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B.J. Penn is part of a great tradition of mixed martial artists from the Hawaiian Islands. And he is also part of a great history of students who have been trained in the art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu by the Gracie family. In fact, Penn became so proficient in that discipline that he achieved the distinction of being the first non-Brazilian to go to Rio and win the black belt category of the World Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Championships.

From there B.J. began a career that has seen him go down in history as one of the great pound-for-pound competitors, plying his trade successfully over a number of weight divisions.

He started in the UFC in the early days under the stewardship of Zuffa LLC. He fought for the lightweight title in his fourth fight, losing a decision to Jens Pulver. Subsequently Pulver gave up the title, and Penn once again found himself on center stage, fighting Caol Uno for the vacant crown. But the two fought to a draw, and the UFC suspended the division. So Penn simply moved up to welterweight, and a year later he fought Matt Hughes, who had cleaned out the division. Penn choked Hughes out to win the title, then his career took a strange turn.

Penn, announcing that his UFC contract had run out, went to the K-1 organization to fight, but he wasn’t going to be able to take his newly-won title with him. He was in fact stripped by the UFC. But in K-1, he was a standout performer, competing at welterweight, middleweight, even light heavyweight, scoring wins over the likes of Rodrigo Gracie and Renzo Gracie in the process.

Penn reconciled with the UFC and came back for UFC 58, losing a decision to Georges St. Pierre in a welterweight elimination bout; but then St. Pierre went down with injury, thrusting Penn into a rematch with Hughes with the title on the line. This time, Penn’s luck gave out, as did his stamina, after a rib injury sapped his breathing power in the second round. Hughes stopped him in the third round, ending those title dreams, at least for the time being.

But now that he has come back to avenge his loss to Pulver, Penn has positioned himself once again for a shot at glory. In early 2008, he will be squaring off against Joe Stevenson for the UFC’s interim lightweight title in England; the winner of that bout will face Sean Sherk, who had been suspended from action due to steroid use.