Even In Defeat, BJ Penn Has Earned The Cheers Of Us All

I have been sitting here thinking about what I would tell the world about BJ Penn. I just don’t know what to say. I can tell you all the obvious things. He is the best fighter I have ever seen, he was the most ferocious finisher in the game, he talked trash and backed it up, he would fight anyone at any weight class, he was a fighter’s fighter. It all seems a little cliché. I don’t think it is possible to do BJ Penn justice in an article. I don’t think people will every truly understand what it was about BJ that captivated fight fans all over the world. The one thing I do know is that BJ Penn shared with everyone a passion for fighting that is rarely seen. BJ Penn did not need to fight; he comes from a family that is well off and he could have easily done without a career in the UFC, but BJ was born a fighter. After BJ became the first American to win gold at the Jiu-Jitsu World Championships, he could have opened a gym and been a successful Jiu-Jitsu instructor. But that wasn’t enough, not for BJ, BJ was a fighter. BJ had a fighter’s spirit and it was easy to see that nothing would stop him from becoming a UFC Champion.

When Penn burst onto the scene at UFC 31 it was clear that the hype surrounding the Jiu-Jitsu ace was warranted. Not only did Penn have serious skills on the mat, he had sharp striking that was as fast as anyone in mixed martial arts. After winning the UFC Welterweight title from UFC Hall of Famer, Matt Hughes, Penn would look elsewhere for challenging matchups. While the UFC and Penn didn’t see eye to eye on the issue of challenging fights it was clear that there was only one place Penn would ever really want to fight. After a short stint fighting in Japan, Penn would come back to the UFC and eventually win the UFC lightweight title, a title that many felt was originally created for him. Penn would beat all comers at lightweight until he crossed paths with Frankie Edgar. It has been said that sometimes a guy just has another guy’s number and it appears that this is the case when it comes to Edgar and Penn. Frankie Edgar got more dominant in each win against Penn. And after this weekend’s matchup between the two it was clear that Penn was not the same fighter that he once was. Edgar’s dominance was clear from start to finish and Penn was only trying to survive the beating that was coming his way. Penn’s fighting spirit could not will him past the gifted Edgar but no one could fault Penn for trying.

After the fight, as Penn stood up and leaned into the microphone to address his performance the fans began to cheer, they cheered louder than they had the whole fight. They cheered not for the fight but for the fighter. They cheered a man who was once the most dominant fighter in the sport, they cheered a man who took on all comers; they cheered a man who was my hero. I stood up in my living room at this moment and with tears in my eyes I too cheered this man. I clapped quietly for Penn and everything he had shared with me over the last 13 years. What can I tell the world about BJ Penn? BJ Penn is a fighter, win or lose, and I will always cheer for him.