B.J. Penn

D.O.B.: 12/12/1978
Weight: 155lb/70kg
Height: 5'9"
Fighting style: Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
MMA Record: 11 - 4 - 1
Fighting out of: Hilo, Hawaii

B.J. Penn is an American professional mixed martial arts fighter and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner. At the age of seventeen, Penn began training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu after being introduced to it by his neighbor Tom Callos, and in 1997 he started training under Ralph Gracie. After being awarded his black belt in 2000 by Andre Pederneiras of Nova Uniao, he became the first non-Brazilian to win a gold medal in the black belt division of the Mundial World Championships held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

His accomplishments caught the attention of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, where he began his mixed martial arts career less than a year later in 2001. He demonstrated strong striking skills, knocking out lightweights Din Thomas and Caol Uno before suffering a decision loss in a title 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 an impressive victory over Takanori Gomi, Japan's current number-one ranked lightweight fighter at Rumble on the Rock, a MMA event promoted by his brother. The crowning achievement of Penn's career came in 2004 at UFC 46. Penn jumped up in weight classes to challenge the five-time defending 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. It was one of the biggest upsets in UFC history.