BJ (photo) will receive tribute from the UFC. Photo: Reproduction
B.J. Penn, one of two fighters in history to win belts in two different categories will join his record-holding colleague, Randy Couture, on the list of the most illustrious names in the history of the largest MMA organization on the planet. The UFC organization announced the inclusion of the Hawaiian in the Hall of Fame, in the new “Modern Era” category.
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The announcement was made, but Penn's inclusion in the list of names that marked the era of Ultimate in the “post-Zuffa” era, from 2001 onwards, will only happen on July 11th, before UFC 189, at the end of the International Fight Week.
At 36, B.J. Penn He ended his career with a professional record of 16 wins, ten losses and two draws. Former holder of the lightweight and welterweight belts, Penn also had what to date was the only fight between two champions in the history of Ultimate, in which he ended up defeated by Georges St Pierre in 2009.
Penn even tried to stage a return to MMA last year, when he coached the 19th season of the reality show The Ultimate Fighter beside Frankie Edgar, but ended up mercilessly defeated by his rival, who had already beaten him twice before, and announced his permanent retirement while still in the Octagon.
Besides B.J. Penn, another former fighter will also be nominated for the Hall of Fame: Bas Rutten. The Dutchman was the first European to win an Ultimate title, when he won the heavyweight belt in 1997. Rutten will be included in the “Pioneers” category, for athletes who passed through the organization before 2001.
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