LONDON - UFC president Dana White says Canadian fighter Georges St. Pierre was illegally greased during his UFC 94 win over B.J. Penn last month. "Do I think that he got greased? Yeah, I do," White told The Canadian Press prior to the UFC 95 weigh-in Friday at the Dominion Theatre. "Absolutely, 100 per cent, I think that that guy was rubbing grease on him. "Do I think Georges was trying to cheat? Absolutely not at all. But that cornerman was rubbing grease on him. You cannot do that." St. Pierre's TKO win Jan. 31 in Las Vegas has been tainted by allegations from the Penn camp that the Canadian had an unfair advantage by being rubbed with Vaseline between rounds. Penn, through his lawyer, has asked the Nevada State Athletic Commission to investigate. St. Pierre's corner has denied any wrongdoing, saying any transfer of Vaseline was accidental when cornerman Phil Nurse - GSP's Muay Thai coach - was rubbing his back between rounds doing an "energy technique" to help breathing. "If there was any Vaseline left on his hand after he put it on my face, it was unintentional, and I do not believe it made the slightest difference in the outcome of the fight," the Montreal fighter said in a statement after the fight. White says the greasing was "no different" than the illegal wraps discovered on the hands of boxer Antonio Margarito prior to his recent fight against Miguel Cotto. Margarito and his trainer, Javier Capetillo, both had their licences revoked for at least a year by the California State Athletic Commission. "You put another fighter at a huge disadvantage, which is very dangerous," White said. The Penn complaint could lead to disciplinary action against Nurse but it is unlikely GSP or the fight result will be affected. Asked if the GSP cornerman was cheating, White replied: "I think he was. I do. I think he absolutely, positively knew that he was rubbing grease on him. I do. Nobody can tell me different. I watched the tape a million times." SOURCE: TSN
No way. GSP would kick his ass even worse. An even more motivated GSP vs. Penn? Penn would be lucky to make it through the first two rounds.
http://fiveouncesofpain.com/2009/03...eed-for-a-rematch-between-st-pierre-and-penn/ While UFC President Dana White has voiced his feelings about the alleged infractions committed by the corner for Georges St. Pierre during his fourth round TKO victory over B.J. Penn at UFC 94, never has he been so vocal about his frustrations over the incident while appearing as a guest on “The MMAsh,” a nationally syndicated CBS Radio show hosted by “Carmichael Dave.” White was asked whether he felt Penn’s complaints about allegations that St. Pierre’s corner applied Vaseline to his body were legitimate. “I think it’s legit,” he responded. “I don’t think that B.J. will deny that he lost to GSP. But there’s nobody that watched that fight that can deny that the cornerman didn’t rub Vaseline on GSP.” White sounded most frustrated by the fact that he felt there wasn’t even a need to commit such an act that would call St. Pierre’s dominance into question. “What sucks about this is he didn’t need to do it! GSP was winning the fight,” White stated. “Even if you want to talk about the ground, GSP was winning the standup too… And the guy rubbed Vaseline on him.” Loyal St. Pierre fans have come to his aid, claiming that the Vaseline issue is one that is moot since officials with the Nevada State Athletic Commission wiped him down after the first infraction was committed. White sees things a little differently. “Let me tell you what,” he began, before continuing, “I’ve been in this business for a long time, man, and when you’re around the fight game and you bump into the cornermen or whoever, and you shake their hand and they got Vaseline on ‘em… okay? They shake your hand and you’ got Vaseline on your hand and I’m like “[expletive]! The guy just got Vaseline all over my hand! “It doesn’t come off your hand until you wash it with soap and water. You just don’t wipe Vaseline off with a towel… it doesn’t work that way. The stuff stays on you and you stay slippery and you stay greasy until you wash it off with soap.” The UFC President also made it clear that he feels that what St. Pierre’s corner did was wrong and that it needs to be addressed. “… The guy who is applying Vaseline to his face should not and cannot touch any other part of his body,” he said. “It’s illegal. It is absolutely illegal. And you see his cornerman rubs around his neck down onto chest, rubs his shoulders, then rubs his chest and back. That is 100 percent [expletive] illegal. Okay? “In no way shape or form do I think Georges St. Pierre cheated or tried to do ‘this’ or ‘that.’ But his cornerman absolutely, positively rubbed Vaseline on him and absolutely [expletive] knew he was doing it. So his cornerman needs to reprimanded and dealt with.” Finally, White was asked by Carmichael Dave whether he felt the infractions were enough to warrant a third fight between the two. “Like I said, my opinion of the fight is that this guy absolutely, positively rubbed Vaseline on him when he didn’t have to do it. He didn’t have to rub Vaseline on him; GSP was winning that fight. I don’t see any need for a rematch.”
This thing could end up being equivalent to steroids in baseball. A bunch of info will come out about how everyone actually does it and then the UFC will need to address it company wide.
I said it all along!!!! BJ got beat the sh*t out of that fight. He didn't look anything like the BJ Penn I know and admire. But greasing is greasing. bottomline. That fight is tainted even if it doesn't change the outcome. Cheating is cheating. NO MATTER HOW MANY TIMES YOU TRY AND TWIST AND TURN IT. Its the CORNERS FAULT too.
I agree, but I just meant that this isnt some isolated case of someone cheating, its probably something that is wide spread among a lot of fighters and that the only way to solve it is to implement new policies and really crack down on all the fighters.
