Prodigy: The Remarkable Career of BJ Penn

By Camden Joiner on July 13, 2014

 

Image via sherdog.com

One of the most important UFC champions ever retired last Sunday night in the Octagon. The last fight of BJ Penn, appropriately nicknamed “The Prodigy”, wasn’t a blockbuster UFC pay-per-view. In fact, it came one day after UFC’s biggest PPV of the summer. Penn’s final battle did not take place during a UFC on Fox show or even on an UFC Fight Night. Edgar vs Penn III headlined a The Ultimate Fighter Finale show capping off a mostly lackluster season. This seems a cruel injustice to a UFC legend, but as we’ve learned with combat sports, no one finishes on top. Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson, Chuck Liddell, and Randy Couture were all defeated in their final bouts. For the first time in his career, BJ Penn was finished last night by the hands of opponent Frankie Edgar. Thankfully, BJ Penn will be remembered for far greater things.

“The Prodigy” began his fighting career as a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu specialist hailing from Hilo, Hawaii. Penn began his road to fame when he became the first non-Brazilian to win the black-belt division of the World Jiu-Jitsu Championships in 2000. Just a few weeks prior he was awarded his black-belt from Andre Pederneiras. Penn is thought by many to have earned the fastest black-belt of all active BJJ practitioners.

After a successful run in BJJ, Penn was convinced by the UFC to switch to Mixed Martial Arts. He made his UFC debut in 2001 at UFC 31 defeating Joey Gilbert by TKO. After knocking out Din Thomas and defeating Caol Uno in just 11 seconds, BJ was awarded his first title shot. Penn came up short in his first title bou,t losing to champion Jens Pulver by majority decision. But after a contract dispute with the UFC, Pulver left the company and vacated the UFC Lightweight Championship. A tournament to crown a new champ soon commenced and Penn made it all the way to finals for a rematch with Caol Uno. After Penn-Uno II ended in a draw, the UFC canceled the 155-pound lightweight division all together. Penn left the UFC and a year later and won his first MMA Championship,  the Rumble on the Rock Lightweight Championship, in his home state of Hawaii against Takanori Gomi.

Image via octagonbuzz.com

BJ Penn returned to the UFC just a few months later after being granted a title shot against dominant Welterweight Champion Matt Hughes. Penn was smaller and a vast underdog but the unthinkable happened. “The Prodigy” submitted Matt Hughes in the first round at the age of 25, fulfilling his nickname’s prophecy. However, his title reign did not last long; Penn was stripped of the Welterweight title when he signed with rival MMA organization K-1. Penn took on the toughest challenges K-1 had to offer over the next couple of years by beating two Gracie’s at Middleweight and even taking on a 225-pound Lyoto Machida.

Penn returned to the UFC in 2006 but was defeated by Georges St-Pierre and Matt Hughes in consecutive Welterweight bouts. BJ decided to drop to his original weight class at 155 and accepted the UFC’s offer to coach opposite of Jens Pulver for a season on The Ultimate Fighter. After the season ended, BJ went on to face and defeat his former foe Jens Pulver in his return to the Lightweight division. After defeating Pulver, Penn defeated Joe Stevenson to win the vacant UFC Lightweight championship. BJ went on to successfully defend his title three times against Sean Sherk, Kenny Florian, and Diego Sanchez respectfully. During his championship reign, he even went up to Welterweight to challenge Georges St-Pierre for the title. He would have become the first fighter in the UFC to hold two division titles at the same time, but Penn was defeated. BJ Penn still holds the record for the longest reign with the UFC Lightweight Championship at 812 days.

Image via blogs.mirror.co.uk

BJ eventually lost the title to Frankie Edgar in 2010. After losing the rematch with Frankie just a few months later, Penn returned to the Welterweight division to face his former rival Matt Hughes to complete the trilogy. BJ knocked out Hughes in just 21 seconds in devastating fashion. However, after the final fight with Hughes, BJ’s career began its decline. He fought to a draw against Jon Fitch and then lost three straight fights to Nick Diaz, Rory MacDonald, and finally Frankie Edgar.

While BJ’s career ended in defeat, his greater legacy lives on. His record may be 16-10-2, but BJ has faced the best from all over the world in almost every weight class. Before “The Prodigy,” many UFC fans were wary of the lower weight divisions, but Penn’s exciting fights and technical brilliance made him one of the most popular fighters in the sport and put the 155 pound division on the map. When asked about Penn’s lasting legacy at the post-fight press conference last Sunday, UFC President Dana White said, “He’s one of the best 155 pounders of all time. He built that weight class. And he was responsible for building the UFC. That is his legacy.” BJ “The Prodigy” Penn will go down as a two-division champion and one of the greatest mixed martial artist of all time. Enjoy retirement, BJ.

Image via greydogsoftware.com

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