Mixed martial arts superstar BJ Penn (9-2-1) will take on another member of martial arts fighting’s most heralded family in Renzo Gracie (10-5-1) at Honolulu, Hawaii’s 50,000 crowd capacity Aloha Stadium on Friday, July 29th.  The bout, which will be presented as a featured contest during the K-1 “World Grand Prix 2005 in Hawaii” extravaganza, will premiere on Pay Per View television along with the remainder of the card on Sunday, July 31st. 

Penn’s appearance in his home state will be his second in a period of eight months.  On November 20th of last year, he defeated Renzo’s cousin, Rodrigo Gracie, by way of unanimous judges’ decision at Honolulu’s Blaisdell Center.     

Penn’s latest challenger is an eight-time veteran of Japan’s Pride Fighting Championship and the owner of a fifth degree black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, the style of combat founded by his grandfather, Carlos Gracie.  The matchup with Penn will mark Gracie’s first start since October 5, 2003 when he lost a split decision to former UFC welterweight crown holder, Carlos Newton.  During his 13 year professional career, Gracie has claimed wins over the likes of martial arts fighting legends Maurice Smith and Oleg Taktarov. 

Last year, Penn defected from The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he had reeled off six of his nine career victories, to the K-1 organization that recently expanded its repertoire of combat sports promotions to include mixed martial arts competition.  Penn’s dramatic career move came shortly after he had made a jump from the UFC’s 154-pound limit division to its 168-pound class and easily defeated the heavier weight category’s reigning champion, Matt Hughes, by way of rear naked choke.

K-1 “World Grand Prix 2005 in Hawaii” will also feature an eight-man, single-elimination tournament and a pair of “Superfights” that will be contested under the promotion’s traditional, stand-up fighting rules.  Amongst the talent enlisted for the tournament affair are 2003 K-1 USA champion, Carter Williams; UFC and Rumble on the Rock veteran Wesley “Cabbage” Correira; and “Big Daddy” Gary Goodridge.  In Superfight action, four-time K-1 Japan Grand Prix tournament winner, Musashi, will meet Sweden’s Richard Nordstrand while sumo wrestling legend turned K-1 fighter Akebono will do battle with 7 foot 2 inch giant, Hong Man Choi, who captured the K-1 Grand Prix tournament championship in Seoul, Korea earlier this year.