Hawaii-born BJ Penn, now among the elite mixed martial artists in the worldwide Ultimate Fighting Championship, will be guest speaker at the annual dinner meeting of the Big Island Press Club on Friday, Feb. 1, in Hilo.

Nicknamed “The Prodigy,” Penn began learning the techniques of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in Hilo when he was 17 and became the first non-Brazilian to win a black belt gold medal in the World Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Championship.

A former UFC welterweight division champion, Penn, 29, will be fighting for the UFC lightweight championship on Jan. 19, when millions of subscribers in 35 countries are expected to buy the live broadcast on pay-per-view television.

Still not legally sanctioned in all states, the UFC has been a political target of legislators including Arizona Sen. John McCain, who has called the sport “Human Cockfighting.” Meanwhile, mixed martial arts-style fighting has grown to rival boxing for popularity and viewers, especially among males 18 to 45 years old.

Penn also stars in a Spike TV cable network reality series, “The Ultimate Fighter,” as the coach of a team of UFC competitors. He is an outspoken critic of illegal drug use in the UFC and recently criticized another UFC wrestler publicly for using performance-enhancing drugs.

Penn, who owns a training gym in Hilo and operates a Web business selling BJ Penn-brand products, also actively endorses Kau Inoa, the organization registering Native Hawaiians with the goal of establishing a new Native Hawaiian government. “A new native nation is on the horizon,” he said in a recent ad calling for Hawaiians to sign up on his Web site. 

Penn also is on probation following a Dec. 11 plea agreement on a charge that he swung at a policeman during a brawl outside a Waikiki nightclub in 2005. According to the agreement, since it's his first offense, the conviction will be cleared from his record if he remains trouble-free during the one-year probationary period.

Penn will address the Press Club and answer questions from the audience.

The Big Island Press Club’s annual dinner will be at Pescatore, Haili and Keawe streets in downtown Hilo, starting with non-host cocktails at 5:30, dinner at 6:30. Dinner tickets are $35 with proceeds to benefit the Big Island Scholarship Foundation.

For information and tickets call Hunter Bishop, 969-3088 or 987-5186.