B.J. Penn

Jay Dee "B.J." Penn (born December 13, 1978) is an American professional mixed martial artist and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner. Penn debuted and competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), and later in K-1. Prior to fighting for the UFC, he became the first American Gold medalist of the World Jiu-Jitsu Championship. In mixed martial arts, Penn has competed in the Featherweight, Lightweight, Welterweight, Middleweight, and Heavyweight divisions. As a former UFC Lightweight Champion and UFC Welterweight Champion, he is only the second fighter in UFC history to win titles in multiple weight classes. Penn was also a Co-Champion in the UFC 41 Lightweight Tournament, due to an eventual draw opposite Caol Uno in the tournament finale. Through his tenures as champion, Penn unofficially unified the UFC Lightweight Championship (against Sean Sherk) and broke the all-time lightweight title defense record. Penn was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame, as the inaugural inductee in the Modern-Era Wing by his career-long adversary, Matt Hughes, during International Fight Week in conjunction with UFC 189 in July 2015.