Issue 038
June 2008
The popular yet enigmatic BJ Penn truly lives up to his nickname ‘The Prodigy’. At 29-years-old he has held two world titles in different weight classes, and fought across the weights against everyone from lightweights to light heavyweights. He is now settled at 155lb and ready to defend his UFC title against Sean Sherk in May.
Fact file:
Born: Kailua, Hawaii
Height: 5’9”
Category:155lbs / 70.5kgs
Fighting MMA since: 2001
Total record: 12 wins, 4 losses, 1 draw.
His battle with Sherk has been much talked about, thanks in part to Penn’s tirade of comments about the wrestler’s positive steroid test. Sherk has said he is tired of BJ’s constant taunts – in response to Penn’s constant statements that he thinks Sherk is a cheater, Sherk irritably said “fuck him”.
They will meet in a contest where more than just the UFC lightweight title is on the line. BJ will have to back up what he has said so far (he thinks Sherk is a fighter who relies on steroids to aid his performance) while Sherk will need to work hard to silence not only his critics, but Penn too.
Chin
One of the coaches on the fifth series of The Ultimate Fighter, Penn told his charges “You can’t be a fighter if you’re worried about your face.” The Hawaiian doesn’t mind getting punched, and to date has never been seriously rocked by a punch. He ate shots from fighters such as the hard-hitting Jens Pulver and the light heavyweight Lyoto Machida, and though stopped by strikes in his second fight with Matt Hughes, Penn wasn’t hurt, but trapped underneath the infamous crucifix and unable to escape.
Abs
After his fight with Joe Stevenson, BJ cried out “Look at these abs!” He was trying to say he had trained harder than ever for this fight, and was in the best shape of his life. We asked, “what abs?”
Hips
Aside from his amazing balance and ability to defend takedowns (he hops around on one foot like it’s nothing) Penn has some of the most flexible hips in MMA. He can bring them up high onto his opponents’ shoulders with ease, regain his guard without hardly having to shift his body and can manipulate his lower limbs almost like another set of arms. Check out the video of him rolling with BJJ champion Leo Viera for evidence of his freaky flexibility.
Notable fights:
Win over Joe Stevenson via Submission (Rear Naked Choke), UFC 80, 19 April 2008
Win over Jens Pulver via Submission (Rear Naked Choke), UFC - TUF 5 Finale, 23 April 2007
Loss to Matt Hughes via TKO (Strikes), UFC 63, 23 September 2006
Loss to Georges St. Pierre via Split Decision, UFC 58, 4 March 2006
Win over Renzo Gracie via Unanimous Decision, K-1 World Grand Prix Hawaii, 29 July 2005
Loss to Lyoto Machida via Unanimous Decision, K-1 HERO's, 26 March 2005
Win over Rodrigo Gracie via Unanimous Decision, ROTR 6, 20 November 2004
Win over Duane Ludwig via Submission (Arm Triangle Choke), K-1 ROMANEX, 22 May 2004
Win over Matt Hughes via Submission (Rear Naked Choke), UFC 46, 31 January 2004
Win over Takanori Gomi via Submission (Rear Naked Choke), ROTR 4, 10 October 2003
...
