BJ Penn has made a career out of achieving the impossible.
With only three years of training, Penn earned his black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and won the World Jiu-Jitsu Championship in 2000, becoming the first non-Brazilian to ever do so.
There are world-class BJJ practitioners who dedicate their lives to BJJ and are never able to achieve Penn’s accomplishments.
A former UFC welterweight and lightweight champion, Penn has competed against and defeated some of the greatest fighters of all time in multiple weight classes.
In March 2005, he bumped up to middleweight and gave former UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida all he could handle in a tough unanimous decision loss in Japan.
Along with holding records for most successful lightweight title defenses and wins in the 155-pound weight class, Penn is the only other fighter besides UFC Hall of Famer Randy “The Natural” Couture to ever hold a UFC title in two different weight classes.
Despite his accomplishments, Penn has always been the subject of criticism for what has always been perceived as lax training methods and lack of focus. With so many physical gifts, fans have always wondered what a motivated and focused BJ Penn would look like.
The Prodigy still believes there is a level of fighting that he has yet to ascend to, and he is willing to go above and beyond to reach his maximum potential.
At UFC 137, Penn will face the last Strikeforce welterweight champion Nick Diaz in one of the most anticipated bouts of the year.
For Penn, fighting isn’t just about world titles and the media spotlight, it’s about stepping up to every challenge, competing against the best and crafting a legacy as one MMA‘s all-time greats.
“I’m excited for this fight. I’m excited to take another step and move forward in the right direction. Everyone’s goal is to get to the top. To get to the top, we’re gonna have to beat each other, and there can only be one,” Penn said in his UFC 137 pre-fight interview.
“I’ve never really reached my peak, and I’ve never really reached my potential. I’m going to fight until I get to that point.”
Since dropping back-to-back losses to UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar in 2010 (the first a fairly controversial in Abu Dhabi), Penn has found new life in the welterweight division.
He is coming off a first-round knockout victory over longtime nemesis Matt Hughes and a draw with perennial No. 2 welterweight Jon Fitch.
“There can only be one.”
The world will tune in to see whether or not BJ Penn is able to reach his peak and be the one at UFC 137.
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