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When MMA (mixed martial arts) was introduced to North American audiences over 15 years ago, one art dominated. That particular style was Brazilian Jiu-Jistsu, and the practitioner who introduced it was Royce Gracie. Picking up the mantle after Royce's departure was the unexpected talent of a relative newcomer to the sport, who hailed from the unlikely location of Hilo, Hawaii.
B.J. Penn was born in Kailua, Hawaii on December 13, 1978. He currently resides in Hilo, Hawaii. His father, Jay Dee Penn, is Irish American and his mother, Loraine Shin, is a third generation Korean-American. B.J.'s birth name is actually the same as his father's; the B.J. comes from the shortening of his nickname - Baby Jay.
B.J. didn't begin studying Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu until he was 17 years old. His father introduced him to it after coming across fliers put up by local neighbor, Tom Callos. Tom taught B.J. and his brothers all he knew. B.J. immediately excelled in the sport and decided to relocate to San Jose, California, to continue his training at the AKA (American Kickboxing Academy) with Dave Camarillo and Bob Cooke. It was during his time in San Jose that B.J. set his sights on being a martial arts expert.
In 1997, B.J. switched camps and began training with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu legend, Ralph Gracie. After earning his purple belt from Ralph, B.J. moved to Rio de Janiero, Brazil, to train at the Nova Uniao school run by Andre Pederneiras. A few weeks later, B.J. would make history.
In the 2000 World Jiu-Jitsu championships, BJ Penn became the first non-Brazilian to win the black-belt division; he was only twenty. Prior to this tournament B.J. had had success in other tournaments. In 1999, he finished third in the brown belt division of the World Championships, only losing to eventual winner, Fernando Terere.
B.J.'s success at the World Championships caught the eye of the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship), who convinced him to join and fight for their organization. B.J. won his first three fights, but was unsuccessful in his first attempt to win the belt in the Lightweight Division.
A brief time after the UFC scrapped the lightweight category, B.J. decided to jump weight classes and fight for the welterweight championship against five time defending champion, Matt Hughes. Hughes had already cleaned out the division of opponents and it was not felt that B.J. could beat him. To everyone's shock, B.J. choked Hughes out in under five minutes of the first round to secure his first belt.
Citing a lack of fights in the UFC, B.J. temporarily joined another fight company in 2004 and was promptly stripped of his title. B.J. was brought back into the association when the UFC reconciled in 2006. B.J. lost his first fight to future champion, George St. Pierre, in a split decision. Once Pierre was hurt and unable to match up against Hughes for the title, B.J. was again scheduled to fight Hughes.
B.J. due to an injury he did poorly in the rematch. He did well though in their third match, when he knocked out Matt Hughes. After the second Hughes fight, B.J. dropped down to lightweight again and avenged his first defeat in the UFC by submitting Jens Pulver. When current champion, Sean Sherk, was suspended for drug use, BJ and scheduled opponent, Joe Stephenson, had their elimination bout changed to a championship bout. Penn easily won and became the second only fighter in UFC history to hold belts in two different weight classes.
B.J. has recently decided to come out of retirement to try to recapture his welterweight belt and become a three-time champion. He is scheduled to fight up and comer Rory MacDonald next. Whether his comeback is successful, his place in the UFC hall of fame is already guaranteed.
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Source: http://www.content4reprint.com/recreation-and-leisure/sports/bj-penn.htm
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