Jon Fitch and BJ Penn have shared an Octagon once before. The two fought to a draw in 2011, and Fitch has been pushing for a rematch ever since.

Recently, when word came down that Rory MacDonald would not be able to make his planned encounter with Penn, Fitch offered to step in and take him on.

Currently, Fitch has a match scheduled with Erick Silva at UFC 153 in October. He was asked about Penn during a recent conference call promoting the American Kickboxing Academy reality series Fight Factory for Nuevo TV.

We’ve got fighters who come out to fight, fighters who will face anyone and don’t hide. You’ve also got cowards out there like BJ Penn who say they want to fight people but then run and hide. Yes, he’s a coward. He wouldn’t be welcomed (at AKA).

Penn once trained at the gym, and made mention of possibly returning there in a recent video blog. He did say that Fitch was keeping him from doing so, during the interview. Penn has also mentioned returning at UFC 153, though MacDonald has said he prefers to fight in November.

Photo credit: Daniel Herbertson/MMA Fighting