Bj penn why i fight review

The book was an easy read, that progresses in a linear fashion through BJ's life. There were really two parts to the book. In the first part, we learn of BJ's upbringing. He describes what it's like to grow up in Hawaii. Then there's the history of his first experiences with boxing, brazillian jiu jitsu, and just plain out fighting. From there, he moves to California and gets more serious about training in competitive jiu jits This book is the project of former UFC lightweight champion, BJ Penn.

From there, he moves to California and gets more serious about training in competitive jiu jitsu. BJ descibes the people he trained with, the places he trained and fought, and the people he fought against.

Once he reaches the UFC, the story progresses from fight to fight, giving us a look into the preparation for each bout, how the matches are made, what it's like to travel and compete, and then finally, there's a play by play for each of his fights.

Interwoven between the descriptions of the bouts, we get a look at the politics of the UFC. Penn pulls no punches in describing the brutality of contract negotiations, and his heartbreak following a tough loss.

The book reaches it's climax during the controvertial fight against George St. BJ describes his preparations for the fight, the fight itself, and his thoughts on the aftermath. Finally, he ends with a bit of redemption, tranferring some of his dislike for GSP onto his next lightweight opponent, Kenny Florian, and beating him convincingly in the final fight covered by the book. BJ Penn is one of the more interesting fighters in the UFC, he is willing to share his personal stories and experiences, which makes the book worth reading.

Jun 18, Justin rated it liked it. It means the world to me and beat up MacDonald! Anyways the book gives a very informative inside look at Dana White, pioneers in the sport, the UFC's early days, misconceptions about the Hawaiian lifestyle, and a personal view of who Penn is and obviously why he fights. It is somewhat confusing to know who is who in the ever growing list of trainers, mentors, and coaches BJ surrounds himself with, especially if you rea First of all I must say thank you BJ Penn for responding to my Facebook post!

It is somewhat confusing to know who is who in the ever growing list of trainers, mentors, and coaches BJ surrounds himself with, especially if you read it in more than one sitting considering you will since it's a large book. I recommend 1. Watching some footage of his fights while reading passages on fighting to know exactly what he is talking about if you are not familiar with the fighter lingo plus it's more exciting 2.

Looking at his overall record can help you piece together which fights take place where and when. I didn't want to do this because I thought it would spoil the book but I wish I did cause it's a biography not a mystery thriller, don't make the same mistake I did! I could relate to his constant and relentless thinking about jiujitsu since I wrestle in high school. Overall the book is very easy to read with very little vocabulary words.

Some of the training aspects can get repetitive and tedious if you haven't been involved in combat sports like when he talks about reaching a higher level. I admire BJ's need to fight the best at any weight class and I still can't believe he fought Machida at lbs. BJ is an interesting person who is easy to relate with on a personal level and his book is very much enjoyable.

May 04, DH rated it really liked it Shelves: , gr-str. Sometimes when you read a memoir or a biography, you think the author is holding back or he or she is stretching the truth to get a point across.

He tackles every subject a fighter goes through in this book from disputes with coaches to his position against steroids and cheating, as well as trying to figur Sometimes when you read a memoir or a biography, you think the author is holding back or he or she is stretching the truth to get a point across. He tackles every subject a fighter goes through in this book from disputes with coaches to his position against steroids and cheating, as well as trying to figure out the right balance in training and diet and everything in between.

The descriptions of his fights were so detailed and vivid that there were times I thought I saw the fight occurring right before my eyes. Note: book received from goodreads giveaway May 04, Brenda rated it really liked it Shelves: goodreads-first-reads , adult-fiction. He provides his story with brutal often candid honesty when describing his own failures and achievements. He presents things in a way that does not necessarily criticize but more to enlighten.

It was impressive to hear about all of the hard work that goes into being a UFC champion. I even recalled the Caol Uno fight in which he won in 11 seconds. He just ran out of the ring after that fight. At the time I was watching, I often wondered what could be going through his head.

It was nice to see it show up in the story and read his detailed account of the fight. He talks about the huge risks of being a fighter while getting little in the way of rewards but brings his own perspective to the sport, the UFC and why he continues to fight. At the same time, he stays true to his Hawaiian culture and brings discipline and purity to the sport. This book is really great and really captured what a stand up fighter BJ Penn really is. May 04, Todd rated it really liked it Shelves: first-reads.

WIthout hesitation, I rank this book in the top 2 of these. I can't decide whether this or Forrest Griffen's Got Fight is my favorite. Griffen's book is hilarious and raw.

It made me laugh out loud. This book, never did. It's an honest look into the things that I've watched unfold on the screen, and read about online and in magazines.

I feel like I know both sides of the stories. Unlike Couture's book, which put a big smudge on his captain america image, this book actually made me like Penn more. It tells of his dedication to the competition of combat sports from boxing on his parents porch in Hawaii, to the world of comptetitive BJJ. I loved how this book felt like it was a conversation with Penn, and not like a prompted response to some unasked question.

Read it. Jun 16, Kenny Lam rated it liked it. BJ Penn's autobiography provides some insight into the internal politics that is the UFC while allowing Penn to speak his side of the story. As a devoted Jiu Jitsu student, I truly enjoyed the chapter's that covered Penn's spectacular rise as a Jiu Jitsu athlete culminating in his gold medal at the Mundials. I thoroughly enjoyed this book as it puts into words some of the changes I too have noticed concerning the sport of MMA and the truly negative effects the UFC monopoly has on many fighters tr BJ Penn's autobiography provides some insight into the internal politics that is the UFC while allowing Penn to speak his side of the story.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book as it puts into words some of the changes I too have noticed concerning the sport of MMA and the truly negative effects the UFC monopoly has on many fighters trying to make it in this industry.

However, Penn's fighting spirit, evident throughout his life, just might win me back. Ultimately, a good book, just read it.

May 16, Rotten rated it it was amazing. I train in a related art, Aikido which has no competition or tournaments. Aikido is derived from Aiki Jitsu so somewhat related, similar. I'm interested in why people train but more why we keep training and excel. I've seen so many start For everyone who finally reaches black belt rank People take up MA for a variety of reasons; need for self defense, fitness, discipline.

But sticking with it for years with all the years, in I train in a related art, Aikido which has no competition or tournaments. But sticking with it for years with all the years, injuries, what makes you "a lifer", life long participant?

What have you learned about your self? Odds are good that if you're a lifer, stick with it that self mastery is the key. As some said here it's an easy read but yet a good one. A young man faced with tremendous odds, poverty, tough conditions finds a teacher, an art and motivation to excel. Find it at your local Independent Bookstore.

Jan 05, Khurram rated it really liked it. 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 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. 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".

I enjoyed the book and am always on the look out for what BJ is going to do next. May 02, Rochelle rated it it was ok.

I won this book from Goodreads and was very surprised when I received this. As a primer to understanding the sport, I found it to be excellent. The story of his early life and personal life is rather sketchy. At one point suddenly he is a father, without any preamble. He promotes himself very well throughout the book as an honest athlete no steroids, no greasin I won this book from Goodreads and was very surprised when I received this.

He promotes himself very well throughout the book as an honest athlete no steroids, no greasing , but he does go through a lot of people and leaves many of them behind. A very different read for me. This book is probably a must read for UFC fans as they will be able to follow a blow by blow account of each of the fights.

Feb 22, William D. Fighting isn't for older men. People love him, he's a legend and he has nothing left to prove. Hall, 33, immediately dove to the ground to grab Penn's leg and applied a heel hook to force the instant tap at of the opening round. I'm just glad it worked out since BJ kicked my leg hard a couple of times. If I ever get the opportunity, I'd love to train with him because he has taught me everything via video.

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Even recently, when I was first approached about writing a book, it was not something I was overly excited about. A TV show? They just point the camera at you, then you kind of do your thing, whatever that thing is. A magazine article? That can be done in one day, maybe with a flight.

A book written by someone else, about me, taking guesses about who I am? That would probably leave me with another fight on my hands. A book about fighting? But to write a book about me, by me, to talk about my life? I have to be honest and say I was not that excited.

Then I sat back and realized that if only one person I do not know actually picks this book up and decides to read it, that is such a huge compliment, I cannot even explain.

So while I write this book, assuming people are going to read it, if only one person I do not know chooses to, that makes me really happy. I want to say thank you to that person, and any person who has taken enough interest in me to allow me to have the time in my life to actually do this.

Even if you decide to read it because you do not like me, you too have taken enough interest in me, which has given me so much in return. I never ever thought I would be in this position in my life, and here I am. I am responsible for things, and to other people, and to places I never even considered, or ever thought about. For a kid from Hawaii, all of what has happened to me means a lot more than you could possibly realize.

Some people say having so many Jay Dees in a family could possibly take away from our individual identities. I disagree. In fact, I look at it from the opposite view, in that having the same name, or just being a Penn, means we all have something we must strive to uphold.

For one of us to tarnish or trash the name would make us all look bad. But if you did this, whether by mistake or intention, the first people to help and support you would be those whose name you tarnished. It binds us together, and in a way that ensures each of us that the other will work hard to do great things, not just for themselves, but on behalf of everyone in our family. This is true whether the name is Jay Dee Penn or something else Penn. In total, my parents ended up having six children, five of them boys.

I have other siblings, like my little brother Reagan, who is littler only in age. At the end of the day, we all tend to look after each other simultaneously.

My parents have given us the ability to be on our own, think on our own, act on our own, but also made us responsible to everyone else. Ultimately I am just one of many Jay Dee Penns. According to my parents, I was not a difficult baby once I entered the world.

Getting there was slightly more of a problem, at least it was for my mom. While eight pounds and two ounces does not compare with my nephew LJ, who came in at nearly ten pounds, my birth was difficult for my mother.

As the doctors and my mom were bringing me into the world, my umbilical cord was wrapped around my neck, choking me. My mom had to stop pushing so the doctors could make sure I arrived healthy.

Once she started pushing again and they finally got me out, my face was all bruised up. From the beginning, I guess I was making my mom nervous with my chokes, bumps, and bruises. My parents met when they were both pretty young, but by the standards of their time, I guess it was normal. My mother was twenty-two, of Korean and Hawaiian descent, and was born and raised in Hawaii.

My father, twenty-three, of Irish roots. He was a guy from Kansas who had left home at a young age, only to join the military and eventually find himself in Hawaii. Not exactly two people from the same place, but in many ways of the same mind, which was what mattered most. Oddly enough, what brought my dad to Hawaii was not the military, but a visit to a friend of his who was living there.

His buddy told him how beautiful it was, and that he had to come see it for himself, but by the time my father arrived, his friend was nowhere to be found.

And my father definitely did that. He ended up living on the beach in Waianae and hitchhiking to town to find work. As one of the few haoles living on the beach in Waianae, he encountered racism from the locals and had many fistfights during those early days. My dad was always one to make do with what he was given.

He had a very difficult childhood, and most everything he did as a youth, he did alone. What I do know is that he grew up without the type of love and support he has given us, and for much of his life he was left to take care of himself. At the age of thirteen, Pop, as we call him, was already working hard. Eventually the military helped him see the world a bit more than he had the means to do. My mother also worked very hard—only instead of Kansas, she was on the island of Oahu.

Her family owned one of the first businesses to sell fresh flower leis on the Royal Hawaiian Hotel grounds. To this day, one of her family members operates the lei stand my mother worked at for many years. When they first met, my father was the branch manager of an outlet in Waikiki selling and renting motorcycles. My mother was in between jobs and applied for a cashier position. My dad hired her immediately. How he convinced my mom that he was a real catch is still a mystery.

I can only imagine how taken my dad was with my mother when they met because he still treats her today as if they were on a honeymoon.

They worked hard buying and managing several different businesses, from a restaurant to a health food store to service stations and real estate, among other things. My parents were determined to build a solid foundation for our family and to prepare us the best way they could to work together as a family. On the day I was born, my parents brought me home to a three-bedroom house in Kailua, Oahu, with a separate little cottage and a swimming pool in the back.

From early on, I was pretty active and alert. I began walking by the time I was eight months old and used to go everywhere that I could. That got trickier when I was two and my brother Reagan Keone Penn was born, but no matter what was going on with my other siblings, my parents always encouraged me to be energetic. Though my parents were devoted to us, the endless routine they needed to keep up so they could provide for the family came with a price.

They found a babysitter for Reagan, Jay Dee, and me, one who was willing to watch over us when they could not, and he became like a third parent.

His name was Emmanuel Chen, but we called him Uncle Manny. My parents could see how much Jay Dee liked him, so they asked him if he would be willing to babysit when they were working, going to school, or out of town. At first Uncle Manny watched us once or twice a week, but more and more my parents found themselves out of town, especially Pop, who was often away for long stretches working on business deals over on the Big Island.

Whether it was about how we acted at the dinner table or out in public, we had to be on our best behavior. He would demand that we eat our food over our plates, and not chew with our mouths open. When it came to manners and respect, Manny required us to be at our best all the time. He cared about what we did and believed how we acted was a reflection of how well he was doing his job. Manny treated the three of us like we were his own.

In a lot of ways this move marked the beginning of my life, since my first real vivid memories go back to this new house in Hilo, a house that my parents live in to this day. The house sits high up on a beautiful piece of land on the corner of two streets just above Highway 1, the road that circles all of the Big Island.

From the back, you can see the ocean, and the property is surrounded by trees. But back when we moved in, it was in a much sorrier state. The large Victorian-style house with its veranda overlooking the bay was built in the early s. Much of it was run-down and not in livable shape. It was a house that made creaking noises and needed a lot of work.

I later learned before we took the place over, it was known around Wainaku as a party house. Wainaku is the side of town I live on, just over one of the rivers that come down from the mountains.

And a party, you know what that is.