BJ Penn already had an injured hand prior to arriving at the T&C Surf shops yesterday, so it would have been understandable if he canceled a scheduled appearance.

Instead, he signed more than 1,000 autographs.

"If all these people come out for this, it's important for me to do my part," said Penn, who flew to Honolulu from his hometown of Hilo for yesterday's autograph signings at the T&C shops in Windward Mall and Pearlridge.

Penn is a UFC world champion, and his popularity was evident in the long lines that snaked around the shopping malls.

"I think he's just as popular as any of the football players from Hawai'i," said Joann Stephen, who waited in line for four hours to get Penn's autograph.

At the Windward Mall store, Joel Asuncion and his girlfriend, Mary Beth Membrere, were the first in line at 9:30 a.m. Penn was scheduled to arrive at 2:30 p.m.

"I knew plenty people were coming, so I wanted to be first," Asuncion said. "He's my favorite guy. Get lots of good fighters from Hawai'i, but nobody like BJ."

Membrere added: "Whenever he fights, he represents Hawai'i. You can tell he cares about Hawai'i."

In order to keep the lines moving, T&C employees even had to impose a "10-second rule" on the fans — 10 seconds to take a picture with Penn or have him sign something.

Lee Mendiola, her 15-year-old son Blaze, and seven other family members also waited for four hours to see Penn.

"His jiu-jitsu moves are mean," Blaze said.

Lee Mendiola said she found out about the autograph session through bjpenn.com. She said she logs on to the site almost every day. Her favorite aspect of Penn?

"His dimples," she said.

Yesterday was Penn's first public appearance in Hawai'i after a convincing victory over Sean Sherk in a UFC lightweight world championship bout May 24 in Las Vegas.

Jay Dee Penn, BJ's older brother, said the popularity was just as intense in Las Vegas.

"After the fight, the security guys told us there were like 4,000 people waiting in the front for BJ," Jay Dee said. "So they ended up sneaking us out the loading dock. It was crazy."

Even in his laid-back hometown, Penn's celebrity status has reached a different level.

"He's usually training or just stays at home, so he doesn't go out too much," Jay Dee said. "But even if he makes a trip to the mall, you see all these people come up to him. His life really has changed. It's like that line from (the movie) 'Spider-Man' — with great power comes great responsibility."

Penn said he does not mind the attention.

"It feels good when people respect what you do," said Penn, 29. "It's not that difficult to deal with. The people who usually come up to me are good people."

And Penn apparently has not changed much, despite his fame. He owns a new Hummer sport utility vehicle, but prefers to leave it in his garage so he can drive his trusty 2004 Mazda pick-up truck.

"The work never ends for me, so I don't even think about stuff like fame and fortune," he said.

Penn, who has a professional record of 13-4-1, is the only mixed martial arts fighter from Hawai'i to ever win a UFC world title. He is also just the second fighter in the world to capture UFC championships in two separate weight divisions.

Penn said he is still in discussions with UFC officials about his next bout.

"I have an idea what's next, but I'll let everybody know later, when there's more details," he said. "It should be big."

After defeating Sherk last month, Penn talked about facing current welterweight world champion Georges St. Pierre.