Thomas Gerbasi of UFC.com has up an article on the seven defining moments of BJ Penn’s career. It’s actually a really great list that takes into account that many times losses define a man as much as the impressive wins. But still, BJ had some damn impressive wins:
Caol Uno – November 2, 2001 – UFC 34
Result – Penn KO1
Penn burst on the UFC scene in May of 2001, when he made his pro debut with a first round stoppage of Joey Gilbert at UFC 31. After following that win up with a stoppage of legitimate contender Din Thomas in the first round at UFC 32, he was pitted against Japanese star Caol Uno in what was seen as yet another test. Penn – who admitted staying up nights with a nervous energy while waiting for the fight to come – tore out of his corner at the opening bell, and 11 seconds later, he was victorious after a vicious striking demonstration. What most may remember from the fight though is Penn sprinting out of the Octagon and back to his locker room after the fight, showing that there is no one in the fight game quite like him.
A lot of people looking back at BJ’s career, especially those newer to the MMA game, don’t appreciate just how amazing the way he blew out Thomas and Uno really was. These guys were legitimately at the top end of the division, not just in the UFC but in the world.
At the time of these fights BJ was one of the greatest representations of what the sport would become. He possessed some of the most amazing BJJ in the sport, had explosive striking and was a naturally great athlete. Regardless of the fact that we’ve found out that he isn’t going to be successful above 155 long term, nothing can take away from how great he is at his ideal weight.