BJ Penn was born on December 13, 1978 in Hawaii. His ethnic background is Korean and Irish American. He is an extremely influential retired MMA fighter, who competed for the UFC in three divisions, including the achievements of being a welterweight and lightweight champion – the second fighter to reach double champion status in the UFC. He is a pioneer of the lighter weight classes in the UFC and is one of the first stars of the lightweight division.
Penn is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) prodigy and began practicing in 1997 under Ralph Gracie. Then, in 2000, he had made a phenomenal accomplishment by earning a black belt in BJJ. This was astonishing; Penn had only practiced BJJ for three years. Typically, a talented BJJ practitioner can obtain a black belts within seven years. Soon after, BJ Penn became the first non-Brazilian to win the World Jiu-Jitsu Championship. This event was held in Brazil for first degree black belts. After years of practicing martial arts, Penn had leveled up to a fifth degree black belt in BJJ.
While he started his career as a lightweight, he moved up to welterweight when UFC folded the lightweight division after Penn fought to a draw with Caol Uno for the vacant championship. His very first fight at welterweight was a title shot against them champion, Matt Hughes. Penn won his first fight against Matt Hughes by a rear naked choke in 2004. This fight nobody expected BJ Penn to win because he was moving up a weight class during an era when Matt Hughes was in his prime and seemed unstoppable.
In their next fight in 2006, Penn lost to Hughes by Mark Coleman’s classic “ground and pound” TKO. Penn was winning the first two rounds and then he ran out of gas in the third. This was the most competitive of the gentlemen’s match-ups in the UFC. Their final meeting was a co-main event for UFC 123, which took place in 2010 in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Hughes, who was past his prime at this point, was knocked out by one of the very first strikes thrown by Penn. By this time the former rivals had become good friends and BJ Penn stated that he considers Matt Hughes his idol.
BJ Penn left the UFC after the first Matt Hughes fight, giving up his belt due to a contractual dispute. He then had several fights in Japan’s K-1 promotion. Penn was known for his willingness to fight anyone, regardless of the size difference. He even fought former UFC light-heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida in K-1, in an open weight bout and put up a valiant effort despite losing the decision.
Upon his UFC return, there was a brewing rivalry between BJ Penn and Georges St. Pierre (GSP), which produced a couple of intense fights. Their first meetup was a razor-close decision, which many thought Penn should have won. GSP stated in a press conference, that his most difficult bout was his first encounter in the Octagon against BJ Penn.
Eventually, UFC brought back the lightweight division, and Penn moved back down in weight to quickly become it’s champion. He defended the title three times, setting a record for most lightweight title defenses. His record was later tied by Frankie Edgar, Benson Henderson, Khabib Nurmagomedov, and Islam Makhachev.
Towards the end of his UFC career, Penn was on a seven fight losing streak. He moved down to featherweight however didn’t fare much better there. Then, he was released from the UFC after getting knocked out in a bar fight in Hawaii.
After his retirement from MMA, Penn ran for governor of Hawaii in 2022 as a Republican; he lost in the primary. He’s not the first MMA fighter to try a political career; for example there’s Tito Ortiz and his disastrous run as a Huntington Beach city councilman.
MMA & Boxing Columnist | Business Development Consultant
I have been a fan and avid viewer of all combat sports for decades. I was once a Judoka, which is what eventually piqued my interest in Mixed Martial Arts. I have been a spectator of the UFC since 2001. For 25 years I’ve worked in healthcare, and now am trying to make something that was a hobby, into a full-time endeavor.