JD "BJ" Penn was born December 13, 1978. He is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu World Champion and a two-time MMA champion in two divisions, currently competing for the UFC.
According to Freddie Roach, a famous boxing trainer, BJ Penn is the best boxer in mixed martial arts. His deserving lightweight title in the history of the sport, his divisional dominance, and his performances in the higher weight classes make him one of the greatest fighters ever.
Biography
BJ Penn is the fourth of five sons with JD Penn Sr. and Lorraine Sheen. Although he was born in Hawaii, he is of mixed Irish-American (from his father) and Korean-Hawaiian (from his mother) blood.
At the age of 17, he entered the world of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) thanks to his longtime friend and teacher Tom Kallos. Practicing this martial art eventually brought Penn to Northern California, where he trained under Ralph Gracie and reached the purple belt level. With obvious ability, he quickly rose through the ranks of the BJJ belts. Thanks to his tutelage at the Brazilian Nova Uniao Jiu-Jitsu Academy, BJ Penn earned hisa black belt from André Pederneiras in just three years of training in Brazilian martial arts is an honor bestowed on most practitioners for 10 years or more.
After placing third in the 1999 World Jiu-Jitsu Brown Belt Division, BJ returned the following year (2000) and became the first non-Brazilian in history to place first in the World Championship Black Belt Division Jiu-Jitsu.
Fighting career
After his quick and amazing success, he was nicknamed "The Prodigy" (prodigy) and was invited to professional mixed martial arts. He made his UFC debut on May 24, 2001 in Atlantic City, New Jersey at UFC 31: Locked and Loaded against Joey Gilbert. It took Penn less than five minutes to grab a TKO victory over his opponent.
After that, he scored two more wins in the first round over Dean Thomas and Japanese star Caol Uno. Later, a fighter was put up against him, who had already participated in 14 competitions. At UFC 35: Throwdown, Penn competed against Jens Pulver for the first ever UFC lightweight title. After 25 minutes of fighting (5 rounds) he couldn't win - it was his first professional loss.
After the failure in the ring, BJ Penn was able to win two victories in a row. At UFC 41: Onslaught, BJ faced one of his former opponents, Kaol Uno, but he was unable to claim the title.
After that, he participated in Rumble on the Rock 4 in Honolulu, Hawaii and put on the shoulder bladesTakanori Gomi, who was the number one lightweight at the time.
Title win
In 2004 he faced Matt Hughes in the UFC Octagon at UFC 46: Supernatural. BJ Penn made his third attempt at the UFC title, this time in the UFC welterweight division. It took him only 4 minutes 39 seconds to become the champion.
After winning the UFC welterweight belt from one of the most established champions in the history of the sport, Penn once again left the promotion. It was during this time that he moved from welterweight to heavyweight and faced such notable fighters as Duane Ludwig, Rodrigo Gracie, Renzo Gracie and Lyoto Machida.
Continuing career
After several years abroad, he returned to the UFC. After two poor welterweight appearances against Georges St-Pierre and Matt Hughes, BJ Penn returned to his lightweight division. At UFC 80: Rapid Fire, Penn defeated Joe Stevenson. He then made three successful title defenses before losing to Frankie Edgar at UFC 112: Undefeated on April 10, 2010.
After losing his title, BJ Penn returned to the UFC welterweight division, where he successfully finished his fight at UFC 123: Rampage vs. Machida with Matt Hughes. He won by knockout in just 21 seconds in the first round. Then he fought Jon Fitch at UFC 127 on February 27, 2011 - this fight ended in a draw by the decision of the majority of judges.
Achievements
BJ Penn (photo) participated in eleven fightsfor a UFC title, is one of only two fighters in UFC history to win two titles in two different weight divisions, and is the first in UFC history to challenge himself in four different divisions. At UFC 94: St. Pierre vs. Penn 2, he became the first and only UFC champion to date to challenge another UFC champion for the chance to hold two belts simultaneously in two different divisions, the only man in UFC history to face seven different champions.
Outside of his martial arts career, B. J. Penn has acted in films, performed on radio, and wrote an autobiography, Why I Fight: The Belt Is Just an Decoration. He is the co-author of one of the most requested martial arts training manuals called "Mixed Martial Arts: Book of Knowledge" and owns a gym called "Penna Training and Fitness" in his hometown of Hilo, Hawaii. In addition, he is a successful entrepreneur, launches his own clothing line and runs a family business in several directions.
He runs the PENN HAWAII YOUTH FOUNDATION, which has helped hundreds of children by teaching them core values and martial arts. He works closely with Hawaiian organizations throughout the state, such as the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Kau Inoa, and the Department of Hawaiian Homelands for grants from his youth foundation. On October 25, 2008, his daughter was born.
