B. J. Penn
Encyclopedia
Jay Dee "B.J." Penn is an American
mixed martial artist
and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
practitioner who competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship
. Penn was the first non-Brazilian winner of the World Jiu-Jitsu Championship
in the black-belt category. He is known for his willingness to fight anyone regardless of weight class, fighting as high as heavyweight when he competed against Lyoto Machida
in 2005.
A former UFC Lightweight Champion and UFC Welterweight Champion, he is only the second fighter in UFC history to win titles in two different weight classes, with the first being UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture
. Penn served as a coach on The Ultimate Fighter 5
reality show. As of October 2011, Penn is ranked as the #9 welterweight fighter in the world by Sherdog
. He is currently on hiatus after losing to Nick Diaz
at UFC 137
in Las Vegas, Nevada
.
and Loraine Shin, a third generation Korean-American. At the age of seventeen, Penn began training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu after being introduced to it by his neighbor, Tom Callos. Callos had put up fliers in local gyms looking for people to train with, and BJ's father Jay Dee Penn had called Callos and said his boys were interested. Callos then taught BJ and his brother what he knew. Shortly thereafter, BJ moved to San Jose, California
to begin training at AKA
with Dave Camarillo and Bob Cooke, who he lived with and became close friends with. It was here during his time in San Jose that he decided to pursue a career in martial arts (albeit not mixed martial arts
at the time).
, eventually earning his purple belt from Gracie. At that point he moved to Nova União
where he was eventually awarded his black belt in 2000 by Andre Pederneiras
. A few weeks later he became the first non-Brazilian to win the black-belt division of the World Jiu-Jitsu Championship
held in Rio de Janeiro
, Brazil
. While Penn's most well-known and prestigious achievement was placing first in the black belt division in the 2000 world championships, he had success at the Mundials in previous years. In 1999, at the age of 20, Penn finished 3rd in the brown belt division, losing only to Fernando Terere.
While most people need a decade or more to become a black belt, Penn had, with only three years of training, not only received a black belt but defeated people who had been training their entire lives on his way to winning the World Jiu-Jitsu Championship. Penn is thought to have earned the fastest black belt of all active Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioners.
debut with the company on May 24, 2001 with a win over Joey Gilbert at UFC 31
. He then demonstrated strong striking
skills, knocking out lightweights
Din Thomas
and Caol Uno
before suffering a decision loss in a championship fight against UFC Lightweight Champion, Jens Pulver
. In 2003, after Pulver left the UFC and relinquished his title, a tournament to crown a new champion flopped when Penn fought Uno to a draw in the finals at UFC 41
, a failure which caused the UFC to later suspend its lightweight division. Penn bounced back later in the year with a victory over Takanori Gomi
, future Pride Fighting Championship Lightweight Champion, in Rumble on the Rock, an MMA organization promoted by Penn's brother.
Penn received his first MMA championship in 2004 at UFC 46
. Penn jumped up in weight classes to challenge the five-time defending UFC Welterweight Champion Matt Hughes to fill a title contention slot in a division where Hughes had already defeated all the available opposition. Heavily favored to win, Hughes lost the fight four minutes into the first round by rear naked choke
after giving up his back with only 23 seconds left in the round.
's (FEG) K-1
promotion citing a lack of challenging fights left for him in the UFC. The UFC promptly stripped him of the welterweight title, claiming Penn breached his contract and that the signing constituted him refusing to defend his title. Penn filed a suit against the UFC and publicized his side of the conflict, claiming his UFC contract had already expired. Penn filed a motion to stop the UFC from awarding a new welterweight title, but that motion was denied.
In his first fight for FEG, Penn fought again at welterweight (170 pounds) and defeated Duane Ludwig
at the 2004 K-1 MMA Romanex show in under five minutes by arm triangle choke
. Following the Ludwig fight, Penn moved up in weight class to face the undefeated Rodrigo Gracie at middleweight
(185 pounds). Penn won by decision, extending his winning streak to four fights. On March 26, 2005, at the inaugural event of FEG's new MMA promotion Hero's
, Penn faced light heavyweight
Lyoto Machida
, losing by unanimous decision at K-1 Hero's 1. The fight happened at an open weight class with Penn weighing in at 86.5 kilograms (190.7 lb) and Machida 102 kilograms (224.9 lb). Later that year at K-1 World Grand Prix Hawaii, Penn returned to middleweight to face Renzo Gracie and won by unanimous decision.
In early 2006 at UFC 56
, UFC president Dana White announced that Penn and the UFC had agreed to a settlement and Penn was to return as a top welterweight contender. Penn re-debuted on March 4 at UFC 58
, losing to Georges St. Pierre
by split decision in a fight that determined the number one welterweight contender.
After new top contender St. Pierre injured himself during training, the UFC announced that Penn would replace St. Pierre in an upcoming title fight, setting up a highly anticipated rematch with Hughes for UFC 63
on September 23, 2006. In the bout, Penn controlled the first two rounds, but sustained a rib injury during the scramble to take Hughes' back in round two. He was visibly different in the third round, appearing exhausted and missing punches he was landing earlier. Hughes was able to take Penn to the mat, and in side control
crucifix position rained punches on Penn's head until referee "Big" John McCarthy
stopped the fight at 3:53 of the third round, making this the first time that Penn had been stopped in a fight. In an interview found on Penn's personal website, Penn stated that by round three he could hardly breathe and had no "mobility in his core." Despite the injury, Penn congratulated Hughes, calling him a great fighter and saying he deserved the victory.
Penn was a coach for The Ultimate Fighter 5, which aired on April 5, 2007. Penn lead a team of eight lightweight fighters, and fought a rematch against Jens Pulver at the conclusion of the series on June 23, 2007. He won with a rear naked choke in the second round after controlling Pulver from the mount and then taking Pulver's back. Although he held the choke for a moment after Pulver tapped out, the two then embraced, with both later saying they no longer held any ill will against each other.
On July 7, 2007, during the post-fight press conference of UFC 73
, UFC president Dana White announced that Penn would stay at lightweight to fight current UFC lightweight champion Sean Sherk
. However, Sean Sherk subsequently was suspended by the California State Athletic Commission, and the status of the possible title fight was left in limbo as he pursued his appeals. With Sherk's title status still in limbo after months of hearings, the UFC scheduled Penn to fight Joe Stevenson
at UFC 80
on January 19, 2008 for an interim lightweight title. The subsequent final decision by the California State Athletic Commission, which did not overturn Sherk's suspension, led to the title being stripped from Sherk and the Penn-Stevenson fight being upgraded to a full title bout, with the winner facing Sherk in their first defense.
at 4:02 of the second round to win the Lightweight Championship. He celebrated the win by licking Joe Stevenson's blood off of his gloves. The win for Penn was awarded Beatdown of the Year by Sherdog
for 2008. With this win, Penn became the second man (after Randy Couture
) to win UFC titles in two different weight classes.
On May 24, 2008 at UFC 84
at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada
, Penn fought former champion Sean Sherk in his first title defense bout. Sherk attempted to take Penn down only once (in the first round), instead the fighters traded punches and leg kicks for the remainder of the fight. Penn landed jabs several times, utilizing his reach advantage over Sherk. In the closing seconds of the third round, Penn threw a punch and a hook that backed Sherk into the cage. Sherk then ducked under another punch – possibly to shoot for a takedown – when he was hit in the head by a flush flying left knee from Penn. Sherk went down and Penn continued with strikes, but the round ended before the referee stopped the fight. However, Sherk was unable to continue and Penn was declared the victor by TKO (strikes) and it's debatable if this can be counted as the only fight to end right on the final buzzer of the fight, because the referee might've not stopped the fight, but Sherk was definitely out cold after the flying knee and punches. After the fight, in response a question by Joe Rogan about his future, Penn asked the crowd if they wanted to see him fight Georges St. Pierre and was answered with a loud ovation. Later, Penn told Fighters Club TV that he would face the winner of UFC 87
Welterweight title fight between Georges St-Pierre and Jon Fitch
, which St-Pierre ended up winning by unanimous decision. St-Pierre's victory led to the scheduling of BJ's next fight as a Welterweight Championship fight.
Penn challenged Georges St-Pierre for St-Pierre's welterweight title on January 31, 2009, the night before the Super Bowl. The date led UFC 94
to be billed as the "UFC Super Bowl Weekend," and it was anticipated to be the biggest UFC pay-per-view event ever. Before the fight with St-Pierre, Penn made a controversial comment that he was going to try and kill St-Pierre in the ring, but he later explained that he was speaking figuratively.
The first round of the fight was somewhat even, with Penn exercising elusive head movement, fast hands and good take-down defense, thwarting all of St-Pierre's take-down attempts while both exchanged punches. In the ensuing three rounds, however, Penn turned out a lackluster performance. St-Pierre scored his first take-down of the night midway through the second round, and by the end of the round Penn was visibly tired. At the start of round three, St-Pierre landed a "superman punch
" that bloodied Penn's nose and shortly took Penn down again. From that point on, St-Pierre took Penn down almost at will, repeatedly passed Penn's renowned guard, and persistently punished the Hawaiian with a ground-and-pound attack. Penn later admitted that he could not recall anything that happened during the 3rd and 4th rounds because "I was probably borderline knocked out or something." At the end of the fourth round, after more of St-Pierre's ground-and-pound onslaught, Penn's brother requested that the referee stop the fight. After the fight, Penn failed to attend the post-fight press conference due to having stayed in the hospital. Subsequently in an interview he revealed that had he won, he would have retired "on top", while holding the lightweight and the welterweight belts.
A controversy arose during the fight as St-Pierre's corner-men were spotted rubbing St-Pierre's back immediately after applying Vaseline to his face. Members of the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) came into the octagon and wiped St-Pierre's torso down, though no significant amounts of Vaseline were discovered at this time. After the fight, on ESPN's MMA show, St-Pierre claimed that the rubbing was part of a routine to line up his energy for improved breathing, and he apologized for any Vaseline that may have been transferred to his body. Penn, however, sent a formal request to the NSAC, asking them to investigate. Despite all of the complaints by the Penn camp, the NSAC took no action.
In response to the incident, the rules of the UFC were modified so that only the official "cut men" would be allowed to have or apply Vaseline to the fighters. The procedures governing the transition from the fighters walk-in to the cage and while in the cage were also changed. Previously, fighters would walk up next to the cage, see the cut man who would apply Vaseline, be checked by the referee, and then have an opportunity to speak with or hug their coaches or cornermen before entering the cage. To prevent an opportunity for the fighters to have Vaseline applied illicitly, fighters now must first part from any company, have Vaseline applied by the cut man, be checked by the referee, and then go directly to the cage. Finally, no cornermen will be allowed to have Vaseline in the cage between rounds. In this way, the fighter's contact with Vaseline is fully controlled by the cut men and referee, who work independently for the UFC.
UFC President Dana White said that the incident had no effect on the outcome of the fight although he wished the incident had not happened. In his first post-fight interview Penn spoke of his belief that if St-Pierre were found to have been "greased" he would lose all respect for him, while admitting that "[I] definitely got my butt kicked." Penn claims that before the match he warned the NSAC that St-Pierre might use grease intentionally. St-Pierre responded to the allegations by offering to fight a rematch against Penn. Penn went on record as accepting the offer for a re-match. Following his informal acceptance of a proposed second rematch, Penn filed a formal complaint with Nevada State Athletic Commission seeking to prevent St-Pierre from fighting by suspending St-Pierre's fighter's license. In addition, Penn requested the suspension of St-Pierre's cornermen, Greg Jackson and Phil Nurse, a fine of $250,000, and overturning the result of the fight to a no-contest. The NSAC has since then instituted new rules that will not allow foreign substances in the cage, coined "The BJ Penn Rule" by some of the NSAC officials.
in the summer of 2009. The Florian-Penn title fight was scheduled for UFC 99
, but BJ Penn requested more time off after his fight with GSP. He defended his title against Florian on August 8, 2009 at UFC 101
. Penn looked noticeably in better physical shape than his previous outings at 155 lbs and negated any sort of takedown offense from Florian the entire match despite his opponent's persistence in grappling and engaging the clinch.
On his feet, Penn avoided virtually any damage, constantly stuffing or evading any attempts of a left high kick, punches, or elbows from Florian when the two departed from the clinch. In a measured performance, Penn preferred to pace himself in his standup, occasionally showing explosive bursts of striking up until the fourth round, where he executed a powerful takedown and quickly assumed the half guard
position, punishing the contender with elbows until gaining the full mount, where punches followed to continue the ground and pound assault from the BJJ specialist.
A scramble ensued, where Florian gave up his back twice but was unable to escape Penn's mount, the second time Penn took his opponent's back, he looked to trap Florian's arm with one of his legs, but was unable to do so, instead striking the liver of Florian with his heel, which eventually led Penn to secure a rear naked choke
at 3:45 of the fourth round to defend his lightweight championship title.
Penn fought Diego Sanchez
for the UFC Lightweight Championship on December 12, 2009 at UFC 107
. Penn negated virtually any offense from the contender, exercising good footwork and elusive head movement whilst remaining flawless in his takedown defense on 27 attempts from Sanchez. He stalked his opponent for large periods of the match and stunned Sanchez early, dropping him; following up with multiple clean shots, which Sanchez showed good durability in weathering. Penn, showing good conditioning for the duration of the bout, continued to stuff all takedowns, punches and left high kicks from Sanchez and dominated with aggressive bursts of striking throughout. He hurt Sanchez several times, until finally rocking him with a flurry in the final round, swarming to finish the combo with a right high kick. The kick opened up a huge cut on Sanchez's forehead above his left eye, causing the fight to be halted on doctor's advice at 2:47 of the fifth round with a TKO.
The performance marked the third time Penn had successfully finished a fight in defending his UFC Lightweight Championship. Later during the post-fight press conference UFC President Dana White
told the media he was proud of Penn's willingness to take MMA more seriously in his training when earlier he felt Penn had coasted through the UFC solely on natural talent.
against Frankie Edgar. Despite being an overwhelming favorite coming into the fight, Penn lost the closely contested bout by unanimous decision. After the fight, Penn congratulated Edgar on winning the belt and claimed that he had not felt quite right in the octagon. A report arose from his camp, saying, "He was battling a sinus infection and was on anti-biotics."
Penn fought Edgar in a rematch at UFC 118
. During the bout he was taken down three times during the first two rounds – and though Penn took Edgar down twice in the final two rounds – Edgar was able to negate his ground offense and control the fight with good movement and striking combinations. All three judges scored the fight 50–45 for Edgar.
at UFC 123
in a rubber match
after their previous two fights at UFC 46 and UFC 63. Penn defeated Hughes in 21 seconds of the first round by knockout after flooring Hughes with a right hand and following with additional strikes on the mat. Penn earned knockout of the night honors for his performance.
Following the UFC 123
post-fight press conference, UFC president Dana White said that Penn would fight top welterweight contender Jon Fitch at UFC 127
in Australia. Penn trained with Matt Hughes and Floyd Mayweather, Sr. in preparation for the fight. Penn surprised Fitch by taking him to the ground instead of using his stand up skills. The fight ended in a draw and Penn stated that he would gladly have a rematch in the future. UFC matchmaker Joe Silva stated that neither the fans nor the UFC are interested in a Penn-Fitch rematch.
Penn was expected to face Carlos Condit
on October 29, 2011 at UFC 137
. B.J. Penn has relocated his camp to Southern California in an effort to prepare for the bout. Penn was joined in California by former UFC middleweight and Ultimate Fighter winner Kendall Grove
and B.J.’s brother Reagan Penn, as they both prepared for their August 27 fights on the ProElite show in Hawaii. However, on September 7, Condit was pulled from the bout and replaced Nick Diaz
in the main event against Georges St. Pierre
. Dana White
stated that Penn will fight Nick Diaz
in the main event at UFC 137 after GSP pulled out due to knee injury. Penn lost via unanimous decision after winning the first round against the former Strikeforce welterweight champion, but was unable to mount any significant offense or defense against Diaz's brutal stand-up attack in the remaining two rounds.
Immediately following the loss to Diaz, Penn announced his plans to retire, saying into the microphone, "I don't want to go home looking like this." On November 1, Penn posted a message to fans on his website indicating that he plans to take some time off, but the retirement decision is not yet official. He said, "I want to thank all the fans for their love and support. I have decided to take some time off to enjoy life, train and teach. I will keep you guys posted with what’s next."
Penn takes much pride in his Hawaiian heritage, his trainer Rudy Valentino had stated once that Penn played Hawaiian music during his entrances as a tribute to it; a tradition which Penn still continues. Penn has also stated that he identifies strongly with his Korean roots and has traveled to Korea to hold seminars. He also said that he gets his hot temper from his Korean side which helps him use this energy in his fights.
Penn's girlfriend, Shealen Uaiwa, gave birth to their daughter, Aeva Lili'u, on October 25, 2008. Penn is the co-author of Mixed Martial Arts: The Book of Knowledge, an instructional book on mixed martial arts fighting. Penn, along with Dave Weintraub, authored the autobiography Why I Fight: The Belt is Just an Accessory in 2010. The book debuted at #22 on the New York Times bestseller list. Penn appeared in the film Never Surrender
in 2009.
| Loss
|align=center| 16–8–2
| Nick Diaz
| Decision (unanimous)
| UFC 137
|
|align=center| 3
|align=center| 5:00
| Las Vegas, Nevada
, United States
|
|-
| Draw
|align=center| 16–7–2
| Jon Fitch
| Draw
| UFC 127
|
|align=center| 3
|align=center| 5:00
| Sydney
, Australia
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 16–7–1
| Matt Hughes
| KO (punches)
| UFC 123
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 0:21
| Auburn Hills, Michigan
, United States
|
|-
| Loss
|align=center| 15–7–1
| Frankie Edgar
| Decision (unanimous)
| UFC 118
|
|align=center| 5
|align=center| 5:00
| Boston, Massachusetts, United States
|
|-
| Loss
|align=center| 15–6–1
| Frankie Edgar
| Decision (unanimous)
| UFC 112
|
|align=center| 5
|align=center| 5:00
| Abu Dhabi
, United Arab Emirates
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 15–5–1
| Diego Sanchez
| TKO (doctor stoppage)
| UFC 107
|
|align=center| 5
|align=center| 2:37
| Memphis, Tennessee
, United States
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 14–5–1
| Kenny Florian
| Submission (rear-naked choke)
| UFC 101
|
|align=center| 4
|align=center| 3:54
| Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
, United States
|
|-
| Loss
|align=center| 13–5–1
| Georges St-Pierre
| TKO (corner stoppage)
| UFC 94
|
|align=center| 4
|align=center| 5:00
| Las Vegas, Nevada
, United States
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 13–4–1
| Sean Sherk
| TKO (flying knee and punches)
| UFC 84
|
|align=center| 3
|align=center| 5:00
| Las Vegas, Nevada
, United States
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 12–4–1
| Joe Stevenson
| Submission (rear-naked choke)
| UFC 80
|
|align=center| 2
|align=center| 4:02
| Newcastle upon Tyne
, England
| Won the UFC Lightweight Championship; Submission of the Night; Sherdog 2008 Beatdown of the Year.
|-
| Win
|align=center| 11–4–1
| Jens Pulver
| Submission (rear-naked choke)
| The Ultimate Fighter 5 Finale
|
|align=center| 2
|align=center| 3:12
| Las Vegas, Nevada
, United States
|
|-
| Loss
|align=center| 10–4–1
| Matt Hughes
| TKO (punches)
| UFC 63
|
|align=center| 3
|align=center| 3:53
| Anaheim, California
, United States
| .
|-
| Loss
|align=center| 10–3–1
| Georges St-Pierre
| Decision (split)
| UFC 58
|
|align=center| 3
|align=center| 5:00
| Las Vegas, Nevada
, United States
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 10–2–1
| Renzo Gracie
| Decision (unanimous)
| K-1: World Grand Prix Hawaii
|
|align=center| 3
|align=center| 5:00
| Honolulu, Hawaii
, United States
|
|-
| Loss
|align=center| 9–2–1
| Lyoto Machida
| Decision (unanimous)
| K-1: Hero's 1
|
|align=center| 3
|align=center| 5:00
| Saitama, Saitama
, Japan
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 9–1–1
| Rodrigo Gracie
| Decision (unanimous)
| Rumble on the Rock 6
|
|align=center| 3
|align=center| 5:00
| Honolulu, Hawaii
, United States
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 8–1–1
| Duane Ludwig
| Submission (arm-triangle choke)
| K-1 MMA: Romanex
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 1:45
| Saitama, Saitama
, Japan
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 7–1–1
| Matt Hughes
| Submission (rear-naked choke)
| UFC 46
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 4:39
| Las Vegas, Nevada
, United States
| Won the UFC Welterweight Championship
|-
| Win
|align=center| 6–1–1
| Takanori Gomi
| Submission (rear-naked choke)
| Rumble on the Rock 4
|
|align=center| 3
|align=center| 2:35
| Honolulu, Hawaii
, United States
| Won the Rumble on the Rock Lightweight Championship
|-
| Draw
|align=center| 5–1–1
| Caol Uno
| Draw
| UFC 41
|
|align=center| 5
|align=center| 5:00
| Atlantic City, New Jersey
, United States
| For the UFC Lightweight Championship
|-
| Win
|align=center| 5–1
| Matt Serra
| Decision (unanimous)
| UFC 39
|
|align=center| 3
|align=center| 5:00
| Uncasville, Connecticut
, United States
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 4–1
| Paul Creighton
| TKO (punches)
| UFC 37
|
|align=center| 2
|align=center| 3:23
| Bossier City, Louisiana
, United States
|
|-
| Loss
|align=center| 3–1
| Jens Pulver
| Decision (majority)
| UFC 35
|
|align=center| 5
|align=center| 5:00
| Uncasville, Connecticut
, United States
| For the UFC Lightweight Championship
|-
| Win
|align=center| 3–0
| Caol Uno
| KO (punches)
| UFC 34
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 0:11
| Las Vegas, Nevada
, United States
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 2–0
| Din Thomas
| KO (knee and punches)
| UFC 32
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 2:42
| East Rutherford, New Jersey
, United States
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 1–0
| Joey Gilbert
| TKO (punches)
| UFC 31
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 4:57
| Atlantic City, New Jersey
, United States
|
|-
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
mixed martial artist
Mixed martial arts
Mixed Martial Arts is a full contact combat sport that allows the use of both striking and grappling techniques, both standing and on the ground, including boxing, wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay Thai, kickboxing, karate, judo and other styles. The roots of modern mixed martial arts can be...
and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a martial art, combat sport, and a self defense system that focuses on grappling and especially ground fighting...
practitioner who competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship
Ultimate Fighting Championship
The Ultimate Fighting Championship is the largest mixed martial arts promotion company in the world that hosts most of the top-ranked fighters in the sport...
. Penn was the first non-Brazilian winner of the World Jiu-Jitsu Championship
World Jiu-Jitsu Championship
The World Jiu-Jitsu Championship is the most prestigious Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu tournament in the world. They are hosted annually by the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation. The first Mundial tournament to be held outside of Brazil was in 2007 at the California State University in Long...
in the black-belt category. He is known for his willingness to fight anyone regardless of weight class, fighting as high as heavyweight when he competed against Lyoto Machida
Lyoto Machida
Lyoto Carvalho Machida is a Japanese-Brazilian mixed martial artist from Belém, Brazil who fights as a light heavyweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship...
in 2005.
A former UFC Lightweight Champion and UFC Welterweight Champion, he is only the second fighter in UFC history to win titles in two different weight classes, with the first being UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture
Randy Couture
Randy Duane Couture is a retired American mixed martial artist, Greco-Roman wrestler, actor, a three-time former heavyweight champion, two-time former light-heavyweight champion, former interim light heavyweight champion and UFC 13 tournament winner of the Ultimate Fighting Championship...
. Penn served as a coach on The Ultimate Fighter 5
The Ultimate Fighter 5
The Ultimate Fighter 5 was the fifth season of the Ultimate Fighting Championship produced reality television series The Ultimate Fighter...
reality show. As of October 2011, Penn is ranked as the #9 welterweight fighter in the world by Sherdog
Sherdog
Sherdog is an American website devoted to the sport of mixed martial arts . The site is a member of the Crave Online network and provides MMA related content for ESPN.com.- History :...
. He is currently on hiatus after losing to Nick Diaz
Nick Díaz
Nicholas Robert Diaz is an American mixed martial artist. He is the former Strikeforce Welterweight Champion, WEC and IFC Welterweight Champion. He has competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Pride Fighting Championships and Elite Xtreme Combat. Diaz was promoted to black belt in Brazilian...
at UFC 137
UFC 137
UFC 137: Penn vs. Diaz was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on October 29, 2011 at Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.-Background:...
in Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
.
Early life
Penn was born to Jay Dee Penn, an Irish AmericanIrish American
Irish Americans are citizens of the United States who can trace their ancestry to Ireland. A total of 36,278,332 Americans—estimated at 11.9% of the total population—reported Irish ancestry in the 2008 American Community Survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau...
and Loraine Shin, a third generation Korean-American. At the age of seventeen, Penn began training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu after being introduced to it by his neighbor, Tom Callos. Callos had put up fliers in local gyms looking for people to train with, and BJ's father Jay Dee Penn had called Callos and said his boys were interested. Callos then taught BJ and his brother what he knew. Shortly thereafter, BJ moved to San Jose, California
San Jose, California
San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...
to begin training at AKA
American Kickboxing Academy
The American Kickboxing Academy is a martial arts gym located in San Jose, California. It is one of the pioneering schools of mixed martial arts...
with Dave Camarillo and Bob Cooke, who he lived with and became close friends with. It was here during his time in San Jose that he decided to pursue a career in martial arts (albeit not mixed martial arts
Mixed martial arts
Mixed Martial Arts is a full contact combat sport that allows the use of both striking and grappling techniques, both standing and on the ground, including boxing, wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay Thai, kickboxing, karate, judo and other styles. The roots of modern mixed martial arts can be...
at the time).
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
In 1997 Penn began training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Ralph GracieRalph Gracie
Ralph Gracie is a Brazilian martial artist. Like other members of the Gracie family, he competed in mixed martial arts. He is the son of Robson Gracie and brother to Charles Gracie, Renzo Gracie and the late Ryan Gracie, both of whom have competed in various fighting events...
, eventually earning his purple belt from Gracie. At that point he moved to Nova União
Nova União (mixed martial arts)
Nova União is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu academy and mixed martial arts team located in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Their BJJ black belts have participated in BJJ, submission grappling and MMA competitions all over the world...
where he was eventually awarded his black belt in 2000 by Andre Pederneiras
Andre Pederneiras
André Pederneiras is a Brazilian mixed martial artist with a record of 1-1-2. Andre "Dede" Pederneiras is a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu under the late grandmaster Carlson Gracie and also one of the two founders of team Nova União...
. A few weeks later he became the first non-Brazilian to win the black-belt division of the World Jiu-Jitsu Championship
World Jiu-Jitsu Championship
The World Jiu-Jitsu Championship is the most prestigious Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu tournament in the world. They are hosted annually by the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation. The first Mundial tournament to be held outside of Brazil was in 2007 at the California State University in Long...
held in Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
. While Penn's most well-known and prestigious achievement was placing first in the black belt division in the 2000 world championships, he had success at the Mundials in previous years. In 1999, at the age of 20, Penn finished 3rd in the brown belt division, losing only to Fernando Terere.
While most people need a decade or more to become a black belt, Penn had, with only three years of training, not only received a black belt but defeated people who had been training their entire lives on his way to winning the World Jiu-Jitsu Championship. Penn is thought to have earned the fastest black belt of all active Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioners.
Ultimate Fighting Championship
His accomplishments in the World Jiu-Jitsu Championship caught the attention of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, which convinced him to switch to MMA. Penn made his mixed martial artsMixed martial arts
Mixed Martial Arts is a full contact combat sport that allows the use of both striking and grappling techniques, both standing and on the ground, including boxing, wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay Thai, kickboxing, karate, judo and other styles. The roots of modern mixed martial arts can be...
debut with the company on May 24, 2001 with a win over Joey Gilbert at UFC 31
UFC 31
UFC 31: Locked and Loaded was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, New Jersey on May 4, 2001...
. He then demonstrated strong striking
Strike (attack)
A strike is an attack with an inanimate object, such as a weapon, or with a part of the human body intended to cause an effect upon an opponent or to simply cause harm to an opponent. There are many different varieties of strikes...
skills, knocking out lightweights
Lightweight (MMA)
The lightweight division in mixed martial arts can refer to a number of different weight classes:* The UFC & Strikeforce lightweight division with upper limit at 155 lb...
Din Thomas
Din Thomas
Din Yero Thomas is an American mixed martial arts fighter and part time break dancer, who was featured on The Ultimate Fighter 4. He currently runs two successful Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and MMA academies in Port St. Lucie, Florida and is a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Ricardo Liborio...
and Caol Uno
Caol Uno
is a Japanese mixed martial artist, and former Shooto Welterweight Champion. Specifically, Uno is known for his low single leg takedown and rear naked choke. He was born in Kanagawa, Japan...
before suffering a decision loss in a championship fight against UFC Lightweight Champion, Jens Pulver
Jens Pulver
Jens Johnnie Pulver is an American mixed martial artist . He was the first Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight champion and was a coach on the The Ultimate Fighter 5 reality show, which aired on Spike TV. He was formerly signed as a featherweight with World Extreme Cagefighting , which is...
. In 2003, after Pulver left the UFC and relinquished his title, a tournament to crown a new champion flopped when Penn fought Uno to a draw in the finals at UFC 41
UFC 41
- External links:* * * *...
, a failure which caused the UFC to later suspend its lightweight division. Penn bounced back later in the year with a victory over Takanori Gomi
Takanori Gomi
, is a Japanese mixed martial artist currently fighting in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Gomi is a former Shooto Welterweight Champion and was the last and only Pride Lightweight Champion. He is also a four-time All Japan Combat Wrestling champion. During his time in Pride he was considered...
, future Pride Fighting Championship Lightweight Champion, in Rumble on the Rock, an MMA organization promoted by Penn's brother.
Penn received his first MMA championship in 2004 at UFC 46
UFC 46
UFC 46: Supernatural was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on January 31, 2004, at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. The event was broadcast live on pay-per-view in the United States, and later released on DVD.-History:Headlining the card was a...
. Penn jumped up in weight classes to challenge the five-time defending UFC Welterweight Champion Matt Hughes to fill a title contention slot in a division where Hughes had already defeated all the available opposition. Heavily favored to win, Hughes lost the fight four minutes into the first round by rear naked choke
Rear naked choke
The Rear naked choke is a chokehold in martial arts applied from an opponent's back. Depending on the context, the term may refer to one of two variations of the technique, either arm can be used to apply the choke in both cases...
after giving up his back with only 23 seconds left in the round.
Fighting and Entertainment Group
Shortly after defeating Hughes, Penn signed to fight for the Japanese Fighting and Entertainment GroupFighting and Entertainment Group
Fighting and Entertainment Group is the leading Japanese combat sport promoter. Its current president is Sadaharu Tanikawa and it is the parent company behind the mixed martial arts series Dream and formerly, the largest kickboxing promotion in the world, K-1.On December 31, 2010 after the Dream...
's (FEG) K-1
K-1
K-1 is a defunct world-wide kickboxing promotion based in Tokyo, Japan founded by Kazuyoshi Ishii, a formerKyokushin karate practitioner. K-1 combines stand up techniques from Muay Thai, Karate, Taekwondo, Savate, San Shou, kickboxing, western-style boxing, and other martial arts...
promotion citing a lack of challenging fights left for him in the UFC. The UFC promptly stripped him of the welterweight title, claiming Penn breached his contract and that the signing constituted him refusing to defend his title. Penn filed a suit against the UFC and publicized his side of the conflict, claiming his UFC contract had already expired. Penn filed a motion to stop the UFC from awarding a new welterweight title, but that motion was denied.
In his first fight for FEG, Penn fought again at welterweight (170 pounds) and defeated Duane Ludwig
Duane Ludwig
Duane Paul Ludwig is an American Muay Thai kickboxer and mixed martial artist. He is the former Middleweight Muay Thai world champion, and currently fights for the Ultimate Fighting Championships in their welterweight and lightweight divisions...
at the 2004 K-1 MMA Romanex show in under five minutes by arm triangle choke
Arm triangle choke
Arm triangle choke, side choke, or head and arm choke are generic terms describing blood chokeholds in which the opponent is strangled in between his or her own shoulder and the practitioner's arm. This is as opposed to the regular triangle choke, which denotes a chokehold using the legs, albeit...
. Following the Ludwig fight, Penn moved up in weight class to face the undefeated Rodrigo Gracie at middleweight
Middleweight (MMA)
The middleweight division in mixed martial arts can refer to a number of different weight classes:*UFC's & Strikeforce's middleweight division, which groups competitors within 171 to 185 lb...
(185 pounds). Penn won by decision, extending his winning streak to four fights. On March 26, 2005, at the inaugural event of FEG's new MMA promotion Hero's
HERO'S
Hero's was a Japanese mixed martial arts promotion operated by Fighting and Entertainment Group, the parent entity behind kickboxing organization K-1. Grown from and branched off of K-1's earlier experiments in MMA, including the K-1 Romanex event and various MMA fights on its regular K-1...
, Penn faced light heavyweight
Light Heavyweight (MMA)
The light heavyweight division in mixed martial arts generally refers to competitors weighing between 186 and 205 lb . It sits between the lighter middleweight division, and the heavyweight division....
Lyoto Machida
Lyoto Machida
Lyoto Carvalho Machida is a Japanese-Brazilian mixed martial artist from Belém, Brazil who fights as a light heavyweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship...
, losing by unanimous decision at K-1 Hero's 1. The fight happened at an open weight class with Penn weighing in at 86.5 kilograms (190.7 lb) and Machida 102 kilograms (224.9 lb). Later that year at K-1 World Grand Prix Hawaii, Penn returned to middleweight to face Renzo Gracie and won by unanimous decision.
Return to the UFC
UFC 56
UFC 56: Full Force was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on November 19, 2005. It was held at the MGM Grand Arena on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, broadcast live on pay-per-view in the United States, and released on DVD.-History:Headlining the card were the...
, UFC president Dana White announced that Penn and the UFC had agreed to a settlement and Penn was to return as a top welterweight contender. Penn re-debuted on March 4 at UFC 58
UFC 58
UFC 58: USA vs Canada was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on March 4, 2006. It was held at the Mandalay Bay Events Center on the Las Vegas Strip in Nevada, and broadcast live on pay-per-view in the United States....
, losing to Georges St. Pierre
Georges St. Pierre
Georges St-Pierre , often referred to as GSP, is a Canadian mixed martial artist and the current Welterweight Champion of the UFC. St-Pierre is ranked as the No. 1 Welterweight in the world according to Sherdog, MMAWeekly and numerous other publications. St-Pierre is ranked the No. 2 pound for...
by split decision in a fight that determined the number one welterweight contender.
After new top contender St. Pierre injured himself during training, the UFC announced that Penn would replace St. Pierre in an upcoming title fight, setting up a highly anticipated rematch with Hughes for UFC 63
UFC 63
UFC 63: Hughes vs. Penn was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on September 23, 2006. The event took place at the Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim, California and was broadcast live on pay-per-view in the United States and Canada....
on September 23, 2006. In the bout, Penn controlled the first two rounds, but sustained a rib injury during the scramble to take Hughes' back in round two. He was visibly different in the third round, appearing exhausted and missing punches he was landing earlier. Hughes was able to take Penn to the mat, and in side control
Side control
Side control is a dominant ground grappling position where the top combatant is lying perpendicularly over the face-up bottom combatant in such a way that the legs are free and he or she exerts considerable control over the combatant on the bottom...
crucifix position rained punches on Penn's head until referee "Big" John McCarthy
John McCarthy (referee)
John Michael McCarthy, the 'Octagon's ninth side', is the first head referee for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, a retired Los Angeles Police Officer, and a Tactical Self-Defense Instructor at the Los Angeles Police Academy. He formerly provided commentary and analysis for The Fight Network's...
stopped the fight at 3:53 of the third round, making this the first time that Penn had been stopped in a fight. In an interview found on Penn's personal website, Penn stated that by round three he could hardly breathe and had no "mobility in his core." Despite the injury, Penn congratulated Hughes, calling him a great fighter and saying he deserved the victory.
Penn was a coach for The Ultimate Fighter 5, which aired on April 5, 2007. Penn lead a team of eight lightweight fighters, and fought a rematch against Jens Pulver at the conclusion of the series on June 23, 2007. He won with a rear naked choke in the second round after controlling Pulver from the mount and then taking Pulver's back. Although he held the choke for a moment after Pulver tapped out, the two then embraced, with both later saying they no longer held any ill will against each other.
On July 7, 2007, during the post-fight press conference of UFC 73
UFC 73
UFC 73: Stacked was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship . It took place on July 7, 2007 at the ARCO Arena in Sacramento, California and featured a total of nine bouts: four on the preliminary card and five on the main card. In the main event, Anderson Silva put...
, UFC president Dana White announced that Penn would stay at lightweight to fight current UFC lightweight champion Sean Sherk
Sean Sherk
Sean Keith Sherk is an American mixed martial arts fighter currently fighting for the UFC. He currently holds a professional mixed martial arts record of thirty-six wins, four losses and one draw. Sherk has fought in both the UFC and Pride FC, and is a former UFC Lightweight Champion...
. However, Sean Sherk subsequently was suspended by the California State Athletic Commission, and the status of the possible title fight was left in limbo as he pursued his appeals. With Sherk's title status still in limbo after months of hearings, the UFC scheduled Penn to fight Joe Stevenson
Joe Stevenson
Joseph Christopher Stevenson is an American mixed martial artist fighting out of Las Vegas, Nevada. Competing as a welterweight, he won The Ultimate Fighter 2 welterweight tournament. Stevenson fought most of his UFC career as a lightweight, and made his featherweight debut at UFC Live: Kongo vs....
at UFC 80
UFC 80
UFC 80: Rapid Fire was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship , that took place on January 19, 2008 at the Metro Radio Arena in Newcastle, England.-Background:...
on January 19, 2008 for an interim lightweight title. The subsequent final decision by the California State Athletic Commission, which did not overturn Sherk's suspension, led to the title being stripped from Sherk and the Penn-Stevenson fight being upgraded to a full title bout, with the winner facing Sherk in their first defense.
Lightweight Championship
Penn knocked Stevenson down seconds into the first round with a right uppercut, then took Stevenson down, delivering a well placed elbow from the top position that inflicted a serious cut near Stevenson's hairline. In the second round, Stevenson fought more aggressively but was still unable to threaten Penn. Penn worked to back mount and defeated him by rear naked chokeRear naked choke
The Rear naked choke is a chokehold in martial arts applied from an opponent's back. Depending on the context, the term may refer to one of two variations of the technique, either arm can be used to apply the choke in both cases...
at 4:02 of the second round to win the Lightweight Championship. He celebrated the win by licking Joe Stevenson's blood off of his gloves. The win for Penn was awarded Beatdown of the Year by Sherdog
Sherdog
Sherdog is an American website devoted to the sport of mixed martial arts . The site is a member of the Crave Online network and provides MMA related content for ESPN.com.- History :...
for 2008. With this win, Penn became the second man (after Randy Couture
Randy Couture
Randy Duane Couture is a retired American mixed martial artist, Greco-Roman wrestler, actor, a three-time former heavyweight champion, two-time former light-heavyweight champion, former interim light heavyweight champion and UFC 13 tournament winner of the Ultimate Fighting Championship...
) to win UFC titles in two different weight classes.
On May 24, 2008 at UFC 84
UFC 84
UFC 84: Ill Will was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on May 24, 2008, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.-Overview:...
at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
, Penn fought former champion Sean Sherk in his first title defense bout. Sherk attempted to take Penn down only once (in the first round), instead the fighters traded punches and leg kicks for the remainder of the fight. Penn landed jabs several times, utilizing his reach advantage over Sherk. In the closing seconds of the third round, Penn threw a punch and a hook that backed Sherk into the cage. Sherk then ducked under another punch – possibly to shoot for a takedown – when he was hit in the head by a flush flying left knee from Penn. Sherk went down and Penn continued with strikes, but the round ended before the referee stopped the fight. However, Sherk was unable to continue and Penn was declared the victor by TKO (strikes) and it's debatable if this can be counted as the only fight to end right on the final buzzer of the fight, because the referee might've not stopped the fight, but Sherk was definitely out cold after the flying knee and punches. After the fight, in response a question by Joe Rogan about his future, Penn asked the crowd if they wanted to see him fight Georges St. Pierre and was answered with a loud ovation. Later, Penn told Fighters Club TV that he would face the winner of UFC 87
UFC 87
UFC 87: Seek and Destroy was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on August 9, 2008, at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota.-Background:...
Welterweight title fight between Georges St-Pierre and Jon Fitch
Jon Fitch
Jonathan Parker Fitch is an American mixed martial artist. He is currently ranked as the No. 2 welterweight in the world by Sherdog, as well as many other publications.-Background:...
, which St-Pierre ended up winning by unanimous decision. St-Pierre's victory led to the scheduling of BJ's next fight as a Welterweight Championship fight.
Welterweight Title shot
UFC 94
UFC 94: St-Pierre vs. Penn 2 was a mixed martial arts pay-per-view event promoted by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on January 31, 2009. The card featured five televised MMA bouts, as well as five un-aired preliminary bouts...
to be billed as the "UFC Super Bowl Weekend," and it was anticipated to be the biggest UFC pay-per-view event ever. Before the fight with St-Pierre, Penn made a controversial comment that he was going to try and kill St-Pierre in the ring, but he later explained that he was speaking figuratively.
The first round of the fight was somewhat even, with Penn exercising elusive head movement, fast hands and good take-down defense, thwarting all of St-Pierre's take-down attempts while both exchanged punches. In the ensuing three rounds, however, Penn turned out a lackluster performance. St-Pierre scored his first take-down of the night midway through the second round, and by the end of the round Penn was visibly tired. At the start of round three, St-Pierre landed a "superman punch
Superman punch
A superman punch, cobra punch, jumping punch or diving punch is a technique used in Muay Thai, full contact karate and mixed martial arts fighting...
" that bloodied Penn's nose and shortly took Penn down again. From that point on, St-Pierre took Penn down almost at will, repeatedly passed Penn's renowned guard, and persistently punished the Hawaiian with a ground-and-pound attack. Penn later admitted that he could not recall anything that happened during the 3rd and 4th rounds because "I was probably borderline knocked out or something." At the end of the fourth round, after more of St-Pierre's ground-and-pound onslaught, Penn's brother requested that the referee stop the fight. After the fight, Penn failed to attend the post-fight press conference due to having stayed in the hospital. Subsequently in an interview he revealed that had he won, he would have retired "on top", while holding the lightweight and the welterweight belts.
A controversy arose during the fight as St-Pierre's corner-men were spotted rubbing St-Pierre's back immediately after applying Vaseline to his face. Members of the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) came into the octagon and wiped St-Pierre's torso down, though no significant amounts of Vaseline were discovered at this time. After the fight, on ESPN's MMA show, St-Pierre claimed that the rubbing was part of a routine to line up his energy for improved breathing, and he apologized for any Vaseline that may have been transferred to his body. Penn, however, sent a formal request to the NSAC, asking them to investigate. Despite all of the complaints by the Penn camp, the NSAC took no action.
In response to the incident, the rules of the UFC were modified so that only the official "cut men" would be allowed to have or apply Vaseline to the fighters. The procedures governing the transition from the fighters walk-in to the cage and while in the cage were also changed. Previously, fighters would walk up next to the cage, see the cut man who would apply Vaseline, be checked by the referee, and then have an opportunity to speak with or hug their coaches or cornermen before entering the cage. To prevent an opportunity for the fighters to have Vaseline applied illicitly, fighters now must first part from any company, have Vaseline applied by the cut man, be checked by the referee, and then go directly to the cage. Finally, no cornermen will be allowed to have Vaseline in the cage between rounds. In this way, the fighter's contact with Vaseline is fully controlled by the cut men and referee, who work independently for the UFC.
UFC President Dana White said that the incident had no effect on the outcome of the fight although he wished the incident had not happened. In his first post-fight interview Penn spoke of his belief that if St-Pierre were found to have been "greased" he would lose all respect for him, while admitting that "[I] definitely got my butt kicked." Penn claims that before the match he warned the NSAC that St-Pierre might use grease intentionally. St-Pierre responded to the allegations by offering to fight a rematch against Penn. Penn went on record as accepting the offer for a re-match. Following his informal acceptance of a proposed second rematch, Penn filed a formal complaint with Nevada State Athletic Commission seeking to prevent St-Pierre from fighting by suspending St-Pierre's fighter's license. In addition, Penn requested the suspension of St-Pierre's cornermen, Greg Jackson and Phil Nurse, a fine of $250,000, and overturning the result of the fight to a no-contest. The NSAC has since then instituted new rules that will not allow foreign substances in the cage, coined "The BJ Penn Rule" by some of the NSAC officials.
UFC 101 and return as Lightweight Champion
Penn began negotiations to fight Kenny FlorianKenny Florian
Kenneth Alan Florian is a Peruvian-American mixed martial artist who competes as a featherweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He has a background in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Muay Thai, and is known for his cerebral approach to the sport based on his meticulous game plans and...
in the summer of 2009. The Florian-Penn title fight was scheduled for UFC 99
UFC 99
UFC 99: The Comeback was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on June 13, 2009 in Cologne, Germany. It was the first UFC event held in Germany, as well as the first in mainland Europe .-Background:On Monday, June 1, the...
, but BJ Penn requested more time off after his fight with GSP. He defended his title against Florian on August 8, 2009 at UFC 101
UFC 101
UFC 101: Declaration was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on August 8, 2009 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania...
. Penn looked noticeably in better physical shape than his previous outings at 155 lbs and negated any sort of takedown offense from Florian the entire match despite his opponent's persistence in grappling and engaging the clinch.
On his feet, Penn avoided virtually any damage, constantly stuffing or evading any attempts of a left high kick, punches, or elbows from Florian when the two departed from the clinch. In a measured performance, Penn preferred to pace himself in his standup, occasionally showing explosive bursts of striking up until the fourth round, where he executed a powerful takedown and quickly assumed the half guard
Half guard
Half guard, or alternatively half mount, is a ground grappling position where one combatant is lying on the other, with the bottom combatant having one leg entangled. Sometimes the bottom combatant is said to be in half guard, while the top combatant is in a half mount respectively. The half guard...
position, punishing the contender with elbows until gaining the full mount, where punches followed to continue the ground and pound assault from the BJJ specialist.
A scramble ensued, where Florian gave up his back twice but was unable to escape Penn's mount, the second time Penn took his opponent's back, he looked to trap Florian's arm with one of his legs, but was unable to do so, instead striking the liver of Florian with his heel, which eventually led Penn to secure a rear naked choke
Rear naked choke
The Rear naked choke is a chokehold in martial arts applied from an opponent's back. Depending on the context, the term may refer to one of two variations of the technique, either arm can be used to apply the choke in both cases...
at 3:45 of the fourth round to defend his lightweight championship title.
Penn fought Diego Sanchez
Diego Sánchez
Diego J. Sanchez is an American mixed martial artist of Mexican descent, with a background in wrestling and Gaidojutsu, system of submission wrestling developed by his longtime trainer Greg Jackson...
for the UFC Lightweight Championship on December 12, 2009 at UFC 107
UFC 107
UFC 107: Penn vs. Sanchez was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on December 12, 2009 in Memphis, Tennessee at the FedExForum.-Background:...
. Penn negated virtually any offense from the contender, exercising good footwork and elusive head movement whilst remaining flawless in his takedown defense on 27 attempts from Sanchez. He stalked his opponent for large periods of the match and stunned Sanchez early, dropping him; following up with multiple clean shots, which Sanchez showed good durability in weathering. Penn, showing good conditioning for the duration of the bout, continued to stuff all takedowns, punches and left high kicks from Sanchez and dominated with aggressive bursts of striking throughout. He hurt Sanchez several times, until finally rocking him with a flurry in the final round, swarming to finish the combo with a right high kick. The kick opened up a huge cut on Sanchez's forehead above his left eye, causing the fight to be halted on doctor's advice at 2:47 of the fifth round with a TKO.
The performance marked the third time Penn had successfully finished a fight in defending his UFC Lightweight Championship. Later during the post-fight press conference UFC President Dana White
Dana White
Dana White is the current President of the Ultimate Fighting Championship , a mixed martial arts organization based in the United States.- Biography :...
told the media he was proud of Penn's willingness to take MMA more seriously in his training when earlier he felt Penn had coasted through the UFC solely on natural talent.
Losing the title
Penn's next defense was on April 10, 2010 at UFC 112UFC 112
UFC 112: Invincible was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on April 10, 2010, on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates...
against Frankie Edgar. Despite being an overwhelming favorite coming into the fight, Penn lost the closely contested bout by unanimous decision. After the fight, Penn congratulated Edgar on winning the belt and claimed that he had not felt quite right in the octagon. A report arose from his camp, saying, "He was battling a sinus infection and was on anti-biotics."
Penn fought Edgar in a rematch at UFC 118
UFC 118
UFC 118: Edgar vs. Penn 2 was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on August 28, 2010 at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. The third UFC Fan Expo coincided with the event...
. During the bout he was taken down three times during the first two rounds – and though Penn took Edgar down twice in the final two rounds – Edgar was able to negate his ground offense and control the fight with good movement and striking combinations. All three judges scored the fight 50–45 for Edgar.
Return to Welterweight and possible retirement
Penn fought welterweight Matt HughesMatt Hughes (fighter)
Matthew Allen Hughes is an American mixed martial artist, UFC Hall of Famer, and former two-time UFC Welterweight Champion. Hughes put together two separate six-fight winning streaks in the UFC, won the welterweight title on two occasions, defended the belt a record seven times, and holds the...
at UFC 123
UFC 123
UFC 123: Rampage vs. Machida was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on November 20, 2010 at The Palace of Auburn Hills in the Detroit suburb of Auburn Hills, Michigan...
in a rubber match
Rubber match
According to Paul Dickson's The New Dickson's Baseball Dictionary , a "rubber game" is "The last and deciding game of a series when the previous games have been split; e.g., the seventh game of the World Series." This tie-breaking sense of "rubber" apparently originated in the English game of...
after their previous two fights at UFC 46 and UFC 63. Penn defeated Hughes in 21 seconds of the first round by knockout after flooring Hughes with a right hand and following with additional strikes on the mat. Penn earned knockout of the night honors for his performance.
Following the UFC 123
UFC 123
UFC 123: Rampage vs. Machida was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on November 20, 2010 at The Palace of Auburn Hills in the Detroit suburb of Auburn Hills, Michigan...
post-fight press conference, UFC president Dana White said that Penn would fight top welterweight contender Jon Fitch at UFC 127
UFC 127
UFC 127: Penn vs. Fitch was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on Sunday, 27 February 2011 at Acer Arena in Sydney, Australia. Due to the time zone difference it aired live on Saturday, 26 February in North America...
in Australia. Penn trained with Matt Hughes and Floyd Mayweather, Sr. in preparation for the fight. Penn surprised Fitch by taking him to the ground instead of using his stand up skills. The fight ended in a draw and Penn stated that he would gladly have a rematch in the future. UFC matchmaker Joe Silva stated that neither the fans nor the UFC are interested in a Penn-Fitch rematch.
Penn was expected to face Carlos Condit
Carlos Condit
Carlos Joseph Condit is an American mixed martial artist currently fighting for the Ultimate Fighting Championship as a welterweight.Condit initially received national attention for his run as the final WEC Welterweight Champion...
on October 29, 2011 at UFC 137
UFC 137
UFC 137: Penn vs. Diaz was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on October 29, 2011 at Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.-Background:...
. B.J. Penn has relocated his camp to Southern California in an effort to prepare for the bout. Penn was joined in California by former UFC middleweight and Ultimate Fighter winner Kendall Grove
Kendall Grove
Kendall Kekoa Grove is an American mixed martial artist. He was the winner of The Ultimate Fighter 3 on Spike TV.- Early life :...
and B.J.’s brother Reagan Penn, as they both prepared for their August 27 fights on the ProElite show in Hawaii. However, on September 7, Condit was pulled from the bout and replaced Nick Diaz
Nick Díaz
Nicholas Robert Diaz is an American mixed martial artist. He is the former Strikeforce Welterweight Champion, WEC and IFC Welterweight Champion. He has competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Pride Fighting Championships and Elite Xtreme Combat. Diaz was promoted to black belt in Brazilian...
in the main event against Georges St. Pierre
Georges St. Pierre
Georges St-Pierre , often referred to as GSP, is a Canadian mixed martial artist and the current Welterweight Champion of the UFC. St-Pierre is ranked as the No. 1 Welterweight in the world according to Sherdog, MMAWeekly and numerous other publications. St-Pierre is ranked the No. 2 pound for...
. Dana White
Dana White
Dana White is the current President of the Ultimate Fighting Championship , a mixed martial arts organization based in the United States.- Biography :...
stated that Penn will fight Nick Diaz
Nick Díaz
Nicholas Robert Diaz is an American mixed martial artist. He is the former Strikeforce Welterweight Champion, WEC and IFC Welterweight Champion. He has competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Pride Fighting Championships and Elite Xtreme Combat. Diaz was promoted to black belt in Brazilian...
in the main event at UFC 137 after GSP pulled out due to knee injury. Penn lost via unanimous decision after winning the first round against the former Strikeforce welterweight champion, but was unable to mount any significant offense or defense against Diaz's brutal stand-up attack in the remaining two rounds.
Immediately following the loss to Diaz, Penn announced his plans to retire, saying into the microphone, "I don't want to go home looking like this." On November 1, Penn posted a message to fans on his website indicating that he plans to take some time off, but the retirement decision is not yet official. He said, "I want to thank all the fans for their love and support. I have decided to take some time off to enjoy life, train and teach. I will keep you guys posted with what’s next."
Personal life
His nickname "B.J." is a shortened version of another nickname "Baby Jay", which itself derives from the fact that Penn is the youngest of his brothers all named "Jay Dee Penn". BJ's father, who is Irish and English, named 3 of his 4 children "Jay Dee", while the fourth is Reagan. In order to avoid confusion each of the sons named "Jay Dee" goes by a nickname: "Jay", "Jay Dee", and "Baby Jay". Penn's mother, Lorraine Shin, is of Korean and Native Hawaiian descent. B.j is known for a feat of jumping out of a four foot pool. He also played soccer as a child and was fairly decent at the sport.Penn takes much pride in his Hawaiian heritage, his trainer Rudy Valentino had stated once that Penn played Hawaiian music during his entrances as a tribute to it; a tradition which Penn still continues. Penn has also stated that he identifies strongly with his Korean roots and has traveled to Korea to hold seminars. He also said that he gets his hot temper from his Korean side which helps him use this energy in his fights.
Penn's girlfriend, Shealen Uaiwa, gave birth to their daughter, Aeva Lili'u, on October 25, 2008. Penn is the co-author of Mixed Martial Arts: The Book of Knowledge, an instructional book on mixed martial arts fighting. Penn, along with Dave Weintraub, authored the autobiography Why I Fight: The Belt is Just an Accessory in 2010. The book debuted at #22 on the New York Times bestseller list. Penn appeared in the film Never Surrender
Never Surrender (film)
Never Surrender is a 2009 film about an MMA champion who finds himself fighting in illegal underground cage fights. The film's cast features a number of real MMA fighters. It was filmed in Los Angeles, California and was produced by Destiny Entertainment Productions...
in 2009.
Grappling credentials
- CBJJ World Championships
- 2000 – Black Belt Pena: 1st Place
- 1999 – Brown Belt Leve: 3rd Place
- 1998 – Blue Belt Pena: 2nd Place
- CBJJ Brazilian Team Championships
- 2000 – Marrom Preta Leve: Nova União, 1st Place
- Misc.
- Grapplers Quest Lightweight Championship Super fight winner
- 1997 Joe MoreiraJoe MoreiraJose Carlos Moreira is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner and a former mixed martial artist.-Early life and career:Joe was born inside a taxicab in front of a Rio de Janeiro hospital...
tournament – blue belt, 1st place. - 1999 Copa Pacific tournament – Gold medal.
- Black belt awarded by Andre Pederneiras
Jiu-Jitsu career highlights
- May 1997 – Enters first tournament in Bakersfield, CA and wins both his weight and the open weight class.
- June 1997 – Enters the Joe Moreira tournament as a blue belt winning his weight class.
- June 1997 – Wins submission grappling tournament
- 1997 – Receives blue belt from Ralph Gracie
- 1997 – Enters Brasileiro and places 4th in his weight class, blue belt category
- 1997 – Continues to enter tournaments upon return from Brazil placing first consistently
- 1998 – Silver medal at Brazilian Mundials competition in his weight division; receives purple belt upon return
- 1999 – Bronze medal at Brazilian Mundials in heavier weight class as a newly promoted Nova Uniao brown belt.
- 1999 – Gold medal, Copa Pacifica Tournament in Los Angeles, CA
- 1999 – Receives Black belt from Andre Pederneiras just 3 weeks before the 2000 Mundials
- 1999 – Joins Nova Uniao Competition Team (reserved for the four top team competitors)
- 2000 – First non-Brazilian to win gold medal in black belt division of the Mundial World Championships held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Mixed martial arts
- Ultimate Fighting ChampionshipUltimate Fighting ChampionshipThe Ultimate Fighting Championship is the largest mixed martial arts promotion company in the world that hosts most of the top-ranked fighters in the sport...
- UFC Lightweight Championship (One time)
- UFC Welterweight Championship (One time)
- Submission of the NightBonus Awards-Background:UFC Bonus Awards are three different kinds of awards usually given to four fighters after a UFC event.Fight of the Night - Award given to the two fighters that fought each other and delivered the "most impressive" fight on the card....
(Two times) - Fight of the Night (One time)
- Knockout of the Night (One time)
- Second fighter to win Championship titles in two weight classes
- Most successful Lightweight title defenses (three)
- Most Lightweight wins in UFC history (10)
- SherdogSherdogSherdog is an American website devoted to the sport of mixed martial arts . The site is a member of the Crave Online network and provides MMA related content for ESPN.com.- History :...
- 2008 Beatdown of the Year vs Joe Stevenson
Mixed martial arts record
|-| Loss
|align=center| 16–8–2
| Nick Diaz
Nick Díaz
Nicholas Robert Diaz is an American mixed martial artist. He is the former Strikeforce Welterweight Champion, WEC and IFC Welterweight Champion. He has competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Pride Fighting Championships and Elite Xtreme Combat. Diaz was promoted to black belt in Brazilian...
| Decision (unanimous)
| UFC 137
UFC 137
UFC 137: Penn vs. Diaz was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on October 29, 2011 at Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.-Background:...
|
|align=center| 3
|align=center| 5:00
| Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
, United States
|
|-
| Draw
|align=center| 16–7–2
| Jon Fitch
Jon Fitch
Jonathan Parker Fitch is an American mixed martial artist. He is currently ranked as the No. 2 welterweight in the world by Sherdog, as well as many other publications.-Background:...
| Draw
| UFC 127
UFC 127
UFC 127: Penn vs. Fitch was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on Sunday, 27 February 2011 at Acer Arena in Sydney, Australia. Due to the time zone difference it aired live on Saturday, 26 February in North America...
|
|align=center| 3
|align=center| 5:00
| Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Australia
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 16–7–1
| Matt Hughes
Matt Hughes (fighter)
Matthew Allen Hughes is an American mixed martial artist, UFC Hall of Famer, and former two-time UFC Welterweight Champion. Hughes put together two separate six-fight winning streaks in the UFC, won the welterweight title on two occasions, defended the belt a record seven times, and holds the...
| KO (punches)
| UFC 123
UFC 123
UFC 123: Rampage vs. Machida was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on November 20, 2010 at The Palace of Auburn Hills in the Detroit suburb of Auburn Hills, Michigan...
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 0:21
| Auburn Hills, Michigan
Auburn Hills, Michigan
Auburn Hills is a city in Metro Detroit, Oakland County, in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 21,412 at the 2010 census. The city was formed in 1983 when Pontiac Township became the City of Auburn Hills.-Economy:...
, United States
|
|-
| Loss
|align=center| 15–7–1
| Frankie Edgar
| Decision (unanimous)
| UFC 118
UFC 118
UFC 118: Edgar vs. Penn 2 was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on August 28, 2010 at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. The third UFC Fan Expo coincided with the event...
|
|align=center| 5
|align=center| 5:00
| Boston, Massachusetts, United States
|
|-
| Loss
|align=center| 15–6–1
| Frankie Edgar
| Decision (unanimous)
| UFC 112
UFC 112
UFC 112: Invincible was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on April 10, 2010, on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates...
|
|align=center| 5
|align=center| 5:00
| Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi , literally Father of Gazelle, is the capital and the second largest city of the United Arab Emirates in terms of population and the largest of the seven member emirates of the United Arab Emirates. Abu Dhabi lies on a T-shaped island jutting into the Persian Gulf from the central western...
, United Arab Emirates
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 15–5–1
| Diego Sanchez
Diego Sánchez
Diego J. Sanchez is an American mixed martial artist of Mexican descent, with a background in wrestling and Gaidojutsu, system of submission wrestling developed by his longtime trainer Greg Jackson...
| TKO (doctor stoppage)
| UFC 107
UFC 107
UFC 107: Penn vs. Sanchez was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on December 12, 2009 in Memphis, Tennessee at the FedExForum.-Background:...
|
|align=center| 5
|align=center| 2:37
| Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
, United States
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 14–5–1
| Kenny Florian
Kenny Florian
Kenneth Alan Florian is a Peruvian-American mixed martial artist who competes as a featherweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He has a background in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Muay Thai, and is known for his cerebral approach to the sport based on his meticulous game plans and...
| Submission (rear-naked choke)
| UFC 101
UFC 101
UFC 101: Declaration was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on August 8, 2009 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania...
|
|align=center| 4
|align=center| 3:54
| Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
, United States
|
|-
| Loss
|align=center| 13–5–1
| Georges St-Pierre
| TKO (corner stoppage)
| UFC 94
UFC 94
UFC 94: St-Pierre vs. Penn 2 was a mixed martial arts pay-per-view event promoted by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on January 31, 2009. The card featured five televised MMA bouts, as well as five un-aired preliminary bouts...
|
|align=center| 4
|align=center| 5:00
| Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
, United States
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 13–4–1
| Sean Sherk
Sean Sherk
Sean Keith Sherk is an American mixed martial arts fighter currently fighting for the UFC. He currently holds a professional mixed martial arts record of thirty-six wins, four losses and one draw. Sherk has fought in both the UFC and Pride FC, and is a former UFC Lightweight Champion...
| TKO (flying knee and punches)
| UFC 84
UFC 84
UFC 84: Ill Will was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on May 24, 2008, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.-Overview:...
|
|align=center| 3
|align=center| 5:00
| Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
, United States
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 12–4–1
| Joe Stevenson
Joe Stevenson
Joseph Christopher Stevenson is an American mixed martial artist fighting out of Las Vegas, Nevada. Competing as a welterweight, he won The Ultimate Fighter 2 welterweight tournament. Stevenson fought most of his UFC career as a lightweight, and made his featherweight debut at UFC Live: Kongo vs....
| Submission (rear-naked choke)
| UFC 80
UFC 80
UFC 80: Rapid Fire was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship , that took place on January 19, 2008 at the Metro Radio Arena in Newcastle, England.-Background:...
|
|align=center| 2
|align=center| 4:02
| Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
, England
| Won the UFC Lightweight Championship; Submission of the Night; Sherdog 2008 Beatdown of the Year.
|-
| Win
|align=center| 11–4–1
| Jens Pulver
Jens Pulver
Jens Johnnie Pulver is an American mixed martial artist . He was the first Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight champion and was a coach on the The Ultimate Fighter 5 reality show, which aired on Spike TV. He was formerly signed as a featherweight with World Extreme Cagefighting , which is...
| Submission (rear-naked choke)
| The Ultimate Fighter 5 Finale
The Ultimate Fighter 5 Finale
The Ultimate Fighter 5 Finale was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on June 23, 2007. Featured were the finals from The Ultimate Fighter 5 in the Lightweight division as well as a main event between B.J. Penn and Jens Pulver.- Preliminary card :*Lightweight...
|
|align=center| 2
|align=center| 3:12
| Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
, United States
|
|-
| Loss
|align=center| 10–4–1
| Matt Hughes
Matt Hughes (fighter)
Matthew Allen Hughes is an American mixed martial artist, UFC Hall of Famer, and former two-time UFC Welterweight Champion. Hughes put together two separate six-fight winning streaks in the UFC, won the welterweight title on two occasions, defended the belt a record seven times, and holds the...
| TKO (punches)
| UFC 63
UFC 63
UFC 63: Hughes vs. Penn was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on September 23, 2006. The event took place at the Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim, California and was broadcast live on pay-per-view in the United States and Canada....
|
|align=center| 3
|align=center| 3:53
| Anaheim, California
Anaheim, California
Anaheim is a city in Orange County, California. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was about 365,463, making it the most populated city in Orange County, the 10th most-populated city in California, and ranked 54th in the United States...
, United States
| .
|-
| Loss
|align=center| 10–3–1
| Georges St-Pierre
| Decision (split)
| UFC 58
UFC 58
UFC 58: USA vs Canada was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on March 4, 2006. It was held at the Mandalay Bay Events Center on the Las Vegas Strip in Nevada, and broadcast live on pay-per-view in the United States....
|
|align=center| 3
|align=center| 5:00
| Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
, United States
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 10–2–1
| Renzo Gracie
Renzo Gracie
Renzo Gracie is a Gracie Barra Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt under Carlos Gracie Jr. and a former mixed martial arts competitor in the Ultimate Fighting Championship . He is member of the Gracie family of Brazil. He is the son of Robson Gracie, grandson of Carlos Gracie, nephew of Carlos...
| Decision (unanimous)
| K-1: World Grand Prix Hawaii
|
|align=center| 3
|align=center| 5:00
| Honolulu, Hawaii
Honolulu, Hawaii
Honolulu is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii. Honolulu is the southernmost major U.S. city. Although the name "Honolulu" refers to the urban area on the southeastern shore of the island of Oahu, the city and county government are consolidated as the City and...
, United States
|
|-
| Loss
|align=center| 9–2–1
| Lyoto Machida
Lyoto Machida
Lyoto Carvalho Machida is a Japanese-Brazilian mixed martial artist from Belém, Brazil who fights as a light heavyweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship...
| Decision (unanimous)
| K-1: Hero's 1
|
|align=center| 3
|align=center| 5:00
| Saitama, Saitama
Saitama, Saitama
' is the capital and the most populous city of Saitama Prefecture in Japan, situated in the south-east of the prefecture. Its area incorporates the former cities of Urawa, Ōmiya, Yono and Iwatsuki. It is a city designated by government ordinance...
, Japan
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 9–1–1
| Rodrigo Gracie
Rodrigo Gracie
Rodrigo Gracie is a former Brazilian professional mixed martial artist, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner and a 1998 ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship Gold Medalist.- Biography :...
| Decision (unanimous)
| Rumble on the Rock 6
|
|align=center| 3
|align=center| 5:00
| Honolulu, Hawaii
Honolulu, Hawaii
Honolulu is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii. Honolulu is the southernmost major U.S. city. Although the name "Honolulu" refers to the urban area on the southeastern shore of the island of Oahu, the city and county government are consolidated as the City and...
, United States
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 8–1–1
| Duane Ludwig
Duane Ludwig
Duane Paul Ludwig is an American Muay Thai kickboxer and mixed martial artist. He is the former Middleweight Muay Thai world champion, and currently fights for the Ultimate Fighting Championships in their welterweight and lightweight divisions...
| Submission (arm-triangle choke)
| K-1 MMA: Romanex
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 1:45
| Saitama, Saitama
Saitama, Saitama
' is the capital and the most populous city of Saitama Prefecture in Japan, situated in the south-east of the prefecture. Its area incorporates the former cities of Urawa, Ōmiya, Yono and Iwatsuki. It is a city designated by government ordinance...
, Japan
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 7–1–1
| Matt Hughes
Matt Hughes (fighter)
Matthew Allen Hughes is an American mixed martial artist, UFC Hall of Famer, and former two-time UFC Welterweight Champion. Hughes put together two separate six-fight winning streaks in the UFC, won the welterweight title on two occasions, defended the belt a record seven times, and holds the...
| Submission (rear-naked choke)
| UFC 46
UFC 46
UFC 46: Supernatural was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on January 31, 2004, at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. The event was broadcast live on pay-per-view in the United States, and later released on DVD.-History:Headlining the card was a...
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 4:39
| Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
, United States
| Won the UFC Welterweight Championship
|-
| Win
|align=center| 6–1–1
| Takanori Gomi
Takanori Gomi
, is a Japanese mixed martial artist currently fighting in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Gomi is a former Shooto Welterweight Champion and was the last and only Pride Lightweight Champion. He is also a four-time All Japan Combat Wrestling champion. During his time in Pride he was considered...
| Submission (rear-naked choke)
| Rumble on the Rock 4
Rumble on the Rock 4
Rumble on the Rock 4 was an mixed martial arts event held by Rumble on the Rock on October 10, 2003 at Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA.-Results: Antonio Banuelos vs. Yobie SongBanuelos defeats Song via TKO in round 3 at 2:39...
|
|align=center| 3
|align=center| 2:35
| Honolulu, Hawaii
Honolulu, Hawaii
Honolulu is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii. Honolulu is the southernmost major U.S. city. Although the name "Honolulu" refers to the urban area on the southeastern shore of the island of Oahu, the city and county government are consolidated as the City and...
, United States
| Won the Rumble on the Rock Lightweight Championship
|-
| Draw
|align=center| 5–1–1
| Caol Uno
Caol Uno
is a Japanese mixed martial artist, and former Shooto Welterweight Champion. Specifically, Uno is known for his low single leg takedown and rear naked choke. He was born in Kanagawa, Japan...
| Draw
| UFC 41
UFC 41
- External links:* * * *...
|
|align=center| 5
|align=center| 5:00
| Atlantic City, New Jersey
Atlantic City, New Jersey
Atlantic City is a city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States, and a nationally renowned resort city for gambling, shopping and fine dining. The city also served as the inspiration for the American version of the board game Monopoly. Atlantic City is located on Absecon Island on the coast...
, United States
| For the UFC Lightweight Championship
|-
| Win
|align=center| 5–1
| Matt Serra
Matt Serra
Matthew John Serra is an American mixed martial artist and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt. He is a former UFC Welterweight Champion and an ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship silver medalist. He began practicing martial arts at an early age, first studying kung fu...
| Decision (unanimous)
| UFC 39
UFC 39
UFC 39: The Warriors Return was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on September 27, 2002, at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut...
|
|align=center| 3
|align=center| 5:00
| Uncasville, Connecticut
Uncasville, Connecticut
Uncasville is an area in the town of Montville, Connecticut. The area traditionally known as Uncasville is a village in southeastern Montville, at the mouth of the Oxoboxo River...
, United States
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 4–1
| Paul Creighton
Paul Creighton
Paul Creighton is a retired American mixed martial artist who competed in the Lightweight division. He lost his last fight at UFC 37 - High Impact at the CenturyTel Center in Bossier City, Louisiana on May 10, 2002 against B.J. Penn....
| TKO (punches)
| UFC 37
UFC 37
UFC 37: High Impact was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship at the CenturyTel Center in Bossier City, Louisiana on May 10, 2002...
|
|align=center| 2
|align=center| 3:23
| Bossier City, Louisiana
Bossier City, Louisiana
Bossier City is a city in Bossier Parish, Louisiana, United States.As of the 2010 Census, the city had a total population of 61,315. Bossier City is closely tied to its larger sister city Shreveport, located on the western bank of the Red River. The Shreveport-Bossier City metropolitan area is the...
, United States
|
|-
| Loss
|align=center| 3–1
| Jens Pulver
Jens Pulver
Jens Johnnie Pulver is an American mixed martial artist . He was the first Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight champion and was a coach on the The Ultimate Fighter 5 reality show, which aired on Spike TV. He was formerly signed as a featherweight with World Extreme Cagefighting , which is...
| Decision (majority)
| UFC 35
UFC 35
UFC 35: Throwdown was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut on January 11, 2002...
|
|align=center| 5
|align=center| 5:00
| Uncasville, Connecticut
Uncasville, Connecticut
Uncasville is an area in the town of Montville, Connecticut. The area traditionally known as Uncasville is a village in southeastern Montville, at the mouth of the Oxoboxo River...
, United States
| For the UFC Lightweight Championship
|-
| Win
|align=center| 3–0
| Caol Uno
Caol Uno
is a Japanese mixed martial artist, and former Shooto Welterweight Champion. Specifically, Uno is known for his low single leg takedown and rear naked choke. He was born in Kanagawa, Japan...
| KO (punches)
| UFC 34
UFC 34
UFC 34: High Voltage was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship at the MGM Grand Arena on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada on November 2, 2001...
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 0:11
| Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
, United States
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 2–0
| Din Thomas
Din Thomas
Din Yero Thomas is an American mixed martial arts fighter and part time break dancer, who was featured on The Ultimate Fighter 4. He currently runs two successful Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and MMA academies in Port St. Lucie, Florida and is a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Ricardo Liborio...
| KO (knee and punches)
| UFC 32
UFC 32
UFC 32: Showdown in the Meadowlands was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship at the Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey on June 29, 2001...
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 2:42
| East Rutherford, New Jersey
East Rutherford, New Jersey
East Rutherford is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 8,913. It is an inner-ring suburb of New York City, located west of Midtown Manhattan....
, United States
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 1–0
| Joey Gilbert
| TKO (punches)
| UFC 31
UFC 31
UFC 31: Locked and Loaded was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, New Jersey on May 4, 2001...
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 4:57
| Atlantic City, New Jersey
Atlantic City, New Jersey
Atlantic City is a city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States, and a nationally renowned resort city for gambling, shopping and fine dining. The city also served as the inspiration for the American version of the board game Monopoly. Atlantic City is located on Absecon Island on the coast...
, United States
|
External links
|-