B.J. Penn contacts UFC to fight Nurmagomedov

B.J. Penn has reached out to the UFC in an effort to get his name on the April 16 FOX UFC Fight Night card against Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Nurmagomedov was originally slated to fight Tony Ferguson, who pulled out of the bout due to an injury sustained to his lung.

Penn, now 37, last fought in 2014 but announced his intention to return to the Octagon in January after an 18-month layoff. The former lightweight champion is on a three-fight losing streak and has toyed with retirement on multiple occasions.

Penn isn't the only one angling for this fight on short notice as Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone tweeted his interest earlier on Tuesday.

Current lightweight champion Raphael dos Anjos also wants another crack at Nurmagomedov after losing to the Russian almost exactly two years ago. Dos Anjos, however, says he will not be able to fight until July.