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B. J. Penn

Why I Fight: The Belt Is Just an Accessory Hardcover – Bargain Price, April 13, 2010

by Jay Dee "B.J." Penn (Author), Dave Weintraub (Author)

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Street fighting. Brazilian jujitsu. Grappling.
Welcome to BJ Penn's island.
Don't worry, he won't hurt you (much).

For the last decade, BJ Penn has been one of the most successful and feared fighters in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), rising through the ranks to become, pound for pound, one of the best in the world. Along the way, people have been quick to judge, praise, criticize, and hype him. They have torn him down only to build him back up. They have spilled ink and blood trying to understand what makes him the provocative and controversial fighter that he is.

Why I Fight is the answer that everyone—critics, fans, commentators, pundits, and perhaps even Dana White, current president of the UFC—has been waiting for. In his own words, Penn tells the story of his life spent fighting, explaining what led a scrappy teenager from the rough streets of Hilo, Hawaii, onto the biggest stage in all of mixed martial arts (MMA). From his earliest days, becoming one of the preeminent practitioners of Brazilian jujitsu in the world, to his first MMA fights and his battles with UFC champions like Matt Hughes and Georges St-Pierre, Penn shows that in life, just like in the Octagon, he is never one to back down from a fight.

A blunt and brutal look at his hardest-fought victories and his most frustrating defeats, Why I Fight is the story of how BJ Penn became one of only two fighters in UFC history to hold belts in two different weight classes. It is the story of a kid from Hawaii who loved to fight. It is the story of a true prodigy.

Print length

320 pages
Language

English
Publisher

William Morrow
Publication date

April 13, 2010
Dimensions

6 x 1.05 x 9 inches
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BJ Penn
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Randy Couture
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

BJ Penn is a former UFC lightweight and welterweight champion and is considered one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world. In 2000, he became the first and only non-Brazilian-born winner of the World Jiu-Jitsu Championship in the black belt category. Penn is only the second fighter (after Randy Couture) to win UFC titles in two different weight classes. He lives in Hilo, Hawaii.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B004NSVEZA
Publisher ‏ : ‎ William Morrow (April 13, 2010)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 320 pages
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.1 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 1.05 x 9 inches

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4.4 out of 5

99 global ratings

5 star		59%
4 star		22%
3 star		14%
2 star		5%
1 star 0% (0%)		0%

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Top reviews from the United States

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Will Pulgarin

Why I Read Instead of Fight

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on July 22, 2010

Verified Purchase

I was a little weary at the start of the book when BJ Penn delved into the details of his insatiable love for soccer. The beginning of the book was choppy and ill-conceived, but I am so glad that I didn't put this book down. What would follow would be full of insight into one of the greatest fighters in the sport of MMA: BJ Penn.

What I found most intriguing was Penn's analysis of his relationship with Dana White. He criticizes White for trying to be bigger than the fighters and for being dishonest. He even goes on to say that White has three faces, and as you peel away each layer, his character gets shadier and more ignominious.

Another thing I found interesting was BJ's analysis about all of his loses. Now, he tries to say that he is a "no-excuse" type of guy, but for every lost, ranging all the way back to his competitive grappling days, he has a litany of excuses. The problem I have with this is that the book becomes his platform to explain away all of his loses, instead of explaining what he actually learned from them. He does, however, learn from some of his loses, and he writes about this in moderate detail, but for the most part the book is just one long explanation of how he could have won every fight he ever lost.

Overall, this is a good book. Compared to all the other MMA biographies floating out there, BJ's book ranks as one of the best.

Helpful

A. Toepel

I even used the book as a bit of a travel guide and took his recommendation of eating at Verna's Drive In (a place he sadly has

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on December 23, 2014

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I always knew BJ was a legend, but in his book, he really lets you inside his head and you realize what a badass warrior the guy truly is. As impressed as I was reading about his accomplishments and the speed of his advancement in BJJ and MMA, I was equally impressed with his thoughts about his mother and the idea of Hawaiian unity. It's refreshing to see a celebrity put others before themselves.

I had the pleasure of reading this book while on vacation in BJ's hometown of Hilo, HI and it was neat to see the places he loves while reading about them. I even used the book as a bit of a travel guide and took his recommendation of eating at Verna's Drive In (a place he sadly has to avoid when cutting weight) and was not disappointed!

I hope BJ writes another book, as I would love to hear stories about his unlikely friendship with Matt Hughes and more detail on the great stories Joe Lauzon shared online about visiting BJ in Hawaii.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on July 16, 2010

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I enjoyed the read. I guess it's a testament to his openness, but I really don't like him more than I did before reading the book. My opinion of him going in was pretty neutral as I'm just a casual MMA/UFC fan. I didn't come away disliking him though. For example while I think he was being honest in writing, the stuff about him not letting others' opinions bother him (Gracies, etc.) seemed to be contradictory. It might be denial rather than dishonesty, but the guy definitely lets stuff get to him. He's human though, so I took that as maybe part of writing was to try to convince himself otherwise. Also the whole St. Pierre greasing thing was sort of prefaced with "I'm not making any excuses..." but it struck me that he was making excuses for that loss. I still give the book 4 stars as I enjoyed reading it, learning some more about BJ, and reading about the road to becoming the champ. Also, about his opinion of the UFC... I know there are always two sides to a story, so I'm glad I got to read his side.

2 people found this helpful

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D. Williams

Great Book by a Great Fighter

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on May 27, 2010

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I extremely enjoyed this book. I have always been a fan of BJ Penn and his reputation for making honest comments is not lacking in this book. What I think fans and non-fans of MMA will see is how much work goes into making a world class fighter. Its a long period of dedication and hard work.

I also enjoyed BJ's take on the business side of this growing sport. He and other top fighters have realized for a long time how much money is being made off of their efforts and how much they are actually being compensated. This type of discussion should make any fan of any sport interested as to the human side of what we as fans enjoy and the impact to the people who entertain us.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 28, 2010

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This was the first MMA book I read, so I was not sure what to expect. It certainly exceeded all my expectations. After I got through the first few chapters, I did not want to put the book down. It was a great recollection of BJ's life, from the challenges of growing up in Hilo, to his interest and accomplishments in BJJ, to how he became a star in the UFC. It's all in there and he does not hold back. The book is very well written and gives you a deep insight into BJ's life, his opinions, thoughts, and feelings on many different topics and situations from his past. If you have any interest in MMA or BJ Penn, this is a must read.

Helpful

movingwordsandimages

"aaaand still..." BJ Penn is the best

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on March 7, 2015

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This book gives a great amount of insight to the goings-on behind some of BJ's most famous career highlights. The beginning was especially interesting, paying tribute to his upbringing and hometown. It gives proper background to the man who climbed his way out of a small town and into stardom and championship status.

I didn't realize how tightly woven the fight scene was. BJ trained at Ralph Gracie's, at AKA, with Couture, with Liddell. Every other chapter I was thinking, "Wow, really?" Legends among legends.

As a reader, I enjoyed that BJ's voice was properly captured. You can "hear" him telling the stories. I only wish the language was a bit tighter. Just a little thing but there was a serious abuse of the word "had." For example, "I had thought" instead of just "I thought." Once or twice would have been no big deal but it happens throughout the whole book and drags the pacing.

I also wish the fight descriptions were more sharp and gave more clear snapshots. It's hard to follow even if you know all the fight vocabulary. The good thing is I was able to switch to youtube, while reading, where most of the fights are archived and see exactly what he was talking about.

All in all, if you're a BJ Penn fan, you'll push easily through the clunky text and love this biography for all of its approachability, warmth, and generosity, sharing this champion's incredible history and philosophy.

One person found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

K. G. A. Alavi

The world according to BJ

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on October 1, 2012

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BJ always does and says what he wants, damn the consequences that is the way BJ is love him or hate him, agree or disagree BJ will say it as he sees it. Since his early days he has never been able able to keep a secret or him mouth shut. He talks about how his natural ability, and living in Hawaii (the natural playground), prepared him for a life in pro fighting. He talks about his dedication the ju jitu. His run ins with other fighters. BJ has never been a great cardio guy, but he still trains harder then the rest of us non pro athletes. BJ gives his opinions on all him opponents, and his bitter legal dispute with the UFC. I have commend BJ on his stance on athletes and drugs, also "greesing". A good book about BJ's journey through life, MMA and his take in his legendary fights. I enjoyed the book and am always on the look out for what BJ is going to do next.

One person found this helpful

Tracey

Liked this book a lot

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on October 4, 2015

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Liked this book a lot. Admittedly I was more interested in the section that reads from his UFC debut to the end but nevertheless found out a lot of interesting things about BJ Penn that I didn't know. The book is written in quite a conversational style which I liked and I really liked the fact he was "political" about anything - he never played the diplomatic card and just told it how he saw it. Something which I wish more biographies were like.

Land of Ultimate Bliss

Didn't get much out of this book, but read ...

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on May 28, 2018

Verified Purchase

Didn't get much out of this book, but read it til the end. I threw it in a public bin afterwards. Didn't want anybody to read it after me. It's ok as his memoir, but not much meaty stuff in there.

One person found this helpful

tjd

Ok

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on July 8, 2019

Verified Purchase

Ok to read but made not like bj Penn I kinda lost some respect for him reading this as he just seems to complain all the time.

Graham Foster

BJ Penn is a hit

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on May 8, 2014

Verified Purchase

This is a terrific book. Well written and honest. It doesn't focus too much on the techical side of martial arts. Consequently it is a good read for anyone regardless of whether they have a particular interest in martial arts or not.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and would recommend it.

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Why I Fight: The Belt Is Just an Accessory Hardcover – Bargain Price, April 13, 2010

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