Jay Dee "B.J." Penn III (born December 13, 1978) is an American former professional mixed martial art fighter and 5th degree black belt Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) practitioner.
Prior to his MMA career, Penn was known as the first non-Brazilian to win the World Jiu-Jitsu Championship at black belt level. In mixed martial arts, Penn has competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and in K-1 in the Featherweight, Lightweight, Welterweight, Middleweight, and Heavyweight/Openweight divisions. A former UFC Lightweight Champion and UFC Welterweight Champion, he is the second of eight fighters in UFC history to win titles in multiple weight classes. Penn fought to a draw against Caol Uno in the UFC 41 Lightweight Tournament. Through his tenures as champion, Penn unofficially unified the UFC Lightweight Championship (against Sean Sherk) and broke the all-time lightweight title defense record. In 2015, Penn was made the inaugural inductee into the Modern-era wing of the UFC Hall of Fame.
Penn was considered one of the top pound-for-pound mixed martial artists in the world early in his career and holds victories over opponents such as Din Thomas, Caol Uno, Paul Creighton, and Matt Serra. Penn won the Rumble on the Rock Lightweight Championship in K-1. He submitted long-reigning then-champion Matt Hughes to capture the UFC Welterweight Championship.
Following a period in which Penn competed exclusively for K-1, he returned to the UFC and won the UFC Lightweight Championship. He made a record three subsequent title defenses before losing his title to Frankie Edgar.
UFC President, Dana White, credits Penn with bringing the lower weight divisions into the mainstream of mixed martial arts; he describes Penn as "the first crossover pay-per-view star for the Ultimate Fighting Championship's lighter weight divisions", as well as saying that "[through his] accomplishments, B.J. Penn built the 155-pound division".
Penn announced his candidacy for governor of Hawaii in the 2022 Hawaii gubernatorial election in 2021.
Penn is regarded as one of the best competitors in the UFC's history. However, he has been criticized for continuing to fight past his prime, including an eight fight winless streak from 2011 to 2019.
Early life and education
Penn was born in Hawaii to Jay Dee Penn, who is of Irish American descent, and Lorraine Shin, who is of Korean and Hawaiian descent. At the age of 17, 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 B.J.'s father Jay Dee Penn had called Callos and said his boys were interested. Callos then taught B.J. and his brother what he knew. Shortly thereafter, B.J. moved to San Jose, California, to begin training at the Ralph Gracie BJJ academy with Dave Camarillo, with whom he lived and became close friends. It was here during his time in San Jose that he decided to pursue a martial arts career.
Mixed martial arts career
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
In 1997 Penn began training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Ralph Gracie, 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 André Pederneiras. A few weeks later, he became the first non-Brazilian to win in 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, earning himself a bronze medal in the brown belt division, losing only to Fernando "Tererê" Augusto, and in 1998, earned a silver medal, placing 2nd in the blue belt division. Penn is thought to have earned the fastest legitimate black belt of all active Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioners.