Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 24, Number 9, 1 Kepakemapa 2007 — HAWAIIAN WARRIOR [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

HAWAIIAN WARRIOR

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! "T "W1 T hat is the most memorable Hawaiian sovereignty %/%/ statement in the past 10 years? ■ .-f ▼ V Ask that question to any mixed martial arts fan, and there's a good ehanee they'll say it was Hilo native BI Kc Penn's entrance in to the ring in The Ultimate Fighter 5 Finale ' 1 in lune. Think that's an exaggeration? Consider the moment: - "■ It's the start of the highly anticipated rematch between Penn and Jens Pulver, two of the most popular fighters in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, the premiere mixed martial arts league, in whieh participants are allowed to employ a varij ety of fighting disciplines, from boxing to grappling to karate. The lights go dark at the Pearl Concert Theater in the Palms , Hotel in Las Vegas. Suddenly Bruddah Iz's distinctive "Ua mau . | ke 'ea o ka 'āina i ka pono" wail begins reverberating through ■I the arena. As Iz slips from Hawai'i's motto into the sover1 I eignty anthem "E Ala E," Spike TV's cameras pan down to a spotlit and stoic BJ Penn marching toward the . ! ring, wearing a hlaek long-sleeved shirt _ I with the phrase "Hawaiian Knowledge " Unity Sovereignty" emblazoned in hloek I white letters down its front. Penn ended up dismantling Pulver, forcing I him to tap out in the second round. At the end of . the fight, the referee held up the arm of Penn, who was |P(C ' onee again wearing that hlaek long-sleeved shirt. It seemed like ^ the Hawaiian version of the two African American sprinters 1 who, during the heart of the civil rights movement, stood on the i 01ympic medal stand in 1968 and eaeh raised a black-gloved fist in the air. Unlike the 1968 moment, however, Penn's eall for Hawaiian unity probably went right over the heads of just about everyone in the arena and the vast majority of the people watching on national eahle television at home. But the message definitely reached its target audience in Hawai'i. Penn said countless Hawaiians have thanked him for I raising awareness about Hawaiian sovereignty, and he's spoken | to at least one prominent sovereignty leader since the fight. In addition, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs reached out and asked I him to record a Kau Inoa registration commercial. "For years, Hawaiians never really had a voice that could ^ m. JL jt\- /\. x

get the message out and say how we really feel," Penn, 28, said sitting outside the Hawaiian Force store in Hilo recently. "I told myself that I'm going to get as good as I ean, and I'm never going to lose again because I want V to be the voice for all Hawaiians to m be proud

THE PRODIGY Jay Dee Penn decided that he wanted to name his first son after himself. No big deal. But then the senior Penn did something odd: he gave his next two sons his name too. Ah, that might be a problem. To differentiate between the boys, the family J called the eldest Jay, the middle JD, ' ■ and the youngest Baby Jay, or BJ. In 1983, Jay Dee Penn Sr. and Lorraine Shin moved their children, six altogether, from O 'ahu to the quiet town of Hilo. According to his mom, BJ was a shy and humhle kid growing up, one who didn't get into trouble. BJ, on the other hand, jokes that he got beat up all the time as a youngster. ■ /\ When Penn was 17, he began training in jiu-jitsu with a neighborhood instructor. His natural talent showed early on, and the instructor recommended that

he go to C alif ornia to study under Ralph Gracie of he legendary Gracie

family, who developed Brazilian jiu-jitsu. After just three years of training, Penn entered the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu World Championships in Rio de Janeiro and

heeame the first non-Brazilian to take home the gold medal in the hlaek belt division. In 2001, Penn joined the UFC and experienced a meteoric rise to stardom as he ripped through the lightweight division, quickly showing people why he was given the niekname "The Prodigy" a few years earlier. In just his second year in the UFC, he got a title bout for the lightweight championship (145-155 lbs). Although he was the overwhelming favorite, Penn lost a heartbreaking decision to thte lightweight ehamp - Jens Pulver. Over the next five years, Penn's career would be marked by peaks and valleys, as he jumped to a heavier division and won the welterweight championship (155-170 lbs), only to have the belt stripped after he left the UFC. Later he fractured a rib during his match to regain the title, and he lost.

P1 Despite his inconsistencies, Penn I is still frequently referred to as the best pound-for-pound mixed martial arts fighter in the world. He's a solid boxer and a master grappler, whose incredibly flexible legs have been likened to a second set of arms. However, his critics have questioned his conditioning, especially after his career had a major setback in 2006 when he suffered two consecutive loses to marquee fighters in matches

during whieh some said he looked fatigued down the stretch. But today Penn seems to be on a new path in his career, after he was inspired to train harder than ever in anticipation of his long-awaited ehanee to avenge his loss to Pulver. Now "The New BJ Penn," as he calls himself, awaits his third shot at the lightweight belt in November, and he hopes to reclaim the welterweight title. THE HAWAIIAN WARRIOR Penn said that the ferocity of his fighting comes from his philosophy that he's willing to do anything he has to in the ring to win, even dying. "Warfare was the specialty of the ancient Hawaiians, and the Hawaiian warriors had that mentality that a fight was to the end," he said. "I feel that in me. Before a fight, I don't want anyone touching me, I don't want them taking my mana."

Penn said that the connection to the Hawaiian I warriors of the past may be a reason why so many Native Hawaiian men are drawn to the sport. As a way to give back to the community, K he said he would like to offer scholarships to |[ Native Hawaiians to enroll in his mixed martial |r arts academy located in the old "saloon pilot" cracker factory in Hilo. "The academy keeps kids out of trouble and helps them focus their energy in a positive way," he said. "Mixed martial arts is going to be the

biggest sport in the world, and I want / Hawaiians to have a solid presence there." While Penn is passionate about I ■ ■ i being the voice for Hawaiians, he's quick to point out that he doesn't I want to be a role model, because "we're all human beings, we all make mistakes."

vnuc pu&Niuie iiiiMaiNe rciiii niaue ■ occurred in 2005 when he allegedly had a | physical confrontation with a uniformed poliee | . ■ officer during a large brawl outside a Waiklkl |, club. In August, Penn pleaded no contest to a I ■ misdemeanor charge of third degree assault for , - the incident, and his attorney told KITV 4 that | he doesn't believe Penn will spend any time in L jail. n _ ■■ "I just want to take whatever penalty they're going to give me," Penn said of the incident. "I want to put it all behind me and focus on the future." As "The Prodigy" prepares to conquer two ■ ■ weight classes and fulfill the lofty expectations thrust on him at such a young age, he hopes that [■ all Hawaiians look to their past for inspiration for their future, just as he does. "We as a people represent the Hawaiian warriors - Jwho united this nation," he said. "That's what we , have to do today. We have to eome together as one, , _ no matter what form of government you support. 11

"I told myself that I'm going to get as good as I ean, and I'm never going to lose again becaus( I want to be the voice for all Hawaiians to be proud of."

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