIN DAMAGE AND NEED TO RETIRE AND THEN PAY YOUNG NO NAME ATHLETES PEANUTS,” Penn wrote on Instagram. “IT AINT ABOUT THE MONEY ITS ABOUT THE MONEY! Is brain damage real? I’m sure it is . Is punch drunk real? I’m sure it is . Is slurred speeech real? I’m sure it is. #hawaii”
Schaub addressed the goofy claim on his podcast today (Mon., April 21, 2025), initially finding it amusing.
“When they told me it was BJ, I just figured it was another Real Housewives of MMA drama, doing it for attention, but it’s hilarious,” Schaub said. “I put a laughing emoji on the post, but then Mayhem Miller reached out to me and was like, ‘Dude, this isn’t a joke. He legit thinks you’re Aaron Hernandez,’ and I was like, ‘Oh, well, you took the air out of my sails, and it’s not funny anymore.’”
“I was going to repost it and had some jokes, but it’s more sad than anything,” Schaub continued. “With BJ’s stuff, I never had fun with it. Like, this dude needs help. This doesn’t end well. It’s a shame to see because he’s a legend.”
Penn may be suffering from Capgras syndrome, “a psychiatric condition where a person believes a loved one, such as a family member, has been replaced by a doppelgänger or is not who they claim to be.”
The condition can stem from neurological or psychological issues, such as schizophrenia, dementia, or brain injury, and often involves a disconnect between emotional recognition and cognitive identification … aka getting hit in the head for 20 years.
Nevertheless, Penn, 46, needs help, and hopefully, he gets it.
This story originally appeared on MMA Mania
