UFC lightweight champion BJ Penn filed a formal complaint against Georges St. Pierre with the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) on Monday, requesting that "Rush" be penalized for allegedly greasing his body between rounds of their championship title fight held at UFC 94 on Jan. 31 from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, according to MMAWeekly.com.
Here's a snip:
"It is Penn’s belief… that the strategies were intentional and were orchestrated by Pierre as a means to unfairly and illegally defeat Penn in a regulated and sanctioned championship bout that prohibits the aforementioned conduct and that such calculated actions by Pierre were implemented as a means to prevent Penn from defending himself in a manner consistent with that contemplated in unarmed combat due to the highly and unnaturally slippery nature of Pierre during the bout."
During the main event of ‘St. Pierre vs. Penn 2,’ cornerman Phil Nurse applied Vaseline to the back and shoulders of Georges St. Pierre, which is prohibited under the current rules of the sport. Ringside officials noticed the petroleum jelly on the backside of the Canadian and sprung into action, wiping him down with towels after rounds two and three.
"Rush" isn’t giving excuses for the incident, saying it was just a minor mistake caused by the between-round frenzy and was part of a breathing technique. UFC President Dana White — who is taking the issue very seriously — has since blamed "stupid" cornermen (Greg Jackson and Phil Nurse) for the infraction.
Penn — who was dominated by the Canadian for four straight rounds before he was unable to answer the bell for the fifth and final frame -- recently requested that the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) investigate St. Pierre and his corner for "greasing" during their main event fight.
Now he's made it official with a formal complaint -- and he's seeking some pretty hefty punishment for the St. Pierre group including:
- A fine of $250,000
- Suspension of St. Pierre’s license as well as the licenses of Jackson and Nurse
- Change the result of the bout to a "no contest"
- Require St. Pierre undergo a pre-bout shower to make sure no substances exist on his body
Penn is requesting a formal hearing from the NSAC to decide on an appropriate course of action. Whether or not the infractions on the part of St. Pierre were intentional or just a case of carelessness is for the commission to decide. Until then, it looks as though we'll be mired in 'Greasegate' for days and weeks to come.
Joy.
More on this situation as it develops.
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