The 5 best UFC fighters from the USA

#5 BJ Penn

BJ Penn is one of the most talented fighters of all time

If we were going on pure talent, there could perhaps be an argument for BJ Penn being top of this list. The Hawaiian – nicknamed ‘The Prodigy’ – earned his black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in just three years, and then went on to become the first non-Brazilian to win the BJJ World Championship.

In 2001, he entered into the UFC with no professional fights but instantly made his mark by stopping Joey Gilbert, Din Thomas and Caol Uno. The surprising thing? He barely used his grappling game to do so, instead destroying his opponents with a brutal and brilliant striking game.

Despite his fast start, Penn showed his vulnerable side by failing to win the UFC Lightweight title in his first two attempts, dropping a decision to Jens Pulver and then going to a controversial draw with Caol Uno in a fight most thought he won.

He did eventually capture UFC gold, but surprisingly it came a weight class up, as he defeated longtime champ Matt Hughes for the Welterweight title. A contract dispute followed though, and Penn found himself out of the UFC for a while. When he returned, he failed to recapture the belt he relinquished upon leaving.

That wasn’t the end, though – he dropped back to 155lbs and went on the best run of his career, capturing the Lightweight crown that had eluded him previously and destroying Sean Sherk, Kenny Florian and Diego Sanchez in dominant fashion.

After two years, his title reign came to an end at the hands of Frankie Edgar and following that, success was fleeting for Penn, who ended up damaging his legacy somewhat with a questionable run at 145lbs. Despite some clear missteps in his career, however, Penn earns his spot on this list by being the second man in UFC history to win world titles in two different weight classes.