Biofile BJ Penn Interview

By Scoop Malinowski

Status: Former UFC Lightweight and Welterweight champion.

Ht: 5-9  Wt: 165

DOB: December 17, 1972  In: Honolulu, Hawaii

Childhood Heroes: “Hulk Hogan. I was a big Hulkamania fan when I was a kid.”

Hobbies/Interests: “All normal stuff, go to the beach, hangout with friends, barbecues, swim in the river or the beach, catch a soccer game or something.”

Nicknames: “BJ, Baby J. The Prodigy.”

Favorite Movies: “Snatch, Pulp Fiction, City of God. I like movies with twists and turns, and comedies.”

Musical Tastes: “Oldies – Elvis, music from the ’60s, 70s, 80s, 90s. I like rap, but after a couple of days of it, I have to listen to something else. I like music…if it’s in style, I might not like it. But when it goes out of style, then I’m like, That was a pretty good song.”

Favorite TV Shows: “I don’t watch TV as much. Probably cartoons when I was a kid – G.I. Joe and The Transformers. I guess now just the news, or The Discovery Channel.”

First Job: “Doing some work for my dad, here and there. Helping around people’s houses, painting.”

First Car: “Maroon ’85 Toyota pickup truck, still have it today.”

Favorite Meal: “Breakfast buffet. There’s so many different things to eat – over-easy eggs, bacon, steak, cereals, French toast, eggs Benedict, you could keep going on and on.”

Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: “Butterfinger Blizzard at Dairy Queen.”

Early Fighting Memory: “My first UFC fight (UFC 31 in May of 2001 in Atlantic City). Almost crying when I went out to fight Joey Gilbert (a fight BJ won by 1st-round KO). I was like, I’m finally here. Finally gonna get to test myself against other good fighters. I had one other fight before that when I was 18, but that was in a small show. So when I was in a big show, I was like, Wow, I really get to see how good I really am. Instead of just fighting on the street or whatever.”

Pre-Fight Feeling: “This mother****** thinks he’s gonna eat my food?!”

Greatest Career Moment: “It would have to be when I beat Matt Hughes (for UFC Welterweight title) or when I won the Jiu-Jitsu World Championship. Any one of those titles.”

Most Painful Moment: “Probably the loss to (Jens) Pulver. Or the draw with (Caol) Uno. Both of ’em. Because I think I was going for the titles so hard, that I …that’s all that mattered to me …more than fighting the opponent. It was just about the titles. Then when I fought (Matt) Hughes, I didn’t really care about the title that much. I was just gonna go out and give Hughes hell. I was thinking about beating on Hughes.”

Worst Injury: “I tore my quad. You could see it bulging, but I wear long shorts, so you can’t really tell. Probably the worst injury I had. Right before the first Uno fight.”

Favorite Fighters To Watch: “Fedor…just ruthlessness. He’s getting smarter, he’s getting technical and stuff now. He’s number one now, so it’s nice to watch him. Beat people up. Quinton Jackson. He’s just got what it takes. He’s just got that snap, that…he’s just got what you need. He’s fighting guys more skilled than him, but he’s beating them. So, he’s strong mentally, he’s there to win.”

Favorite Fights: “Man, there’s so many good fights. I can think about them all day but once the interview comes on, I don’t know which one it was. Tell me some fights from recent memory that were good fights. (I offer my favorite – Randy Couture-Pedro Rizzo I). I’d say, Couture and Tito (Ortiz) was a great fight. Tito was just coming back and we didn’t know what was going on there, who was gonna win that one. That was one of the most anticipated fights for me to watch. That was a good fight. And one of Minatauro’s fights. He’s another great fighter.”

People Qualities Most Admired: “Honest people, of course. People that don’t steal. That just like to hang out, have a good time. Honest and just straight up people. Tell me how you feel…you don’t have to act cool to me if you don’t like me.”

Funny Fighting Memory: “I can’t think of one right now. But I’m sure there’s a lot. The whole trip when you go to a fight, the week of the fight, you just hangout, joking around, having a good time. I’m always having a good time, so I don’t know which one.”

Favorite Vacation Spot: “Probably the Hilton Waikaloa on the other side of the island. Beautiful town, huge pools and all kinds of man-made waterfalls in the pools. Just a huge hotel. And a good place to take girls.”

Childhood Dream: “I didn’t know what I was gonna do. If you asked me that when I was a kid, I had no clue. But I remember one time, watching some kind of B movie when I was about ten. There was a kick boxer, his name was BJ Quinn. And he was the champ. And I said to myself, That would be weird if I was a fighting champ one day.”

Career Accomplishments: Former UFC Lightweight Champion and UFC Welterweight Champion, he is the second of eleven fighters in UFC history to win titles in multiple weight classes; First non Brazilian to win the Black Belt division of World Jiu Jitsu Championships in 2000.