B.J. Penn is a world renowned UFC fighter who specializes in the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu form of martial arts. He is a UFC Modern-Era Hall of Famer and has been credited with bringing the lower-weight class divisions of mixed martial arts into the spotlight throughout his career. He's had many memorable moments, so let's take a moment to review B.J. Penn's top five performances.

Becoming the First Non-Brazilian to Win the Black Belt Jiu-Jitsu World Title

Jiu-Jitsu originated in Brazil, and native Brazilians have historically dominated Jiu-Jitsu competitions. In 2000, the Hawaiian-born B.J. Penn changed that by claiming victory in the Jiu-Jitsu World Championship in Rio de Janeiro. Never before had a non-Brazilian claimed the World Championship title in the black belt division, making this not only a personal victory for Penn, but a historic one for the sport itself.

The road to the black-belt title began three years before when Penn began training under Ralph Gracie, who trained a guided Penn on his road to achieving purple belt status. Penn eventually gained the prestigious black-belt rank in 2000, mere weeks before shocking the sport by claiming the world title.

UFC 46 Victory Over Matt Hughes

B.J. Penn was considered the underdog coming into his match with Matt Hughes at UFC 46 on January 31, 2004. He had already earned the nickname "The Prodigy," but after only eight matches he had yet to really test himself against an elite fighter. His opponent, Matt Hughes, was on a lengthy undefeated streak, and fight aficionados and experts alike gave him the edge when it came to reach, strength and the ground game. B.J. Penn proved the experts wrong from the second the match began.

Penn picked holes in Hughes' defenses with quick strikes and took complete control once the fight went to the mat. After a heavy punch from Penn, Hughes scrambled to regain some control of the fight, but Penn was able to end the match via submission at the 4:39 mark of the opening round. This victory has gone down as one of the best UFC matches of all time for the Prodigy.

Ultimate Fighter 5 Finale

The finale of Ultimate Fighter 5 pitted Team Penn against Team Pulver, with the two team captains squaring off against each other in one of the two matches in the co-main event. The match against Pulver was personal for B.J. Penn having lost to him in an earlier fight, and the Prodigy was hungry for revenge.

It took two rounds for Penn to avenge a previous loss and take home the victory over Jens Pulver as the official was forced to stop the match due to Penn's rear-naked chokehold on Pulver for the win via submission.

Title Defense at UFC 107 versus Diego Sanchez

Billed as the toughest challenge to date for UFC Lightweight Title holder B.J. Penn, this title defense against Diego Sanchez would go down in the books as one of his most dominant fights.

Penn looked amped up and locked in well before the opening bell as he fed off the energy of a sold out crowd in FedExForum Stadium in Memphis, and once the be sounded, he used that energy to his advantage. The Prodigy dominated Diego Sanchez in the first four rounds, and the referee was forced to stop the fight at 2:37 of the fifth due to a vicious cut above Sanchez's left eye which required immediate medical attention.

Knockout of Matt Hughes at UFC 123

After bulking up to fight in the welterweight division, B.J. Penn faced a familiar foe in Matt Hughes. Penn had defeated Hughes ten years earlier at UFC 46 in what was considered a big upset at the time.

Penn was coming off of two consecutive losses in the lightweight division, so this rematch at the higher class was looked on as a chance to get back on track. Penn did not disappoint the UFC fans in Auburn Hills that night. The Prodigy took the fight to Hughes right after the opening bell to prevent Hughes from utilizing his superior wrestling skills. After a quick opening flurry that left Hughes floored, B.J. delivered three quick rights to his prone opponent causing the official to stop the fight and declare Penn victorious by KO after a mere 21 seconds.

Sources: 

https://www.bjjee.com/articles/4-american-men-won-ibjjf-worlds-black-belt/
https://www.graciemag.com/en/2019/05/10/exclusive-b-j-penn-remembers-winning-bjj-world-title/
https://www.tapology.com/fightcenter/bouts/1247-ufc-46-bj-the-prodigy-penn-vs-matt-hughes-i
https://www.mmascene.com/ufc/results/the-ultimate-fighter-5-finale-results-who-won-at-team-pulver-vs-team-penn/
https://bleacherreport.com/articles/308195-lightweight-champion-b-j-penn-too-much-for-diego-sanchez-in-ufc-107
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/bj-penn-vs-matt-hughes-ufc-123-trilogy-ends-with-explosive-knockout/

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