The UFC continues to flesh out its 2015 Hall of Fame class with the announcement that former lightweight and welterweight champion B.J. Penn will be inducted into the “modern” wing of the Hall of Fame. The announcement was made during the UFC 187 broadcast.
After failed lightweight title runs in 2002 and 2003, Penn moved up to welterweight in order to face Matt Hughes for the 170-pound title in what seemed to be a one-off affair. A massive underdog, he shocked fans, oddsmakers and the UFC by submitting him via rear-naked choke in the first round in January 2004 at UFC 46.
Penn would then be stripped of the title due to signing an exclusive contract with K-1, where he would compete in both Japan and Hawaii.
He rejoined the UFC in 2006 and attempted to retake the welterweight title but came up short of victory in bouts against Georges St-Pierre and Matt Hughes. From there, he would return to 155 pounds and take the vacant lightweight strap by defeating Joe Stevenson in January 2008 at UFC 80 and would defend it three times before losing it to Frankie Edgar in 2010.
#TheProdigy @BJPenndotcom joins the UFC Hall of Fame in July Story: http://t.co/tjH9PIvBQt pic.twitter.com/3yYWrlEHTH
— UFC (@ufc) May 24, 2015
The UFC recently announced a change to its Hall of Fame structure, dividing it into four separate sections for modern era fighters, pioneer fighters, contributors and individual fights.
Penn will enter the modern era wing, alongside former heavyweight champion Bas Rutten (who will join the pioneer class), Olympic gold medalist and former ringside commentator Jeff Blatnick (contributor) and April 2005’s UFC 52 welterweight title fight between Hughes and Frank Trigg (via Mookie Alexander of Bloody Elbow).
The ceremony will take place July 11 as part of the UFC’s International Fight Week Fan Expo in Las Vegas ahead of UFC 189, which features the featherweight title bout between Jose Aldo and Conor McGregor.
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