i think part of what makes BJ Penn such a compelling fighter is that he has all the natural fighting ability in the world, but he's just lazy and doesn't quite give a fuck to be the best. so it gives him this case of unfulfilled potential, which i guess is appealing to slackers like me. and the fact he always comes and fights makes him my favorite fighter.
i think people misplace GSP/Serra 1 as the turning point in GSP's career transforming him into a point fighter, I would say that it was GSP/Penn 1. GSP realized in the first round he was in a fight and was getting his ass kicked, and quickly realized he would need to go for meaningless takedowns to try to steal a decision. he ended up winning the fight, but spent the night in the hospital while bj partied in the clubs.