HONOLULU, November 20, 2004 -- To the delight of a sellout crowd at the Neal Blaisdell Center in downtown Honolulu, a sensational BJ Penn defeated Rodrigo Gracie of Brazil in the main event at the Rumble on the Rock mixed martial arts extravaganza.

On a stage set with gigantic carved tiki heads, the event opened with a performance which included conch-blowing and inspired singing. A team of fierce ipo drummers then propelled a bevy of gorgeous women in grass skirts and coconut shell bikinis to shake their hips in a most mesmerizing fashion, before the 20 warriors made their entrances through a simulated volcano eruption.

The rules here were similar to those found in ROMANEX -- with three, five minute rounds per bout and a one minute rest period between rounds. The action took place in an octagon-shaped ring, this enclosed not by ropes as is the norm for K-1 and ROMANEX events, but rather by a chain link fence, which allowed fighters to engage in "against the wall" maneuvers as well as standup strikes and grappling. The judges worked with standard ten point per round scorecards.