411 Fighter Profile: BJ Penn
Posted by on 05.21.2008
Before his first lightweight title defense this Saturday check out this complete look back at the career of one of the most talented, and controversial, fighters in history!
BJ Penn
Nickname: "The Prodigy" Record: 12-4-1 Weight: 155 lbs. Height: 5'9" Hometown: Hilo, Hawaii Ranking: #1 Lightweight, #3 Pound-For-Pound Association: BJ Penn's MMA Organizations: UFC, K-1, Rumble On The Rock Accomplishments: UFC Lightweight Champion (current), former UFC Welterweight Champion
Introduction
Throughout the brief history of mixed-martial arts there are some fighters that rise to the top, and achieve a level of success that others can only dream of. There are some fighters who possess an extraordinary amount of pure, raw talent. There are some fighters whose personalities and words create controversy at every opportunity. BJ Penn is the rare fighter that showcases all of these traits. He's won UFC world titles in two different weight classes, and is only the second person in the world to do so. He seems to make winning look easy, and has defeated some of the biggest names in the sport. And when BJ Penn talks, there's a good chance somebody won't like what he has to say.
Early Life
Jay Dee Penn was born on December 13th, 1978 in Kailua, Hawaii. He has two older brothers also named Jay, and so he was quickly given the nickname "Baby Jay," or "BJ" for short. When he was seventeen his neighbor introduced him to the art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Penn began training under Ralph Gracie in 1997, and was awarded his black belt three years later in 2000 by Andre Pederneiras of Nova Uniao. Then, just three weeks after receiving his black belt, BJ made history as the first non-Brazilian to win the gold medal in the Mundial World Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Championship. Less than a year later, his made his MMA debut in the UFC. With all of his accomplishments in such a short time, people began calling him "The Prodigy."
MMA Career
Win, Joey Gilbert, TKO (strikes), round 1, 4:57 UFC 31: Locked And Loaded, 05.04.01
Win, Din Thomas, TKO (strikes), round 1, 2:42 UFC 32: Showdown In The Meadowlands, 06.29.01
Win, Caol Uno, KO (punches), round 1, :11 UFC 34: High Voltage, 11.02.01
-In his third professional fight, BJ delivers a short, but memorable performance.
Loss, Jens Pulver, decision (majority), round 5, 5:00, UFC lightweight championship UFC 35: Throwdown, 01.11.02
-Even though he was the challenger, Penn is a huge favorite going into the title fight. He looked like he would pull off the win early on, and dominated Pulver for the first two rounds. Unfortunately this would be the first time BJ would show his main weakness: cardio. He came out sluggish in round three and Jens quickly took over, eventually winning the five round battle by a majority decision.
Win, Paul Creighton, TKO (strikes), round 2, 3:23 UFC 37: High Impact, 05.10.02
Win, Matt Serra, decision (unanimous), round 3, 5:00 UFC 39: The Warriors Return, 09.27.02
Draw, Caol Uno, draw, round 5, 5:00, UFC lightweight championship UFC 41: Onslaught, 02.28.03
-After a contract dispute Jens Pulver left the UFC and relinquished the lightweight championship. A tournament was set up to crown a new champion, but in the finals Penn and Uno went to a draw. As a result no new champion was crowned, and the lightweight division was suspended for four years.
Win, Takanori Gomi, submission (rear naked choke), round 3, 2:35 Rumble On The Rock 4, 10.10.03
-BJ has his first ever fight outside of the UFC, as he competes in his home state of Hawaii. Here he battles the future PRIDE lightweight champion, in one of the greatest battles of his career.
Win, Matt Hughes, submission (rear naked choke), round 1, 4:39, UFC welterweight championship UFC 46: Supernatural, 01.31.04
-With the loss of the UFC lightweight division BJ moves up in weight for the first time and is instantly placed in a title match against Hughes, who had already defeated every other challenger in his weight class.
Even though he won the belt he would never get a chance to defend it. After this fight BJ signed a contract with K-1, and was immediately stripped of the title with the UFC citing a breach of contract. Penn claimed his contract had already expired and filed a motion to prevent the crowning of a new welterweight champion, but that motion was denied.
Win, Rodrigo Grace, decision (unanimous), round 3, 5:00 Rumble On The Rock 6, 11.20.04
-Once again BJ moves up in weight, this time competing as a middleweight for his first MMA battle with a member of the Gracie clan.
Loss, Lyoto Machida, decision (unanimous), round 3, 5:00 K-1 HERO‘S 1, 03.26.05
-BJ competes at light-heavyweight for the first (and only) time in his career.
Win, Renzo Gracie, decision (unanimous), round 3, 5:00 K-1 World Grand Prix Hawaii, 07.29.05
Loss, Georges St. Pierre, decision (split),, round 3, 5:00 UFC 58: USA vs. Canada, 03.04.06
-After two years away, Penn returns to the place where he started his career. Once he came back to the UFC he was immediately slotted in a #1 contenders match for the welterweight championship against the up-and-coming Georges St. Pierre. BJ lost a tough decision, but due to an injury he would end up taking GSP's place in the title match.
Loss, Matt Hughes, TKO (strikes), round 3, 3:53, UFC welterweight championship UFC 63: Hughes vs. Penn, 09.23.06
-Not only does Hughes avenge his loss, he also becomes the first (and so far only) person to stop BJ. During the second round Penn injured his ribs, and was clearly weakened and breathing heavy when round 3 began. With the injury working against him, Hughes was able to get a takedown and then side control, before trapping Penn's arms in a crucifx position. From there Hughes rained down punches on BJ's head, and with no way to defend himself, the fight was stopped.
Win, Jens Pulver, submission (rear naked choke), round 2, 3:12 The Ultimate Fighter 5 Finale, 06.23.07
-After Penn and Pulver were coaches for season 5 of "The Ultimate Fighter," they got the chance to step in the octagon and settle their five-year old rivalry. This time Penn got the win, and the two men finally buried the hatchet once and for all. I should also note that this is the first (and so far only) time that the two coaches fought on the show's finale.
Win, Joe Stevenson, submission (rear naked choke), round 2, 4:02, UFC lightweight championship UFC 80: Rapid Fire, 01.19.08
-Third time's the charm for BJ as he finally wins the UFC strap at 155 lbs. By doing so he joins Randy Couture as the only two men to ever win UFC championships in two different weight classes. Warning: this fight is definitely not for the squeamish.
The Future
The next challenge for BJ Penn comes this weekend as he defends his lightweight championship for the first time against the man that previously held it, Sean Sherk. These two combatants began their war of words before Penn had even won the belt so this will not only be a title fight, but an epic grudge match as well. In interviews BJ has already claimed he wants to clean out the lightweight division, and then move up in weight to avenge his loss against Georges St. Pierre. For now we'll have to wait and see, but whatever the future holds there's no doubt that BJ Penn will make it exciting.
Posted By: Samer (Guest) on May 21, 2008 at 09:02 AM
2 comments. First you suggest that BJ injured his ribs as if it were gospel. I really have no idea if it is true or not but neither does anyone else. BJ said so and that's all the proof we have. Personally I think it was running out of gas. Did you see him after he beat Joe Daddy? He could barely stand up.... fatigue is a bitch.
2ndly, it is worth noting that his loss to GSP was a very debatable one. He has an "L" on his record but that fight was as close to a draw as a fight can be. Beyond the BJ nuthuggers saying BJ won and the GSP nuthuggers saying GSP won, there are the objective viewers that can't really say who won that fight.
Thanks for the great article.
Posted By: Nepal4me (Guest) on May 21, 2008 at 12:39 PM
Best fighter ever. If
only he had the heart
Posted By: Joe (Guest) on May 22, 2008 at 07:39 AM
