On this penultimate morning of what has been hyped to be the ultimate Penn fight, local mixed martial arts fans are chomping — on the bit, on the buffet, on their pay-per-view bills — for Hilo-born BJ Penn to prove himself the best pound-for-pound fighter in the MMA world and, by extension, shine a light on the state he defiantly represents.

Ultimate Fighting Championship officials anticipate that tomorrow's title match between Penn and current welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre will shatter pay-per-view records, and the frenetic activity on MMA Web sites and chat boards suggest they may be right.

Nowhere is the anticipation quite as high as in Hawai'i, a stronghold of MMA action when the sport still tread on outlaw territory and a perennial breeding ground for talented and successful fighters.

Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of Hawai'i residents are expected to watch the fight in person at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas — at upward of $1,000 per seat.

Oceanic Time Warner Cable representatives said they won't know the exact number of households ordering the pay-per-view event until after the telecast, but expectations are that it will be the biggest MMA draw ever.

Penn holds the UFC lightweight belt and is moving up in weight to try to become the first UFC fighter to hold belts in different classes at the same time.

"Everyone is stoked about this fight," said Arick Adriano, 23, of 'Ewa Beach. "Everybody wants BJ to win."

Adriano manages the Fighter's Corner on North King Street and has seen sales of Penn-related items skyrocket past their already high levels.

Adriano credits the fighter's marketing savvy with helping to assure even non-MMA fans know who he is and what he's doing this weekend. But, Adriano says, the root of Penn's burgeoning popularity, especially in Hawai'i, is far less contrived.

"He's the most successful fighter out of Hawai'i," Adriano said. "There have been other good fighters, but none as successful as him. By winning welterweight and lightweight championships, he proved that we have good fighters here.

"But, I think people are drawn to him mostly because his attitude changed over the years. It's not just about him anymore; now it's about the whole state."

A MUST-WATCH EVENT

Gary Ching, 38, of Ala Moana, has watched MMA events but doesn't consider himself a hardcore fan. Still, like many others caught up in the vortex of excitement surrounding Penn and his quest for the welterweight belt, Ching has no intention of missing out on the action. He and a group of Army buddies are taking advantage of a special "BJ Penn Experience" travel package to catch the fight live.

"I'm just a casual watcher, and I couldn't tell you who most of the fighters are, but everyone knows BJ Penn," Ching said. "I guess part of it is local pride. It's like if (Oscar) De La Hoya was from Hawai'i and still lived in Hawai'i."

Shelley Kim, 21, of McCully agrees.

"People here are so proud when it's someone from Hawai'i," she said. "It's like Obama."

Kim, who grew up watching her brother box, will watch the bout on PPV. She says it's no given that Penn will win.

"It's a hard call," she said. "GSP is stronger on the ground, and BJ is stronger standing up. It could go either way."

THE PRODIGY

Tom Callos, a martial arts instructor and neighbor of the Penn family, remembers Penn as an extremely shy teen with extraordinary ability.

Callos gave the then 17-year-old Penn his first lessons in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and watched in amazement as his young charge achieved unprecedented success in the cage.

"He was just a normal kid, not cocky at all," Callos said. "He just moved right into my world. I was training for fifth dan (black belt level), and he was able to hang with me. He never missed a workout, and he was always enthusiastic and polite."

Callos said Penn remains quite the same, something that continues to endear him to his Big Island community.

"He's very talented, but he has a centered nature about himself," Callos said. "He's probably the most famous young man on Hawai'i, bigger than (musician) Jack Johnson. He and his athletes bring a certain energy to an otherwise sleepy place."

It was Callos who introduced Penn to noted jiu-jitsu instructor Ralph Gracie, who helped develop in Penn the skills and the will to succeed in high-level competition. With just four years of training, Penn became the first non-Brazilian to win the black belt division of the World Jiu-Jitsu Championship.

Penn parlayed his success into an MMA career, much to the initial dismay of his friend. Callos, who had seen the shady side of competitive karate, warned Penn that there was no money in the sport, that he should instead focus on the Olympics.

"Who knew," Callos said.

In fact, Penn's development as a fighter coincided with MMA's phenomenal and largely unexpected rise in popularity in the United States. At age 30, he has come into his prime at a point when UFC and the rest of the MMA world is looking for skilled, telegenic champions to help put aside its rogue image for good.

EVERYDAY APPEAL

Penn and St-Pierre are widely regarded as two of the best — if not the best — fighters affiliated with UFC, itself the most successful promotion in the sport. Both are well-rounded, intelligent fighters who combine raw aggression with highly sophisticated fighting skills.

And, to be sure, promoters have had no surfeit of storylines to pitch. St-Pierre defeated Penn in a split decision three years ago. The taller, more sculpted St-Pierre has cultivated an image of humble, self-made success. Penn, whose conditioning has been a tireless source of debate, has been alternately painted as privileged and lazy, or honest and unpretentious.

Harkening to the theatrics that MMA has inherited from boxing, the sport it supplanted in the imaginations and pocketbooks of Americans, Penn has fed media and fan interest with bold statements about the fight. Asked about his intentions for the bout, Penn, who once licked an opponent's blood off his gloves, said that he would try to "kill" St-Pierre. Nothing personal, of course.

(That the event will take place at the same venue where Mike Tyson once bit off a piece of Evander Holyfield's ear only adds to an event that can bear little more hype.)

David Mayeda, a juvenile justice research analyst at the attorney general's office and author of "Fighting for Acceptance: Mixed Martial Arts and Violence in American Society," said such posturing is normal in competitive fighting, where promoters and fighters sometimes have to manufacture drama to compensate for fighters being out of the public eye for months between fights.

A former amateur fighter himself, Mayeda said Penn's appeal stems from his expertise in the ring and the seeming contradiction between his appearance and his achievements.

"Of course, he's incredibly gifted, but if you see him walking down the street, he looks like an average guy," Mayeda said. "He looks like he could be a schoolteacher or a construction worker. He's not all muscled-out like his opponent, and that's part of the appeal. He overcomes size with talent, and that offers hope for smaller fighters."

As the next step in Penn's evolution, Mayeda would like to see the fighter — and all of MMA — take a more public stand against violence outside the ring.

"What about the 12-year-old boy who watches tomorrow's fight on prime time when his parents aren't home?" he asked. "How does this kid, who probably looks up to BJ, interpret that?

"It would be nice if the MMA community were more public with their anti-violence messages. They might say these things in the gym, but MMA has grown so much, they need to do it out in public, at the level at which (MMA events are) being received."

Mayeda, of course, will be watching tomorrow's fight closely.

"I don't like it, but I'm addicted," he said, laughing.