MMA icon BJ Penn has argued that a state-ordered mental health exam will damage his ‘ability to make money’ as he continues to risk jail time by refusing the test.
Penn, a former two-weight UFC champion, is facing multiple criminal charges in the Hawaiian city of Hilo, including family abuse and violating a restraining order that his 79-year-old mother placed upon him.
He has previously claimed in court and on social media that ‘imposters’ have taken the place of his family members, leading his mother to believe that he is suffering from Capgras Syndrome – a delusional misidentification syndrome where a person falsely believes a person close to them has been replaced by an identical impostor.
In October, a Hilo judge ordered the Hawaiian fighter to undergo a mental health exam to determine whether he is fit to stand trial, only for Penn to miss the appointment and claim he was not notified about it.
His attorney also filed a motion to reconsider while arguing that he had already voluntarily taken an exam last year, while claiming it proved he did not need a state-ordered one.
However, Hawaii County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Kirsten Selvig said the self-referred evaluation was incomplete.
BJ Penn claims a state-ordered mental health exam will damage his ‘ability to make money’
Penn is facing multiple criminal charges, including violating a restraining order that his 79-year-old mother Lorraine Shin (right) placed upon him
According to Hawaii News Now, Penn said in court via video on Monday: ‘She deemed me ineligible to qualify for any of the state’s mental health programs. So, this thing is just some kind of scam.’
He then told the judge: ‘Being that the only way I get income is from my name down at the bowling alley on the gym, around Honolulu on the gyms. That’s my only way of any income, and the media and the prosecutors pushing for the mental health test really, really hurts my ability to make money.’
Despite his argument, the judge denied Penn’s motion to reconsider and again ordered him to undergo the test.
‘Mr. Penn, you have to get the examination done with the state-ordered examiner, and if you don’t do that, I’m going to have to consider contempt proceedings against you,’ Judge Peter Kubota said.
Back in November Penn received his sixth arrest of 2025 when he was accused of punching and kicking another man in Hawaii.
The victim claimed the ex-UFC champion punched and kicked him ‘multiple times’ before he was able to leave the area and contact police. He later went to a local medical center for treatment for his injuries.
Shin, pictured with BJ and other family members in 2012, claims her son is suffering from a disorder where someone falsely believes a person has been replaced by an identical impostor
Penn was most recently charged with third-degree assault back in November
Penn was picked up by police on a different street nearly 11 hours later at 11:50am. He was booked and later posted a $1,000 bail.
His previous run-ins with the law surrounded the alleged abuse of his mother, Lorraine Shin.
Back in September, he was arrested for violating the restraining order that Shin had placed upon him. Four months earlier he was arrested twice and charged with abusing his mom – who described her son to police as delusional. It was then that she filed the restraining order.
Penn previously shared footage on Instagram of police arresting him at his home, with the video showing authorities dragging him out of his bed and leading him away in handcuffs.
He was then arrested on a charge of ‘abuse family or household member: offensive physical contact.’ Penn was eventually released on $2,000 bail.