I see a lot of newer fans (I'm not going to say TUF fans) who say that BJ is over-rated. I can even understand a little, because if i'd only been a fan for 2-3 years I may think the same thing.
So I am going to try not being condescending, and am actually going to try explaining to you why he is so highly regarded. I became a die-hard MMA fan about a year before his debut so I think I am in a good position for this.
Firstly, his BJJ game and credentials are as good as anybody in the game. This is why he is called the prodigy, the first US fighter to win the gold in Brazil.
So following his short and sensational career as a BJJ fighter he turned to MMA, and fans were already talking about him - before he had even fought. He was so highly regarded that his debut was in the UFC!
His opponent was Joey Gilbert, a gimme. BJ as expected dominated Gilbert.
Around this time Jens Pulver had just won the LW title, and the UFC was trying to get a superfight for him. So they brought in Din Thomas.
Din Thomas had fought all over the world, he was a known top class fighter and had stopped Jens Pulver previously. Not only that but he gave Caol Uno a hell of a fight in his only loss.
Din's UFC debut was against Penn. The vast majority of people thought that this was a gimme for Din before his big rematch with Jens, and in truth that was probably Zuffa's plans.
BJ Penn at only 22, and in only his second MMA fight KO'd Thomas in a couple of minutes. Trust my guys this was sensational at the time - Think Gonzaga-Cro Cop (only to a lesser extent because Thomas didn't have so many nut-huggers)
The next fight for BJ was probably to punish him for ruining the UFC's plans
It is hard to remember/believe, but at the time Uno was recognised as a top 3 fighter, and a guy who on his day could beat anybody in the world.
BJ Penn's destruction of Uno was probably the biggest 'coming-out party' in MMA history. He KO'd him in 11 seconds!
As an example could you imagine a 22 year old guy with only 2 fights destroying Gomi in 11 seconds?
That is what it was like.
I liken it to Sokoudjo this year, or Shogun in 2005. A metoric rise to fame like no other.
Uno had beaten Iha, Thomas, Sato twice and he had been overwhelmed in seconds by an in-experienced kid who was supposedly a grappler.
I remember the net at this time, and BJ Penn was probably the most talked about guy in the sport.
His next fight was with Pulver, a close decision loss. However he proved he was more than a match for the champion by having a picture-perfect armbar applied as the round ended.
Even though he lost he proved that he was no flash in the pan.
His next 3 fights were underwhelming, facing Creighton, Serra and Uno in lackluster affairs. The rematch with Uno was so controversial, and I still can not fathom how he didn't win the title in that fight. This gave fans sympathy for Penn.
At this time Penn was pissed, and vowed to prove that he was the number one guy in the world.
So he went out and on his own money put together a fight with unbeaten Takanori Gomi. You know how these days everybody makes threads "Who'd win Sherk or Kid Yamamoto?" etc
This was the same thing. A dream fight for fans between two guys in different organisations.
Unfortunately Gomi lost a decision to Hansen just over a month before the superfight, which made the fight anti-climatic.
It was still highly anticipated though, and Penn dominated Gomi. In a way which Gomi has never been dominated before or since. This is another easy thing to overlook, but directly after the Penn fight, Gomi signed for Pride and dominated for a couple of years. Just a testament to how good BJ truly is.
Following that Penn returned to the UFC and announced that he was going up in weight to fight Hughes.
Matt Hughes at that time was honestly viewed as Fedor is now. He was the top P4P guy in the world and was seen unbeatable.
Fans worldwide thought this was a huge mistake and there were threads on sherdog with titles such as 'RIP BJ' etc
What happened is the equivalent of Chuck Liddell moving to HW and dominating Fedor. It was unfathomable.
Writing this it is really hitting home how easy it is to forget the situations etc, how easy it is to downplay a win a few years later.
BJ lost a lot of fans with his next move - myself included. UFC warned him that as champion he could not fight in other organisations - he ignored them and went to K1.
Bang Ludwig was a rising superstar at the time, he was riding high with wins in his last two fights over Pulver and Sudo. Ludwig-Penn was the fight fans wanted to see, and they got it.
Like man vs boy, Bang was dominated and BJ Penn cemented his status as the P4P king.
In another of those easy to forget things, Rodrido Gracie was viewed as the next great Gracie. He was undefeated and coming off a huge win over Mach Sakurai.
When Penn announced he was moving up to MW to fight him people honest to god thought he was crazy.
He did though, and dominated the next great Gracie.
His next move was to crazy even for him. I remember when it was announced he moving to HW to fight undefeated sensation Machida there were people saying they were going to stop being fans of his because he was too ir-rational.
Fears were confirmed, and Penn lost. However it was a razor-thin decision that could easily have gone his way.
Think about it. Machida has dominated everybody he has fought, including brutal stoppages of Bonnar and Franklin, he is currently considered the biggest prospect in the LHW division. Yet he barely beat a guy fighting at least 50 pounds over his ideal weight. You guys still wanna say that BJ is over-rated?
I will not go into his next 3 fights because I assume that you guys know what happened.
Personally I groan everytime I read that Penn is over-rated. I he an MMA superstar, and one of the elite fighters of all time.
He has beaten 7 fighters who at the time were considered elite, Not only has he beaten them, he has dominated all but one (Serra)
Thomas
Uno
Serra
Ludwig
Gomi
Gracie
Hughes
So please next time you wanna type that Penn is over-rated, remember this post.
There is never an easier time to tell when a fan is uneducated, and when he explains that he doesn't know why Penn is so respected.
