B.J. Penn won’t be holding political office in Hawaii.
The UFC Hall of Famer lost the Republican primary by a wide margin on Saturday, garnering just 22.2 percent of the vote. Two-time Republican Lieutenant Governor Duke Aiona won by receiving 47.5 percent of the vote and will go against Democratic representative Josh Green in the general election on Nov. 8.
Penn announced his intention to run for governor this past October with a campaign that focused heavily on lifting COVID-19-related restrictions in Hawaii.
“I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life but I would never run from a fight or sell out my people,” Penn wrote last October.