Here's a short interview I did with BJ a little while ago: www.dubmag.net/celebrities/athletes/862-toyo-tires-driven-to-perform-mma-edition
If there is one mixed-martial arts fighter that you could call "The Kobe Bryant of MMA", it has to be BJ Penn. Both athletes have shown freakish abilities at a young age: "The Prodigy" won the Mundials (the Brazillian Jiu-Jitsu World Championships) after training for only three years, while "The Black Mamba" jumped from high school straight to the NBA. Both have reached the absolute pinnacle of their chosen professions: Penn has previously won both the Lightweight and Welterweight Championships in the UFC while Bryant has won three NBA Championships with the L.A. Lakers. Both have an indomitable belief in themselves and their abilities.
But above all, what these two superstars have in common is that they are arguably the most talked-about athletes in their respective sports. Their fans consider them among the greatest competitors in the game, yet their haters accuse them of being vastly overrated, selfish, and ego-maniacal. But although Kobe's greatest controversies appear to be behind him, BJ is right in the middle of the biggest one of his career. Dubbed "Greasegate" by MMA fans, Penn is embroiled in a dispute stemming from his loss at UFC 94 against the organization's current Welterweight Champion, Georges St. Pierre. According to Penn, St. Pierre's trainers illegally applied Vaseline to the champion's back and shoulders, allowing him to slip out of Penn's submission holds and inflict severe damage on the Hawaiian while fighting on the ground.
On MMA forums such as Sherdog.com and The Underground (mixemartialarts.com), fans debate endlessly about whether this significantly affected the whole outcome of the fight or is just an excuse by Penn to explain his defeat. DUB Magazine recently talked to BJ about his career and how this current controversy may affect his immediate future in The Octagon.
DUB: What motivates you to fight?
BJ: I was just into fighting my whole life, and I love the competition of this sport.
DUB: What is the ultimate goal for you in MMA?
BJ: To get perfection for yourself. Self-perfection in your technique and how you prepare.
DUB: It has been said that, unlike most fighters, you don't really have to fight for a living because you come from a wealthy family. How accurate is that statement?
BJ: Haha, the whole thing is like, a joke, you know. My parents came from humble beginnings, they're real hard workers, so they've done real well for themselves. But we're not riding around in limos or flying around in jet airplanes or anything. You gotta earn my Dad's respect in the house. You can't just sit around and do nothing.
DUB: What would you like to say about the "Greasegate" controversy with GSP (Georges St. Pierre)?
BJ: If I didn't think that it was intentionally done, we wouldn't have filed a formal complaint with the (Nevada) Athletic Commission.
DUB: How did it affect your gameplan during that fight against St. Pierre?
BJ: I had practiced a lot off my back with a new partner every round. People trying to ground and pound me. I wanted to show (St. Pierre) that there's no reason to take me down, because when you get me down, you're not going to be able to do anything and I'm just going to kick your butt from off my back. That was one of my gameplans.
DUB: You are often in the conversation when MMA fans discuss the best pound-for-pound fighters in the sport. In your opinion, who are the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world?
BJ: I'm not going to include myself, but Fedor (Emelianenko), Anderson Silva, you know GSP was, I had a lot of respect for him, but if this comes out true and he did cheat, I'm not going to have same amount of respect for him as I did.
DUB: Love you or hate you, you're always one of the most talked about fighters in the sport. Why do you think that is the case?
BJ: I think they can see that I'm passionate. So if they're with me, they're passionate about it. If they're not with me, they're still passionate about it.
DUB: Perhaps your exposure on TV in shows such as The Ultimate Fighter or UFC Primetime has affected how fans see you. Can you describe your experiences on those shows and whether they depicted you accurately or not?
BJ: I thought the Ultimate Fighter show was pretty accurate. Some stuff was editing, but it wasn't too bad. But the Primetime show, I didn't feel that it was that accurate. We were training real hard. We got a bad rap for that one. We did a lot of good things when Primetime was out there filming. Too bad the things that made it on air were some of the bad things: profanity and stuff like that. I could say 100 "I love you's" and 1 "I hate you" and the "I hate you" would be on there in a second.
DUB: Although you may want a rematch with GSP first, what do you think your next fight will be and when?
BJ: I could see me fighting Kenny Florian pretty soon.
DUB: What are your thoughts on Florian as an opponent?
BJ: He's got good striking, good takedowns. Good jiu-jitsu. I think he's a very good opponent.
DUB: Any final comments for your fans, or maybe even your haters?
BJ: I just want to thank all the fans of MMA, whether you are a fan of BJ Penn or not. To all my fans, I want to thank you for all the support through the years, and if you're a hater, I got nothing bad to say except if you got a problem with me filing a formal complaint against someone that is accused of cheating, what does that say about yourself?