It was a few years back that BJ Penn exploded onto the scene of Mixed Martial Arts and his performances quickly earned him the moniker of The Prodigy from the fans and the experts as well as the commentators. Penn debuted in the Ultimate Fighting Championship or the UFC at a time when most young fighters play their trade in the regional promotions and quickly gained stardom by winning three consecutive first round stoppages. The Mixed Martial Arts world quickly took notice of the young fighter who came highly decorated and was touted as the next big thing in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. His first few performances were so good that he landed the UFC Lightweight Championship shot against Jen Pulver.

And in what was a classic matchup, the two became the first two athletes in their division to headline a pay per view event of the UFC. Although it would still be years before Lightweight would have a strong foothold in the industry, the division is currently considered as one of the biggest money spinners in the UFC, thanks largely due to the efforts of fighters like BJ Penn, Frankie Edgar, Roy Nelson and the likes.

At the finale of The Ultimate Fighter 5, where Penn and Jen Pulver were assigned the coaching duties, they proved the old adage to be true yet again: it’s not the size of the dog in the fight but the size of the fight in the dog. Since then, The Ultimate Fighter has featured lower weight classes and this year, the Bantamweight contenders Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber have taken over the coaching duties.

And when it comes to personal accolades, BJ Penn has seen it all and done it all. But what makes him unique is that he paved the way for Lightweight to be a respected division in the UFC.