“The Lucha Libre gang!” MMA legend B.J. Penn recalls different ‘gangs’ in beginning stages of UFC

UFC Hall of Famer B.J. Penn and Quinton Jackson compare UFC fighters of their period to current fighters.

“The Lucha Libre gang!” MMA legend B.J. Penn recalls different ‘gangs’ in beginning stages of UFC

BJ Penn recalls fighters being in gangs during his tenure in the UFC (via IMAGO/Combat Press/MMA Mania)

MMA have come a long way since their infant stages. A long time back, fighters from different martial arts learned a bit about other disciplines to compete in MMA, but today’s fighters excelled in all aspects of MMA. This evolution had brought the sport of MMA to a whole new territory. As such, UFC legend B.J. Penn reminiscenced about the UFC’s early days and acknowledged the fighters’ evolution.

In his recent appearance at the Jaxxon Podcast, Quinton Jackson and B.J. Penn shared a moment to compare early UFC fighters to modern-day fighters. Back in the day, fighters only excelled in one martial art profoundly, so they were grouped to form common gangs like kickboxers, grapplers, etc… Here is what BJ Penn said:

It was gangs. When we were there, it was gangs like jiu-jitsu gangs, the street fighter gang, the lucha libre gang, the kickboxers, the wrestlers. Now, MMA became it's own martial art. You can't win any more with just one style or any of that.
BJ Penn via Jaxxon Podcast
YouTube video

Further in the podcast, Penn appreciated the evolution of today’s fighters and acknowledged their overall skill sets. Earlier, a fighter could exploit their opponent’s weakness using their fighting style. But today, fighters are trained in all disciplines altogether, which has made it difficult just to use one aspect to win the fight. However, Penn and Jackson were nostalgic about their times.

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Penn was an elite mixed martial artist of his time. He competed in the lightweight and welterweight categories and even achieved two-division championship status. As such, the UFC inducted him into their Hall of Fame for his accomplishments.

A quick recap of B.J. Penn’s UFC career

B.J. Penn made his UFC debut in 2001 against Joey Gilbert and managed a first-round finish via knockout. Then, he won two more fights via KOs in the first round before losing to Jens Pulver. From then, he went on a four-fight unbeaten streak with notable wins over Matt Serra and Matt Hughes. Also, he captured the welterweight title in his fight with Hughes. Moreover, during this period, he competed in other promotions and racked up three more wins in his MMA career.

A quick look into the career of BJ Penn
A quick look into the career of BJ Penn (via Sports Illustrated)

After having his go in other promotions, BJ Penn returned to the UFC for good. However, his opponent was the welterweight GOAT George St. Pierre. As such, he lost a split decision to St. Pierre and then lost a rematch with Matt Hughes.

Then, he won three more fights alongside capturing the lightweight gold from Joe Stevenson. He defended his 155lbs title three times before losing it to Frankie Edgar. The UFC offered him a rematch, but he couldn’t succeed in it either. Later, he returned to the win column with a win over Hughes in their trilogy bout.

However, after that win, BJ Penn couldn’t replicate his young self’s performance and went on a seven-fight skid before hanging up his gloves in 2019. He once announced retirement and came back only to keep his losing streak going. However, he was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2015 for his accolades. Penn retired with a mediocre record of 16-14-2, but the record doesn’t tell the whole story.

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