BJ Penn was born on December 13, 1978 in Hawaii. His ethnic background is Korean and Irish American. He is an extremely influential retired MMA fighter, who competed for the UFC in three divisions, including the achievements of being a welterweight and lightweight champion – the second fighter to reach double champion status in the UFC. He is a pioneer of the lighter weight classes in the UFC and is one of the first stars of the lightweight division.
Penn is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) prodigy and began practicing in 1997 under Ralph Gracie. Then, in 2000, he had made a phenomenal accomplishment by earning a black belt in BJJ. This was astonishing; Penn had only practiced BJJ for three years. Typically, a talented BJJ practitioner can obtain a black belts within seven years. Soon after, BJ Penn became the first non-Brazilian to win the World Jiu-Jitsu Championship. This event was held in Brazil for first degree black belts. After years of practicing martial arts, Penn had leveled up to a fifth degree black belt in BJJ.