Date of birth: December 13, 1978 (Age: 47 as of September 2026)
Height: 5’7” (175 cm)
Weight: 170 pounds (77 kg)
Hair color: Bald (Brown)
Eye color: Brown
Jay Dee “B.J.” Penn III was born on December 13, 1978, in Kailua, Hawaii. In 2000 he became the first non-Brazilian to win the black-belt division at the World Jiu-Jitsu Championship.
Penn won UFC titles at welterweight and lightweight, becoming one of the promotion’s early two-division champions. His career included notable bouts with Matt Hughes, Georges St-Pierre, Jens Pulver, Diego Sanchez and Frankie Edgar, and he entered the UFC Hall of Fame in 2015.
The old text centered on a 2014 dispute about weight cutting and presented temporary fight-camp decisions as a general program. That dated advice was removed; combat-sport weight management requires individual medical and coaching supervision.
Updated details
Biographical and career details were reviewed and the article text was updated on September 7, 2026. Historical measurements and past routine descriptions are identified as such.
