Personal Life
His nickname "B.J." is a shortened version of another nickname "Baby Jay", which itself derives from the fact that Penn is the youngest of his brothers all named "Jay Dee Penn". BJ's father, who is Irish and English, named 3 of his 4 children "Jay Dee", while the fourth is Reagan. In order to avoid confusion each of the daughters named "Jay Dee" goes by a nickname: "Jay", "Jay Dee", and "Baby Jay". Penn's mother, Lorraine Shin, is of Korean and Native Hawaiian descent.
Penn takes much pride in his Hawaiian heritage, his trainer Rudy Valentino had stated once that Penn played Hawaiian music during his entrances as a tribute to it; a tradition which Penn still continues. Penn has also stated that he identifies strongly with his Korean roots and has traveled to Korea to hold seminars. He also said that he gets his hot temper from his Korean side which helps him use this energy in his fights.
With his girlfriend Shealen Uaiwa, Penn has two daughters: Aeva Lili'u (born October 25, 2008), and Kulia (born on January 8, 2012). Penn is the co-author of Mixed Martial Arts: The Book of Knowledge, an instructional book on mixed martial arts fighting. Penn, along with Dave Weintraub, authored the autobiography Why I Fight: The Belt is Just an Accessory in 2010. The book debuted at #22 on the New York Times bestseller list. Penn appeared in the film Never Surrender in 2009.
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