Tag: B.J. Penn

The 10 greatest UFC championship fight performances of all time, ranked

Conor McGregor, Georges St-Pierre and Anderson Silva highlight some of the greatest performances in UFC championship history.

The term “rising to the occasion” can often feel like a trite one in combat sports.

However, when looking deeper into the application of that saying, I noticed that many of the examples that come to mind – arguably across all sports – are instances that involve raised stakes and championship titles.

For the UFC, this generally falls under the category of championship titles given that they haven’t been awarding tournament titles since Dan Henderson beat Carlos Newton back at UFC 17 in 1998.

So, with this being such a broad topic to cover, I thought it would be fun to narrow down my favorite championship performances that have taken place in the UFC in the form of a top 10 list.

As usual, these lists reflect my personal tastes and biases and are not meant to serve as some ultimate authority. That said, I feel very strongly about not only my list but also my honorable mentions at the end – which are more than strong enough to serve as their own top ten.

So, without further ado…

Anthony Pettis picks ‘pioneer’ B.J. Penn as lightweight GOAT: ‘Without B.J., none of this would even be possible’

B.J. Penn was instrumental in building the UFC’s lightweight division, and Anthony Pettis thinks he’s the 155-pound GOAT.

[autotag]Anthony Pettis[/autotag] thinks [autotag]B.J. Penn[/autotag] was instrumental in building the lightweight division.

Pettis, a former WEC and UFC lightweight champion, listed his top five greatest lightweights of all time.

His No. 1 pick was former champion Penn, who defended his UFC lightweight title three times with finishes of Sean Sherk, Kenny Florian and Diego Sanchez. Penn also is a former UFC welterweight champion

“(I’ve) got to go B.J. Penn,” Pettis said in an interview with Low Kick MMA. “I mean, B.J. Penn is one of the pioneers of the whole thing. Without B.J., none of this would even be possible. Ben Henderson’s in my top five, as well. You’ve got to go with Khabib (Nurmagomedov). He’s definitely on there – a dominant guy, never lost. Dustin Poirier is another guy that’s on my top-five list, and then I would take myself.”

Pettis thinks it’s too early to include current UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev, but thinks he has all the potential to become an all-time great.

“He still has some work to do,” Pettis said. “He just beat (Alexander) Volkanovski, and Volkanovski is an amazing fighter – but he’s not a lightweight. He doesn’t have any wins against a top-10 lightweight, so I think once he can prove himself – he’s a tremendous fighter, but he still has some work to do.

“That’s the hard thing. Once you get to the top, things change. You’ve got sponsors pulling you, you’ve got events, you’ve got promotions, you’ve got a lot of other options besides training. … Seeing how he can balance that and see when he fights and how dominant he is, that’s when we’ll see how great he can be.”

Pettis, who dethroned Henderson twice, once to become WEC champion, and again to become UFC lightweight champ, meets “Bendo” for a third time in combat sports in the Karate Combat 43 headliner on Dec. 15 at the Expo at World Trade Market in Las Vegas. Their contest will take place at 170 pounds.

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30 greatest UFC fighters of all time: Did enough pioneers make our anniversary list?

A number of fighters who paved the way for the modern era were included in our ranking of the 30 greatest UFC fighters, but was it enough?

The UFC’s 30th anniversary date has come and gone, and in the build-up to the milestone date, MMA Junkie counted down its 30 greatest fighters of all time to compete for the promotion.

There was plenty of debate about the entire list from top to bottom, and one of our big talking points was the inclusion of pioneers.

The final list was tabulated through a points system after voting from MMA Junkie’s 12-person staff. Guys considered to be pioneers who made our list were [autotag]Randy Couture[/autotag] (No. 11), [autotag]B.J. Penn[/autotag] (No. 12), [autotag]Royce Gracie[/autotag] (No. 14), [autotag]Chuck Liddell[/autotag] (No. 18), [autotag]Matt Hughes[/autotag] (No. 21), and [autotag]Tito Ortiz[/autotag] (No. 25).

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On a special edition of “Spinning Back Clique,” the majority of our staff members came together to discuss and debate the finer points of the list. Did enough fighters who paved the way for the modern era make our list?

Check out the discussion in the video above, or watch the entire 30 greatest UFC fighters of all time podcast below.

MMA Junkie’s 30 greatest UFC fighters of all time: Full list and videos

To commemorate the UFC’s 30th anniversary, this is our definitive list of the promotion’s 30 greatest fighters of all time.

To commemorate the UFC’s 30th anniversary, MMA Junkie has compiled its definitive list of the 30 greatest UFC fighters of all time. We revealed one every day until the anniversary of UFC 1, which took place Nov. 12, 1993.

Our complete rankings, along with videos for each fighter, can be viewed below.

About the list: All 12 members of our staff submitted their own individual 30 greatest UFC fighters list. Each fighter was assigned a corresponding numerical value based on where they were ranked on an individual’s list, i.e. No. 1 = 30, No. 2 = 29, etc. We took those numbers and added them up to get a total number for each fighter to determine the composite ranking of MMA Junkie’s 30 greatest UFC fighters of all time.

30 greatest UFC fighters of all time: B.J. Penn ranked No. 12

They didn’t call B.J. Penn “The Prodigy” for nothing, and his accomplishments in the UFC are undeniable, which is why he’s No. 12 on our list.

The UFC is celebrating its 30th year and to commemorate the milestone, MMA Junkie has compiled its 30 greatest UFC fighters of all time. Every day until the anniversary of UFC 1 on Nov. 12 (1993), we will reveal one fighter on our list.

Today, MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom brings you No. 12: [autotag]B.J. Penn[/autotag].

You can watch Tom’s career retrospective on Penn above; video produced by Abbey Subhan.

Also see:

About the list: All 12 members of our staff submitted their own individual 30 greatest UFC fighters list. Each fighter was assigned a corresponding numerical value based on where they were ranked on an individual’s list, i.e. No. 1 = 30, No. 2 = 29, etc. We took those numbers and added them up to get a total number for each fighter to determine the composite ranking of MMA Junkie’s 30 greatest UFC fighters of all time.

Every UFC title fight to end in a draw

It’s rare, but every now and then a UFC championship fight ends in a draw. Here’s a look back at the times it’s happened.

It’s rare, but every now and then a UFC championship fight ends in a draw.

Whether it’s because a title fight is closely contested or a point deduction or a judge’s inexplicable scorecard, we’ve come away from certain title fights with an unfulfilling result.

Below is a list of the draws that have been scored in UFC history.

B.J. Penn loses Hawaiian Republican primary for governor by wide margin

UFC Hall of Famer and former welterweight and lightweight champion B.J. Penn will not be the next governor of Hawaii.

[autotag]B.J. Penn[/autotag] will not be the next governor of Hawaii.

Penn, a UFC Hall of Famer and former lightweight and welterweight champion, launched a campaign for the Republican nomination for governor earlier this year. In the Republican primary, according to The Associated Press, Penn lost by a wide margin to Duke Aiona.

Aiona has nearly 52 percent of the votes with 90 percent of precincts reporting. Penn has a little more than 24 percent of ballots counted, which gave him runner-up status, but still blown out by Aiona.

That sets up Aiona for a November gubernatorial race against Josh Green, who won a blowout in the Democratic primary. Green likely will be projected to win that race for governor. In the primaries, more than 216,000 Democratic ballots were cast compared to a little more than 59,000 in the Republican race.

Green and Aiona will face off to become the next governor and succeed current Gov. David Ige, who is not able to run for re-election due to term limits. Hawaii’s elections are conducted both in person and with mail-in ballots. The deadline for primary ballots was 7 p.m. Hawaii time Saturday.

Penn posted many videos to his candidacy website in the months leading up to the primary with what he said were “comprehensive solutions to make Hawaii prosperous and strong.”

Before he made his decision to run official, he indicated he would put ending COVID-19 restrictions at the forefront of his campaign.

“I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life but I would never run from a fight or sell out my people,” Penn posted on Instagram in October 2021. “As soon as I step into Hawaii’s Governor office I will remove All new federal and state mandates that have been hurting our economy, residents, and ‘ohana. We will get the best doctors, medicines, therapies, and health care the world has to offer to fight this pandemic and always keep Hawaii among the safest and healthiest states in the union.

“We will get rid of all vaccine passports. Hawaii will be a vaccinated with Aloha and Unvaccinated with Aloha policy for everyone. Same with the masks. We will follow the constitution to the tee. I am not here to fit in with the other politicians, I am here to get our freedoms back!”

Penn has not fought since a May 2019 loss to Clay Guida. He was booked to fight rival Nik Lentz in late 2019, but the fight never happened. In his final nearly 10 years with the UFC, Penn lost seven straight fights. Starting with his loss of the lightweight title to Frankie Edgar in April 2010, he had a run of more than nine years in which he went 1-9-1.

Penn was released from the UFC after videos of him in a brawl outside a bar surfaced online. One video shows Penn being dropped by a punch, and another showed Penn pummeling the individual on the ground.

Penn has a history of legal issues. In April 2019, Penn was issued a restraining order after the mother of his children accused him of years of physical and sexual abuse. In February 2020, Penn was investigated on suspicion of DUI following a single-car motor vehicle crash and subsequent blood-alcohol test in his hometown of Hilo. In January 2021, Penn was caught on video being placed in handcuffs by police on suspicion of DUI following a reckless driving complaint.

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UFC Hall of Famer B.J. Penn hints at run for governor of Hawaii, makes his COVID-19 stance clear

B.J. Penn slammed COVID-19 restrictions in his home state and declared, “I am here to get our freedoms back.”

[autotag]B.J. Penn[/autotag] has a laundry list of accomplishments as an MMA fighter and is now seemingly looking to build his resume as a politician.

In an Instagram post Monday, Penn, a UFC Hall of Famer, hinted at a run for governor in his home state of Hawaii. While he did not explicitly declare a campaign launch, Penn voiced a passionate political message and used the phrase “as soon as I step into Hawaii’s Governor office” to accompany his post.

The lengthy written statement accompanied a video from the 2006 movie “300.” At the end of the video, the words “Governor Penn, November 2022” flash across the screen.

It doesn’t appear Penn has launched a campaign website at this time, nor are any of his policy positions listed publicly. However, Penn’s caption indicated COVID-19 and the reduction of its restrictions will be a central focal point of his campaign.

“I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life but I would never run from a fight or sell out my people,” Penn wrote. “As soon as I step into Hawaii’s Governor office I will remove All new federal and state mandates that have been hurting our economy, residents, and ‘ohana. We will get the best doctors, medicines, therapies, and health care the world has to offer to fight this pandemic and always keep Hawaii among the safest and healthiest states in the union.

“We will get rid of all vaccine passports. Hawaii will be a vaccinated with Aloha and Unvaccinated with Aloha policy for everyone. Same with the masks. We will follow the constitution to the tee. I am not here to fit in with the other politicians, I am here to get our freedoms back!”

https://www.instagram.com/p/CUn7mwtLbfE/

Penn, 42, is a former UFC lightweight and welterweight champion. He has not competed in the UFC since a May 2019 loss to Clay Guida. He was booked to fight rival Nik Lentz in late 2019, but the fight never happened.

Penn was released from the UFC after videos of him partaking in a brawl outside a bar surfaced online. One video shows Penn being dropped by a punch from his combatant, with another showing the Hawaiian MMA legend pummeling the individual on the ground.

Penn has a history of legal issues. In April 2019, Penn was issued a restraining order after the mother of his children accused him of years of physical and sexual abuse. In February 2020, Penn was investigated on suspicion of DUI following a single-car motor vehicle crash and subsequent blood-alcohol test in his hometown of Hilo. In January 2021, Penn was caught on video being placed in handcuffs by police on suspicion of DUI following a reckless driving complaint.

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Every UFC trilogy ranked ahead of Dustin Poirier vs. Conor McGregor 3

Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor will meet in the 14th trilogy fight in UFC history when they clash at UFC 264.

Another chapter in the long story of UFC trilogy fights takes place Saturday at UFC 264.

[autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag] and [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] will clash for a third and likely final time – 2,483 days after they first fought at UFC 178 in September 2014.

McGregor (22-5 MMA, 10-3 UFC) won the initial meeting by first-round TKO. In the rematch more than six years later, Poirier (27-6 MMA, 19-5 UFC) got redemption with a second-round TKO at UFC 257 in January.

Now the two lightweight contenders will compete one final time in the winner-takes-all rubber match.

It will be the 14th trilogy fight in company history, and ahead of UFC 264, we rank the others that have happened so far. Check out our list below, from worst to best.

UFC legend B.J. Penn asks Triller for Jake Paul fight: ‘I will happily knock this f*cker out in one round’

The UFC Hall of Famer has not competed since May 2019.

After [autotag]Jake Paul[/autotag] finished [autotag]Ben Askren[/autotag] inside the first round at Triller Fight Club on Saturday, the callouts poured in.

Ranging from celebrities to former fighters, the target on Paul’s back was evident. Perhaps the most notable MMA name to voice their desire to punch Paul in the face, however, was UFC Hall of Famer [autotag]B.J. Penn[/autotag].

“Hey @triller send me a contract and I will happily knock this f*cker out in one round,” Penn tweeted.

Penn, 42, has not fought in mixed martial arts since May 2019. He was released from the UFC after a video of him street fighting surfaced later that year. In the video, Penn was rocked and dropped by another man. A second video showed him on the offensive, however, as he pummeled the man on the ground. Penn exited the promotion on a seven-fight losing skid.

Meanwhile, Paul has won all three of his boxing fights against non-boxing celebrities. First, he defeated YouTuber Ali Eson Gib by first-round TKO. In his sophomore outing, Paul faceplanted former NBA star Nate Robinson in Round 2. The vicious knockout went viral.

Paul’s TKO of Askren on Saturday was the quickest finish of his professional boxing career. It took Paul only 1:59.

In 2012, legendary boxing coach Freddie Roach deemed Penn one of mixed martial arts’ best boxers. In 32 professional MMA fights, Penn accumulated seven wins by knockout or TKO. He has never boxed professionally.

Triller Fight Club took place Saturday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. The card streamed on pay-per-view.

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