Jay Dee Penn III, popularly known as B.J. Penn is an American professional mixed martial artist and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner. He is credited as one of the greatest fighters in the history as well as greatest Lightweight combatant in mixed martial arts history. He became the first American to win Gold Medal at the World Jiu-Jitsu Championship before joining UFC. He has competed in Featherweight, Lightweight, Welterweight, and Middleweight divisions and has held several championship titles. He is the second of only five fighters in UFC history to win titles in multiple weight classes. He later competed in K-1.
What is BJ Penn Famous For?
- The first American to win Gold Medal at the World Jiu-Jitsu Championship.
- The second of only five fighters in UFC history to win titles in multiple weight classes.
- One of the greatest lightweight competitors.
Source: @mmafighting.com
Where was BJ Penn Born?
BJ Penn was born on 13 December 1978. His birth name is Jay Dee Penn III. His birth place is in Kailua, Hawaii in the United States. He holds American nationality. He was born to a father, Jay Dee Penn, and a mother, Loraine Shin. He has 3 siblings, Jay Dee Penn, Jay Dee Penn II, and Reagan. His is the younger Jay Dee Penn, having named 2 of his older brother, Jay Dee Penn, and Jay Dee Penn II.
He began training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at the age of 17. He then moved to San Jose, Californa to train at the Ralph Gracie BJJ academy. He then decided to pursue a career in martial arts.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
He began training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Ralph Gracie in 1997.
He eventually earned his purple belt from Gracie.
He then moved to Nova Uniao, where he eventually earned his black belt in 2000.
He became the first non-Brazilian to win the black-belt division of the World Jiu-Jitsu Championship.
Previously, he had won the bronze medal in the brown belt division and silver medal in the blue belt division.
Source: @4chan.com
UFC
He joined the UFC.
He made his MMA debut in May 2001, where he defeated Joey Gilbert.
He won his first MMA championship, the Rumble on the Rock Lightweight Championship in K-1 Fighting Network’s Rumble on the Rock, defeating future PRIDE Lightweight Champion Takanori Gomi.
He won his first UFC Championship, Welterweight Championship, in 2004 when he defeated five-time defending UFC Welterweight Champion Matt Hughes in one of the greatest submission victories in mixed martial arts history.
Fighting and Entertainment Group
He signed to exclusively fight for the Japanese Fighting and Entertainment Group’s (FEG) K-1 promotion.
He defeated Duane Ludwig at the 2004 K-1 MMA Romanex and Rodrigo Gracie at middleweight division.
He lost to Lyoto Machida at the inaugural event of FEG’s new MMA promotion Hero’s in 2005.
He defeated Pride Fighting Championship veteran Renzo Gracie at K-1 World Grand Prix Hawaii.
Source: @ufc.com
Return to the UFC
He returned to UFC in early 2006.
He re-debuted in the UFC in March 2006, where he lost to Georges St-Pierre.
He faced Hughes once again for the Welterweight Championship at UFC 63 in September 2006. Penn sustained a rib injury in round two that led to his defeat against Hughes.
He was a coach for The Ultimate Fighter 5 in 2007.
He defeated Joe Stevenson in the second round to win the Lightweight Championship at UFC 80 in January 2008. Sherdog named Penn’s win as Beatdown of the Year in 2008.
He also became the second man after Randy Couture to win UFC titles in two different divisions.
He defended his Lightweight championship against Sean Sherk in May 2008, considered as the biggest fight in the history of the UFC lightweight division.
He then challenged Georges St-Pierre for St-Pierre’s welterweight title.
St-Pierre won against Penn in the fourth round after referee stopped the fight. Penn was injured badly that he was sent to the hospital and did not attend the post-fight press conference. However, their fight created controversy, which Penn fans refers to as “Greasegate”. St-Pierre’s corner-men were spotted rubbing St-Pierre’s back immediately after applying Vaseline to his face. Penn asked NSAC to investigate it. However, NSAC ruled the request.
Source: @mmafighting.com
He returned to the Lightweight division and later went on to win Lightweight Championship defeating Diego Sanchez via TKO in the fifth round in December 2009 at UFC 107.
His eight-year undefeated streak in the lightweight division ended when he lost his lightweight championship to Frankie Edgar at UFC 112 in April 2010.
He returned to welterweight and defeated Matt Hughes at UFC 123.
His fight against Jon Fitch at UFC 127 ended in a draw.
He announced his plans to retire in November 2011 following his loss to Nick Diaz at UFC 137.
He returned to action accepting Rory MacDonald’s challenge.
Penn fought MacDonald at UFC on Fox 5 in December 2012. Penn lost the fight via unanimous decision.
He later moved to the Featherweight division to coach for the 19th season of The Ultimate Fighter in 2013.
He announced his intentions to retire after his loss to Edgar.
he took 18-month hiatus from the action.
He announced his intention to return in January 2016 to fight in the featherweight division.
His bout against Cole Miller in June 2016 was canceled after he was flagged for the use of medically-administered IV during a non-fight period.
He fought but lost to Yair Rodriguez at UFC Fight Night 103 in his first bout after returning to action in January 2017.
He returned to lightweight and lost to Ryan Hall at UFC 232 in December 2018. He lost to Clay Guida at UFC 237 in May 2019.
Source: @mmaweekly.com
Who is BJ Penn Married to?
BJ Penn is not married. He was in a relationship with Shealen Uaiwa, with whom he has 2 daughters. Uaiwa filed a restraining order against him, alleging years of physical and sexual abuse. The order was granted in February 2019.
He lives in Hilo, Hawaii.
He was arrested for assault outside a bar in Kihei, Hawaii in January 2015.
What are BJ Penn Body Measurements?
BJ Penn stands at a height of 1.75 m i.e. 5 feet and 9 inches tall. He has a body weight of 145 lbs i.e. 66 kg. He has an athletic body build. he has a reach of 70 inches.
What is BJ Penn Net Worth?
BJ Penn earns from his professional career as a mixed martial artist. He has earned to be credited as one of the greatest fighters in MMA history. His income comes from contracts, fight wins, and bonuses. His net worth is estimated at $22 million.
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