I think B.J. Penn should be honored as the "Man of the Month" for his accomplishment on January, 19. Some of might not realize the struggle. "The Prodigy" was once credited and in most cases still is recognized as the toughest man in the world.
Growing up in a wealthy environment, Penn would find his niche in that of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu where he was the first non-Brazilian to win the Mundial World Championships. He started out stronger than most on the mixed martial arts scene with three straight wins and then losing a decision to Jens Pulver, who he would later finish in the second round. He then went on to fight some of the best in the world.
But some would say that Penn didn't take his role in mma seriously. For someone known as "The Prodigy", expectations were high and B.J. thought his wins would come easy. He didn't train for many fights and thoughts on the "woulda couldas" still roam the internet. This is better explained in a Psychology Today article,
"Betting on a prodigy, however, is anything but a sure thing. The majority of childhood prodigies never fulfill their early promise. "Perseverance is a key part of it," says Robert Root-Bernstein of Michigan State University. "Many of them say that their expectations were warped by their early experiences." When success comes too easily, prodigies are ill prepared for what happens when the adoration goes away, their competitors start to catch up and the going gets rough."
But the fight that he presented on the nineteenth was far from lackluster and far from an overconfident B.J. Penn. He was in shape and he was serious. Taking on an incredible athlete in that of Joe Stevenson who was on a role was no easy task and he dominated.
I believe it is safe to say that we may see a new B.J. Penn in the future. He was quoted saying in a Thomas Gerbasi interview on UFC.com,
Where will B.J. go from here?
Your thoughts?
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