BJ Penn competing at the Jiu-Jitsu Worlds Championship in Rio de Janeiro. Photographer: Gustavo Aragao / GRACIEMAG

BJ Penn had his last MMA fight this Sunday, July 6, in Las Vega, Nevada, in the main event of the TUF 19 Finale.

The TKO defeat to Frank Edgar in three rounds was the final note of a spectacular career that included two UFC belts in different categories – lightweight and welterweight.

But before that, he made history in BJJ as well.

In 2000, he was the first ever non-Brazilian competitor to win the world championship as a black belt.

To this day he was only matched by Rafael Lovato Jr, who won in 2007.

Even so, Penn remains the only one to have done it in Brazil.

As a way to pay tribute to one of the greatest of all times, we remember the fight that made BJ a world champion.

In 2000, he fought Edson Diniz for the gold medal.

Let’s watch.

The count is now 3-0 Edgar.

Once again, BJ Penn was not able to present Frank Edgar with an upset in their third encounter in the UFC octagon.

Since round 1, Edgar controlled the action with takedowns and some quality ground and pound from BJ’s guard.

The storyline repeated itself on round 2, when Edgar was able to inflict a lot of damage with repeated elbow strikes to BJ’s head.

Penn’s corner between rounds 2 and 3 said to him to worry only about the next round: “Just try to win big this one,” they told the fighter, more wishing than instructing.

In fact, round three was all that BJ had to worry, because it was the last one.

Once again in BJ’s guard, Edgar pounded hard and left referee Herb Dean no option but to stop the match.

“I didn’t want to worry about what he was going to do, but with what I wanted to do. Anyway, it was a bittersweet victory. I have nothing but respect for BJ,” said Edgar after the match.

As expected, BJ announced he is done with fighting: “Dana White said to me that it’s over and I have to agree with him. I can’t be in this guy’s level anymore.”

Now a UFC Hall of Famer, Penn saluted Edgar for his performance: “He was great”.

At the two TUF 19 finals, Eddie Gordon and Corey Anderson came out on top.

First, at the middleweight division, Eddie Gordon gave no hopes to Dhiego Lima.

Fast and brutal, Gordon connected early and forced Lima to the fence where he finished the job in only 1:11 of the first round.

Later on, in the light-heavyweight division, Corey Anderson also dominated his opponent.

Precise since the beginning, Anderson cornered Matt Van Buren to win by TKO with only 3:59 of the first round.

Both winners got a six figure contract with the UFC and a brand new Harley Davidson motorcicle.

TUF 19 Finale: Edgar vs. Penn
Las Vegas, Nevada
July 6, 2014

Frankie Edgar defeated BJ Penn by TKO 4:16 of R3
Corey Anderson defeated Matt Van Buren by TKO at 3:59 of R1
Eddie Gordon defeated Dhiego Lima by TKO at 1:11 of R1
Derrick Lewis defeated Guto Inocente by KO at 1:30 of R1
Dustin Ortiz defeated Justin Scoggins by split decision

Preliminary card

Kevin Lee defeated Jesse Ronson by unanimous decision
Leandro Brodinho defeated Jumabieke Tuerxun by submission (armlock) at 3:49 of R3
Adriano Martins defeated Juan Manuel Puig aos 2min21s do R1
Patrick Walsh defeated Dan Spohn by unanimous decision
Sarah Mora defeated Alexis Dufresne by unanimous decision
Robert Drysdale defeated Keith Berish by submission (RNC) at 2:03 of R1

Flavio Almeida

Black-belt Ricardo “Cachorrão” Almeida, 36, has collected MMA titles and a record of 13w-5l. But the triumphs keep coming thanks to a mind that’s more and more willing to learn and put its BJJ to the test.

It’s what the New Jersey-based Brazilian fighter did at the recent Worlds No-Gi, when he took gold at the senior 1’s medium heavyweight division.

The Frankie Edgar professor also has four weeks left of taping for TUF 19, in whose finale his pupil will face BJ Penn.

Cachorrão talked about that and other subjects to GRACIEMAG after his victory in the Walter Pyramid.

GRACIEMAG: What lesson have you learned after nabbing gold in the Worlds No-Gi 2013, Ricardo?

RICARDO CACHORRÃO: I love BJJ like I did on my first day. I loved being a part of this great party that is the Worlds No-Gi. It was my first competition in the Pyramid, and I will carry many memories from that day. My brother, Flávio Cachorrinho, was bouncing from a knee surgery he had that week and even so he was there yelling at me from his wheelchair. And seeing my brother like that scared me; I have a lot of commitments and responsibilities and for the first time I stepped on the mat afraid of getting hurt. If BJJ isn’t used with great caution and respect, it can be harmful to everyone, including the champions.

Please walk us through your final versus Fábio Alexandre of Carlson Gracie.

I knew Fábio was an IBJJF, he knows the rules well and has a strong half-guard. I tried to fight without erring. In a five-minute match it is really rough coming back from a mistake, so I fought on his mistakes. When he gave me room I scored advantages and then the points. When it was time to let my game loose the time ran out. I think I fought reasonably well, within the game and the rules.

You are recording the next TUF on Frankie Edgar’s team. What have you been learning over there?

It is an insane routine of two training sassions a day and two fights a week, one at each weight. It’s a unique, very interesting experience. We still have another three weeks left to shoot.

Frankie beat BJ twice by unanimous decision, in 2010, imposing his boxing and mobility. How is his BJJ at this point?

Frankie loves BJJ and is getting tougher on the ground every day. He will be picking up the black belt by the end of the year. I think it’s gonna be a great fight. I’m a big fan of BJ’s – he’s one of the greatest talents in MMA. But I believe Frankie put in a lot more hours of mat and training than BJ in that last few years. Frankie always evolves technically between his fights. So it’s gonna be BJ’s talent versus Frankie’s tenacity.

Photo by Ken Pishna, courtesy of MMAWeekly.com

B.J. Penn has never been a big fan of cutting weight. But if anyone is going to get him on the horse, it’s Mike Dolce.

The nutrition and conditioning specialist recently made an announcement on his website that he would be flying out to Hilo, Hawaii this week help Penn in his cut to featherweight for the upcoming Frankie Edgar fight.

“BJ Penn is the greatest mixed martial artist of all time,” Dolce said. “He is a legend, a two-division world champion as a 170-pound welterweight and a 155-pound lightweight that has been fighting professionally before most athletes even knew what MMA or the UFC was. It is a great honor to join B.J. on his journey back into the Octagon and, in my opinion, to make history as the first ever three-division world champion in our sport.”

Penn most recently fought four fights at 170 pounds, going 1-2-1 in that stretch. Since then, it wasn’t clear if Penn would return to fighting, giving the impression that he may have fought his last fight in the UFC.

After conversations with UFC President Dana White, however, Penn indicated to the executive that he wanted to work his way back to a rematch with Edgar. The UFC was happy to oblige “The Prodigy,” booking him and Edgar as the next coaches for the UFC’s reality series, “The Ultimate Fighter.” The two will coach the next season of fighters, which is tentatively scheduled to broadcast in April 2014. Once the season ends, the two fighters will battle in a yet-to-be announced fight card.

The way Dolce sees it, the third go-around with Edgar isn’t going to be easy, and he’s more than willing to offer his expertise to an eager Penn.

“First thing’s first,” Dolce said. “We have a very tough Frankie Edgar standing in our way and in speaking to B.J., that is exactly the way he wants it. I will be flying out to Hilo, Hawaii this week to begin growing my relationship with B.J. and offer my skills to his camp.”

BJ Penn fighting Frank Edgar UF TUF19

The UFC announced on Wednesday that B.J. Penn and Frankie Edgar will be the coaches of “The Ultimate Fighter 19.”

The season will begin recording in October of this year, and the two coaches will meet each other at a later date in a 145-pound match-up.

“B.J. Penn is moving down to 145 pounds to coach ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ against Frankie Edgar,” UFC President Dana White said in a statement. “B.J. really hates the fact that he lost to Frankie Edgar. It’s something that’s been burning deep inside of him for three years now. So he’s moving down to 145 pounds to not only avenge those defeats, but to try and become the first fighter in UFC history to win titles in three different weight classes.”

This will be the third encounter between Edgar and Penn, but the first without a title up for grabs. Edgar won both previous fights, earning the belt from Penn in the first fight and successfully defending it in their second outing.

Who do you think is gonna win that one?

They promisse an unforgetable match.

Check below what the best Jiu-Jitsu magazine in the planet brings to you in issue No. 192.

A Saturday with Professor Roger

We follow a handful of lucky people who had the privilege of attending a seminar given by the unique multiple-time world champion Roger Gracie during a busy spell in Rio de Janeiro.

Jiu-Jitsu and adaptation

A chat with Andre Glodzinki. When still a white belt, he almost lost his right leg, only to become a great example of adapting and overcoming. Today he is one of the most prestigious Professors in California.

Learning with Rodolfo Vieira

Champion of the Copa Podio’s Heavy GP, Rodolfo Vieira examines the successful campaign and opens up to reveal his great advantage in Jiu-Jitsu.

 2013 European Open

The best images and full report on the four days that heated up a cold Lisbon winter.

Simple and Efficient 

Martin Rooney shows that you do not always need fancy equipment. By using a simple bench, one can get great results in the search for optimal fitness.

GMA

All the latest updates on our members from all around the world.

See you next month!

Jose Aldo (pictured) is auctioning off items from his UFC 156 fight to help children. Photo by Erik Fontanez for GRACIEMAG.com.

Want to buy some cool gear autographed by UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo and also help a really good cause?

After defending his UFC title last Saturday with an unanimous decision over Frank Edgar, Aldo decided to auction part of his gear on ebay.

Aldo and Nova União USA president, Gustavo Dantas, have joined forces through non-profit organization Live Jiu-Jitsu to help kids from the slums in Brazil to have more opportunities in life through the gentle art.

In this auction, Aldo will be auctioning the original UFC 156 fight banner, his walk out t-shirt and his Bony Açai hat.

To bid on the banner, click here.

To bid on the t-shirt, click here.

To bid on the hat, click here.

Click on the link for more info on Live Jiu-Jitsu.

All three auctions close in six days.

For more UFC and MMA coverage,
visit GRACIEMAG.com’s Choke MMA section

Rampage.

UFC is back to the Land of the Rising Sun, precisely on February 26, 2012. The stage will be the traditional Saitama Super Arena, where fans cheered for many years with Pride.

The card doesn’t bring much nostalgia to the eternal fans of Pride, but has four stars of Nipponese quad time. And doesn’t have any Brazilian stars, loved by Japanese fans.

The beasts who fought in the Japanese ring and are scheduled for the return of Ultimate Japan, 12 years after the last event are Mark Hunt (New Zealand), Quinton Jackson (USA), Takanori Gomi and Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto (local).

And the main fight brings the thrilling dispute for the lightweight belt, between the champion Frankie Edgar and Ben Henderson.

UFC 144

Saitama Super Arena, Saitama, Japan

February 26, 2012

Frankie Edgar vs Ben Henderson

Quinton Jackson vs Ryan Bader

Cheick Kongo vs Mark Hunt

Yoshihiro Akiyama vs Jake Shields

Joe Lauzon vs Anthony Pettis

Yushin Okami vs Tim Boetsch

Riki Fukuda vs Steve Cantwell

Norifumi Yamamoto vs Vaughan Lee

Takanori Gomi vs George Sotiropoulos

Takeya Mizugaki vs Chris Cariaso

Tiequan Zhang vs Leonard Garcia

Hatsu Hioki vs Bart Palaszewski

Frankie Edgar caught BJ Penn by surprise yet again, at UFC 118, and retained his lightweight belt in his first title defense. The Ricardo Cachorrão Jiu-Jitsu purple belt recently spoke with GRACIEMAG.com correspondent Nalty Jr. Check out this exclusive chat and get to know more about the under 155-lb number-1.

What was your childhood like?

Ever since I was a child I always had a thing for fighting. At six years of age I was already practicing fighting around my neighborhood. Fighting was definitely a sport to me.

What’s more difficult, conquering the belt or keeping it?

In my opinion, keeping the belt is the harder part. Conquering it is hard, too; it’s certainly a long way to the top. But after you have the belt and are champion, everyone wants to take it from you. Keeping the belt is much more complicated.

How do you deal with all the fame that comes with being champion?

Attention from the fans is a bit stronger than it was before. A lot of fans stop me to talk and take photos, a lot more than before. I learned to deal with the fame. I feel that I’m going to get more famous, and I’m progressively learning how to deal with that. I just can’t lose focus in training because the most important thing for a fighter’s career is training, improving your performance and winning fights. Otherwise, all this attention from the public comes to an end.

Edgar nails BJ Penn. Photo: Josh Hedges

What was your toughest fight, trickiest opponent?

BJ, he was my toughest opponent.

What do you think of the other fighters in your division right now?

It’s a division with a lot of talent, one of the most stacked. There are really competitive fighters, all tough guys.

Do you feel having a good strategy is the most important part to winning in MMA?

It’s really important to have a good strategy because we have to play our game and not get caught in our opponent’s. Strategy might not be a guarantee of victory, but it is surely a fundamental part to winning.

Are your wrestling skills solid enough to fight on the ground?

You have to respect Jiu-Jitsu. My wrestling is good for taking my opponent down, but if you fight a Jiu-Jitsu guy and don’t now Jiu-Jitsu, you’ll definitely have problems.

Frankie at training at Cachorrão's academy. Photo: Luca Atalla

You train with a lot of Brazilian black belts, among them Ricardo Cachorrão and Renzo Gracie. What is that relationship like?

Cachorrão is like my brother. He’s been great for my career and has been the best thing for me. Everyone I met through Jiu-Jitsu, the whole Gracie family, is a great person. I’ve never been to Brazil, I just know it through what Ricardo tells me, that it’s a beautiful country. We have to plan a trip to Brazil n the future.

What did you think of Renzo’s MMA return?

I thought it was great. Renzo is an ambassador for the sport, a good guy to everybody. Everywhere, everyone loves Renzo. That’s great for the sport. He’s a legend.

In my mind, I’m always going to win. I’m really competitive” Frankie Edgar

You grew up as part of your school wrestling team in the USA. In Abu Dhabi Jiu-Jitsu has been implanted in schools. What do you think of that?

It’s great to have some kind of martial art in school. I consider wrestling a martial art, as is Jiu-Jitsu. It’s really good for little kids to learn these arts because it teaches discipline and confidence. It’s really cool that they teach Jiu-Jitsu in school in Abu Dhabi. I’d like to see schools teaching it in America, as well.

Do you feel more pressure to win the fight or put on a show for the fans?

In my mind, I’m always going to win, because I’m really competitive. I always think that if I do my game and put my plan to practice it will be good training. I’m a fighter who always fights on the attack.

How would you describe yourself?

I’m a family man, have two kids. I definitely put family first.

What’s the secret to your physical conditioning?

I train a lot, train hard. I think that is much more mental than anything else. You have to train a lot and have a strong mind.

Rolling with Vinicius Draculino. Photo: Luca Atalla

What’s your motivation? What will it take to get even better?

My motivation is just to win, I think… My family also motivates me. I have to improve my ability in finishing fights. That’s the main part that I need to improve on in my game. I’m trying to work on my game so I can sink holds and finish.

What are your thoughts on the direction MMA has taken?

MMA is my favorite sport. I’m not interested in any other sport like baseball, football, basketball… I think MMA has the best athletes in the world and the sport is on the right path. But I also think some things will change at the right time. It’s such a new sport that we’re learning as time goes by. Ten or fifteen years from now it will be really different and I hope it’s for the better. The more attention the media gives us, the better. It’s possible that MMA will become the most popular sport in the world from one minute to the next.

Nothing comes easy, overnight” Frank Edgar

What would you tell someone who wants to be a champion like you?

What I have to say is that you have to work hard and be dedicated. Nothing comes easy, overnight. One really needs to invest time in it. If you really want to become a champion you need lots of dedication.

And what do you have to say to your fans?

Thanks for the support. You’re the best fans in the world!

UFC 118

Boston, Massachusetts, EUA

August 28, 2010

Frankie Edgar defeated BJ Penn via unanimous decision
Randy Couture submitted James Toney via arm triangle at 3:19 min of R1
Demian Maia defeated Mario Miranda via unanimous decision
Gray Maynard defeated Kenny Florian via unanimous decision
Nate Diaz submitted Marcus Davis via guillotine at 4:02 min of R3
Joe Lauzon submitted Gabe Ruediger via armbar at 2:01 min of R2
Nik Lentz defeated Andre Winner via unanimous decision
Dan Miller submitted John Salter via arm triangle at 1:53 min of R2
Greg Soto defeated Nick Osipczak via unanimous decision
Mike Pierce submitted Almicar Alves via armbar at 3:11 min of R3

Check out the photos taken by Josh Hedges:

[flickr set=72157624708549771]

Photo: Josh Hedges

In the bout at UFC 118 this Saturday, though, Frankie won by a large margin, guaranteeing himself the unanimous decision and second positive result against Penn.

“BJ really brought out the best in me. I knew he’d come in string again. I felt like I was walking on water,” he said in celebration.

Now the defeated combatant in the evening’s main event had a presentation below expectations, especially with so much on the line.

“Frankie fought a great battle. It was the same type of fight as the last one, but he fought me twice and one both by decision. He’s the man, I have nothing bad to say about him,” he laments.