Penn camp alleges illegal tactics, will file complaint
February 1, 2009
By Elias Cepeda
“To cheat to win is not honorable,” BJ Penn’s head coach Rudy Valentino tells InsideFighting Sunday morning shortly before getting on his flight back to Hawaii from Las Vegas, the site of Saturday’s UFC 94 where Penn lost to Georges St. Pierre by fourth round TKO.
“Why need another edge? Our gameplan was on the ground, not striking because we knew Georges had good kicks. We planned to work off the back,” explains Valentino.
But according to the coach, Penn’s game plan was disrupted by illegal tactics employed by St. Pierre and his team. Valentino says that Penn’s corner told Nevada State Athletic Commission officials to pay special attention to whether or not St. Pierre’s team would apply an extra “greasing” agent to the fighter before or during the fight because “that happened before during their first fight,” Valentino says. “And Matt Serra’s camp told us it happened during theirs and told us to watch for it.”
Valentino says that that at one point commission officials discovered a “greasing” agent being used on St. Pierre during the fight Saturday and “threw it to the ground,” but that St. Pierre still managed to have it applied to him before each round. “A formal complaint is being made and going through on Monday. Attorneys are working on it and witnesses have been contacted and talked to,” Valentino says.
Penn’s coach says that the purpose of the complaint is to simply make sure such an alleged “greasing” does not take place again, not to in some way cast a shadow over St. Pierre’s win. “No, nothing like that. [St. Pierre] was the better man but don’t cheat to win. It’s not good.”
“We just want to make sure it doesn’t happen again to someone else. It is not good for the sport. For their camp to be busted doing something bad like that, to be busted doing it and then to keep doing it after the referee had waned them…“I respect Greg Jackson but to do something like that, his integrity has been compromised.” Valentino says of St. Pierre’s coach.
Valentino says that Jackson actually came to him after the fight and apologized for the alleged improper tactic. “He came to me and apologized for it, but to do it and then apologize after is a bit half hearted,” Valentino says.
Throughout the fight, St. Pierre successfully took Penn down and worked from inside the Jiu Jitsu world champion’s guard. Penn attempted to use a “high guard” where his legs would wrap high around the shoulders and head of St. Pierre in order to prevent him from posturing up and giving him space to strike or pass the guard.
St. Pierre was able to routinely slip past Penn’s grasp, land strikes and pass the guard, eventually bringing a stop to the bout after the fourth round. “His legs slid right off because of the grease on his head and back,” Valentino says. “I’m not trying to make excuses for BJ’s loss…he took a lot of hits and St. Pierre was the better man that night but the extra cheating is bad for the sport.”
Valentino dispelled rumors that Penn injured his rib at some point during the fight, similar to what happened in 2006 against Matt Hughes. “No, nothing like that. There were also some rumors that BJ went to the hospital after, which didn’t happen.”
InsideFighting has not yet been able to reach members of St. Pierre’s team or the Nevada State Athletic Commission but will continue to try to and bring their comments to you later in the week.
*Pronounces a bunch of shit poorly and stutters a lot*
Btw GSP did this in my fight against him too.
/Tito.
*Stutters a bunch and says things incoherently*
GSP did this in my match against him too.
/Tito Ortiz.
tainted win for GSP. of course GSP was the better man - he had vaseline all over his upper body to take away a major part of any mma fighter’s arsenal: jiu-jitsu.
Valentino is a class act in admitting GSP was the better man. but cheating, unintentional on the fighter’s part or not, is cheating. there needs to be one last fight between Penn and GSP to settle it. leave the ‘witch doctor’ (as Greg Jackson refers to him) cornerman at home.
Penn,talkngh IM GOING TO KILL HIM…Dont make ma mad George..I am glad Penn got dismantled…and dont this ind this WE ARE NOT TRYING TO TARNIsh….THEY ARE,,they got beat,so suck it BJ …plenty of times for Holidays now…Dana wont be bothering you via phonecalls,so u can relax for as long as u like…….
here is the response from GSP’s trainer
http://www.mmaweekly.com/absolutenm/templates/dailynews.asp?articleid=8107&zoneid=2
BJs camp is coming up with excuses and pointing fingers everywhere. Next thing you know, they will be blaming the rock BJ was running with underwater for his lack of conditioning and ability not to defend the take downs. His favorite vacation spot is probably also on the list.
GIVE THEM ONE LAST FIGHT NO ILLEGAL TACTICS , GSP IS A GOOD FIGHTER NO QUESTIONS ASKED BUT DID BJ REALLY HAVE A FAIR CHANCE .??????????
bj got owne and thats that! what are you talking about a tainted win for gsp? they are just allegations for now… they are simply crying because gsp played with penn and humiliated him and finally a rematch would simply give an other win to gsp, in that weight class bj isnt worth an other title shot. btw nice fight to the death on the part of bj… pussy
How about the illegal blows to the back of the head. I don’t understand this warning system anymore; in football if a player jumps offsides, the team is penalized. In virtually every sport, there is a penalty for committing a foul. How is it that GSP can deliver numerous illegal blows, and simply just be told not to do it again after each time. And certainly a fighter that is recognized for such a skill set knows where he is throwing punches (or when he is grabbing a pair of shorts to secure a takedown). Factor in the vaseline; a dishonorable man competing in a honorable sport that is what GSP is.
well to begin with “im gonna kill him” that is just drama to bring publicity to the UFC. fighters frequently do this kind of stuff to bring in more money for the UFC. also, if a “greasing agent” was used then that totally discredits GSP, and his team. But… we will see if the allegations are true. personally i dont like the fact that penn’s team threw in the towel, so, possibly a bad fight on both parts.
How about the illegal blows to the back of the head. In virtually every sport there is a penalty given for committing a foul. I don’t understand this warning system anymore. After numerous illegal blows to the back of BJ’s head, George was simply told not to do it again. A fighter that is recognized for having such a skill level certainly knows where he is throwing punches (or when he is grabbing a pair of shorts to secure a take down). Now factor in the repeated use of his vaseline; a dishonorable fighter, competing in a honorable sport, that is what GSP is.
this is retarded, i know gsp he is an amazing fighter and one of the most honest guys you will ever meet. I get so sick of everytime someone loses, here comes excuses .It is almost like the losing team has a new one every fight. The fact is bj is to small for george period. lets leave the winner along and let him ,his fans, his team enjoy this win.
I expect nothing but this from BJ Penn. Every lose he has had, its either the guy got lucky, I got Robbed or Im better than him but I Gassed. George beat the snot out of you. I did not see you Argue about them stopping the fight. Go ahead, your running your mouth before the fight got the snot beat out of you. If you fight George again, I hope the heck for you, George forgives you for all you HUMILITY.
To say he was greasing is hard to say, it would appear it to an extent but fighters get rubbed down every round an they is only grease on their hands they dont switch gloves after they apply it to the vital areas, only reason this is an issue is because BJ got friggin’ wrecked. i didnt see GSP’s corner man dippin his hands into the vas an rubbing him down i seen him, like Penns corner an every other corner rubbing his shoulders and back to loosen him up
Penn was outclassed an out fought, talked so much shyt before the fight how he was going to kill him an all this crap, If you want to talk about whats bad for the sport how about a self righteous twit admitting he wants to cause an act of murder, MMA has come along way from the bowels which it was born, no rules bare knucled fighting to where it is now, yet soon as someone like pen says Im going to sdestroy you in the ring, im going to kill you, that is the only thing that gets out to the nay-sayers of the sport, touche BJ..to back to Hawaii and cry some more, I used to think you have potentional to go down as one of the greats, all he has is a rich boys ego tryin to prove himself that he isnt just that a spoiled little rich boy
each fighter shopuld be routinely wiped/checked before each round.
BUT THIS GIF DOESN’T LOOK LIKE ANYTHING WAS RUBBED.
bogus rumor syndrome.
That is such bullshit I was wondering why every time BJ Penn would try high guard or rubber guard GSP would slip out and start throwing elbows. They should call the fight a no contest and reschedule a new one.
i think st.pierre is a fucking faggot and they need to sow up his asshole so he cannot shit.
For them to file a complaint makes the loss even that more embarrassing. Take your butt whooping and go home. BJ, don’t ask for another fight against GSP. You dont belong in the same ring.
i think that Limerick jay is a big fuckin retard and has no sense in grammar at all i dont even kno what that meant? honestly some one tell me what that dip shit means. “PLenty of times for holidays now”???? WTF is that shit
I THINK BJ PENN SHOULD JUST TAKE THE ASS WOOPING HE GOT! THATS WHAT HE GETS FOR TALKING ALL THAT SMACK!
JUST BE A MAN ABOUT IT AND DEAL WITH AN ASS KICKIN….
I guess all the jabs that landed on BJ’s chin, was because GSP had vas on his head and back. Give me a break, Sore losers. He got his ass kicked hands down. GSP took him down at will. And Didn’t seem to be tired at all after smashing him for 20 min. Hello penn was on his back majority of the fight. Soon they will say a fighter can’t sweat, it’s illegal. Penn go another vacation, and stay in ur weight class. WelterWeight belongs to GSP!!!!!
cheater cheater
There should be another fight between BJ and GSP. Cheating is evil but winning is clean. This match was not “TO DA MAX” as we say here in the islands. If you want to get your coconut from the tree, you got to climb the coconut tree. But putting petroleum grease on the tree; c’mon on everybody gonna die and non will survive. We are living in the (recession) times.
Another match should be arranged between BJ and GSP called “TO DA MAX” which means anything goes if thats what they want, then thats what they are going to get.
Maybe put vaseline on both of them and let them. I gaurantee the the BEST will WIN.
I think Pierre is a great fighter but now I question wether or not him and his team believe the same thing. It is what it is, and obviously they used an unneccesary amount of vaseline in places where known by every one, including us the fans , should not be applied. And its not an excuse on Penn’s part but a simple fact that in martial arts it is vital for over usage of vaseline or any time of “grease” for that matter. It totaly throws off a game plan that one has prepared for a fight. Now if Pierre and his team feel that he is the best than why use the vaseline in manner known by cheating. Now I believe I speak for everyone when I say I feel like I’ve been cheated out of my money as well. This was supposed to go down as one of the most memeorable fights ever. Well it did but not in the way it was intended to be. The UFC has built its reputation on hard work and determination,blood sweat, and tears. And the winner won not only because of extensive training but because they were able to adjust to the way the other fighter is approaching him in the octagon with out any (uncalled for) disadvantages. Now I’m not saying that if it wasn’t for that act of unproffesionalism Penn would have won that fight. No, I’m just suggesting that it is owed to us the fans and to the reputation of the UFC that they meet again for the UFC championship and set the record straight with extra supervision on both corners and lets find out who the best of the two really is.
You got it right on the mark mmafanboy. In the world of Jiu-jitsu, if anytime you grap your opponent and it slips right off, you can’t win. That is just the way it is. I am a fan of both fighters. However, GSP and his corner know the rules, as if GSP afraid to loose to BJ that is why he allows for the rubbing to happened and to continued to happened between rounds. I am now officially no longer a GSP fan. GSP is a total and completely dishonest fighter and his action is not showing him as a champion. I hate to say it. But I am a French Canadian and am a shame for one of my own… I will never watch GSP fights ever again.
Limerickjay, Penn being dismantled is a huge asterick in true MMA fans. When you greased or vaselined a guy down, it’s near impossible to put a full guard and not slip. If this happens more often, MMA could be the new boxing where fighters cheat along with the judges who does the score cards.
I was there for the fight…..yes i did see the commission enter the ring and wondered what that was all about….i am all about gsp…..and IF this is what happened….wrong is wrong…..however i still do not see how this would have anything to do with the beating penn took. It was clear that gsp was the better fighter….could this just be an excuse cause penn had to swallow all the smack that he talked….either way…. much respect to the both of them for what they do…..however…go gsp!
Is there anything better than B.J talking all that tuff guy stuff and then getting his ass kicked? oh he was greasy? boo hoo
i just knew that penns camp would come up with some wahwah excuse on why he lost..AGAIN
gsp’s camp is not stupid. if they were intentionally cheating, would they really do it out in the open, in the ring with everyone watching?
maybe penn shouldn’t have gone to kona and trainned like dana told him to.
baby-j, just concede and accept that gsp is and will always the better fighter.
wahwahwah..go home and cry in paradise
irrelevant. Quit whining.
THE FIGHT WAS REAL BJS GOOD ON HIS BACK AND THATS ABOUT ALL GEORGE WAS THE BETTER FIGHTER I CANT EVEN SEE HOW VALENTINO CAN EVEN BRING UP THAT GSP COULD OF CHEATED.. IF MY COUSION HUSBUND CAN KICK HIS A** IT WAS ALL DOWN HILL FOR GSP..ALL IN ALL IT WAS A GOOD AND FAIR FIGHT…
I personally hoped BJ would win because he represents my home state. On the other hand GSP trained really hard for it, had he not cheated I’d say he deserved the win.
I really don’t understand it, with all GSP’s hard work why cheat.
Could he have been a little scared after getting “lickins” on the fight before?
And why wasn’t the greasing down noticed earlier? Maybe then there could be a disqualification or in the least end the fight.
Only one more thing to say …REMATCH!!!
This fight was dominated by GSP, With the way GSP was passing Penn’s guard, greased down a little or not does not change the fact that GSP was the better fighter. Greasing him down is illegal, but check the video’s carefully and you will see that there is a very little on him, try it at home if need be and you cant get enough with the small amount that may have been on GSP to make a difference. GSP was the dominate fighter. Penn’s team just has to suck it up and accept the loss, and move Penn back to his weight class, he would be more successful in his weight class, instead of trying to fight with the big boys. i’m sure we will in the future see a rematch, and of course GSP will once again dominate that fight too.
BJ, just got woop, it was embarrasing, they are just trying to find excuses. Thats what happen when you talk all the shit and you dont back it up.
Don’t get me worng, i was going for BJ during the figth, but just like i say i loss $500. this guys is a chump, just stay in your weight class, don’t embarrass yourself again with a third figth, cause this time GSP will let you have it for good.
BJ, you are garbage, jus admit that he kick your ass, and theres no excuse.
bla, bla, bla, no one wants to hear you cry..
Are you kidding me! Penn now wants to file a complaint that there was cheating. Why is it that this guy and all of his supporters can’t accept the truth, that he was out classed, out fought, and out worked by a better fighter. It seems that everytime this guy fights, if he wins than there is nobody better in the world, and blah, blah, blah, but when he loses it is not his fault it was the other guy cheating. Give me and the rest of the fight fans a break. If you lost, than you lost get over it. Penn comes off sounding more like a whinner than a champion, and if they do fight again and there are no corner men and you took away any other excuse that any fighter could use to why they would lose, the outcome would still be the same. Penn getting beat like a little bitch.
In the video: Gracie Jiu jitsu in action, Rorion Gracie had a fight with a kick boxer who, incidentally, covered himself with Vaseline. Rorion stated that the other fighter did this to prevent Rorion from holding on to him and in effect negating his Jiu jitsu, just as the Penn camp would have us believe. Rorion said that it only made it easier for him to slide his arms around the guys neck and choke him out. I can see the Penn camps point of view if GSP was running away the entire fight and not trying to engage him but lets be realistic, GSP whipped Penns ass! end of story.
i think that the corner guy should be punished but gsp destroyed penn and that had nothing to do with vasolin… Penn is great at 155 but not at 170….
GSP was stronger/faster..
and still needed to put vaseline on his body..I submit to you GSP and his corner have little confidence in themselves.
BJ is at his strongest on ground on his back..and GSP and his corner neutralized that strength illegally..the fight should be stricken from the records.
GSP did not want to end up like round 2 of Hughs versus Penn 2..where BJ is chocking the life out of Hughs. Props to Hughs for not tapping.
I think GSP had no idea what his corner guy was doing. PLUS… if he fought BJ again, he would kick his ass anyway!!! Talk about sore losers… trying to find any excuse in the book to feel better for throwing in the towel. Bj’s corner is going to start the smack talk … and GSP is going to have to shut the bitches mouth AGAIN!! Why doesn’t BJ penn talk his loss like a man and not a ” Bitch”!!!
I watched the fight, BJ Penn is a poor looser… he got spanked and he’s crying about it.
Have you ever tried to catch a greased PIG? You cant to slippery. This fight could have had a totally different outcomeif Bj could actually have grabbed him.The majority of the fight was either in the clinch or on the ground which gave St. Pierre the upper hand because he was greased up and Bj couldnt grab him.Canada’s athlete of the year is a CHEATER..
Have you ever tried to catch a greased pig? you cant its impossible.Most of this fight was spent either on the ground or in the clinch, which gave St. Pierre the advantage because he was greased up. Canada’s athlete of the month is a CHEATER.
sldkj
Well’ i’ll start by saying that Mr. Crosby is obviously a “blind” Penn fan. Simply, per the fact. that Penn was WAY out gunned in this battle of the brave. He looked as though he had done the 30 day McDonalds diet, as oppposed to the subway one. These allegations are simply, nothing shy of, Penn’s so called camp trying to save face and there jobs!!!!!!!!!!! Go Pierre!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Whether or not these allegations are true, a little extra grease would not have changed how badly little Baby J was dominated. With the complaining from Penn’s camp, why not have another rematch? That will never happen because Penn will never make the mistake of stepping in the octagon with St-Pierre again. You all know it, and Penn knows it, the grease (true or not) could not have saved BJ from the beating he received.
Have GSP and BJ fight 10 more times and you’ll get the same outcome: BJ’s ass being kicked. He is good, don’t get me wrong, but in the lightweight division.
Trust me, even BJ doesn’t want a rematch!
Kevin, give it up, BJ lost cause he’s not in the same category as GSP, and will never be. You can be disappointed at the corner coach, but the tiny bit of vaseline supposedly applied on GSP’s back did not change the outcome, and to say that GSP is a cheater is a stupid statement. According to everyone, GSP is in the toe 3 pound for pound fighter in the UFC. No one can argue that he is amazing. Just because you are disappointed BJ lost doesn’t mean you can put one of the best fighters of all times down. Come on. Grow up.
I think if i were Penn i’d fire the trainer. maybe coach 3rd or 4th grade wrestling. not 2 prepared for the beating by GSP. Trainers fault not fighter!!
Does anyone have any clue how vas works??? … I would have gotten all over Penn as well and would have more just as big of a disadvantage to GSP when he went for takedowns and Penn using his sprawling to stop the takedowns GSP could have slipped off.. Same if Penn tried to from guard to take GSP’s back, GSP would have a difficult time holding on to him.. this is bullshit and Penn like always is just looking for an excuse
WOW..this is ridiculous! BJ got his ass kicked period…when they stood, clinched and wrestled for the first round and a half did a little vaseline help??NO! its useless. also, GSP passes everyones gaurd and easily not just this ifght but all his fights. Why shold BJ be any different? BJ couldn;t get his leg over the head of GSP with vas(if thats true ..its only a allegation) because he is too small. He got out punched,taken down and out wrestled the whole fight..what does vas have to do with anything..he was not GREASED UP as you BJ fans keep tryin to say. He also got towel wiped before the one round in question , by the official! so the sweat and vas was gone…advantage BJ..did it help BJ then..NO!! Are you all forgetting that fighters get sweaty 45seconds into the first round?? You BJ cry babies gona say no sweating allowed eitehr cuz BJ can’t use his dexterity in his legs? grow up you whiners..he doesn;t even belong in the ring with GSP. For the record BJ hit GSP with two punches and teh blood was basically from the nose..that was it! in round one only! AFter that GSP dominated the next two rounds..this is speaking of the first fight of course. BJ is a lazy beach laying , hot springs swimming shit talker who couldn;t back it up!He though the could beat GSP this time cuz GSP was not as experianced in the first fight and because he made him bleed a bit..wow..do any of you BJ fans know MMA? a slight scrape of the glove can cut you bad..its just for show , it doesn;t affect the fighters at all.Thats why they put vaseline on inthe first place.Thats also why GSP came back to win that fight. You all need to stop calling GSP a cheater..he isn;t , never was, never will be .He doesn;t rub his own back and woudl never knowingly cheat. He is as humble and honest as a champion could be..the opposite of BJ. I used to be a BJ fan but his actions after his wins and losses and now this bullshit is disgraceful to his camp(if you could call it a camp) and to BJ himself for condoning such bullshit accusations.
GSP is a real true champ..he worked for it and I’ll be damned if a little whinning ,shit talking, spoiled rich kid from hawaii will tarnish his reputation!
So some of you want a rematch… BJ is sitting at home right now dreading the thought of another rematch!!! I don’t even like GSP but he has elevated his game to a point of which BJ will never be able to overcome..PERIOD! Rematch would be the end of BJ’s credibility as a contender as the outcome will be the same. Then what? Another excuse? C’mon
let the 2 fight again next weekend & GSP will pound BJPenn’s RIGHT trough the mat this time…Stop your winnin’ & face the damn facts. YOU Mr. Penn could not stand up to the relentless beating you received from George St.Pierre. the facts are just that….
sure, let the two have a rematch next week. Then GSP can pound BJPenn’s head right through the mat this time.Face the facts Mr. Penn, you were DOMINATED by the relentless attack of one George St. Pierre. And that Sir is the bottom line….
In regards to the GSP fight, this is total bullshit. BJ was talking total bullshit while GSP worked his fucking ass off and constantly strives for improvement. Just because he lost fairly doesn’t mean GSP cheated. I watched the fight and I didn’t see any greasing whatsoever. Ever seem to think he might have been sweating? Sure he poured water on himself but i’m pretty sure the officials would’ve seen that and did something about it.
Just another tactic by Penn and his camp to whine about them losing. He can’t just be a man and take a loss graciously. Even after the fight GSP said Penn was a great fighter and said nice things about him, and went to his corner to check on him.
GSP is a class act, a great fighter, and a great champion. There was no cheating involved and for them to speculate just because he got out of Penn’s guards is ridiculous and low on their behalf. Be a man and take the loss like a man, stop whining, you got beat…live with it.
To those people who think GSP sucks or is a bad fighter…you’re all entitled to your opinion, however yours are wrong.
GSP is an all around fighter why would he need vaseline to help kick BJ’s ass even worst. I think its just another excuse so BJ wont have to eat his word so bad.
all this talk here is making everyone hungry , good publicity for the next big fight so keep rambling on guys. Its never going to end. To sum it up tho, I think GSP is kinda use to the vaseline, if you know what I mean LMAO
But he didn’t learn as a kid, to stop cheating…bottom line he needs to see his mommy to teach him not to cheat but then again maybe his mommy taught him to cheat…hmmmm
i like bj & gsp !!! the vasoline is there, so what or why would he do that ? i will tell you he could not hide behind the he poked me in the eye thing anymore that ’s why ! i went to the hospital in the last fight and i looked so bad.Cause the poke in the eye.. He was worried about the stand up.if people really want to know watch and listen to what his trainer said in the 2nd round dont take him down you are doing good standing… throw your jab ( that was clearly landing) and kick the leg..and we can take him down in the 3rd. and what did he do ?went right for the take down.. i dont care what those dummies say in this post.. gsp is a attention whore if you dont know what that is just look it up at blowmeuptom.com anyway he looked like a asshole after all that talk about wrestling is his best art and bj can’t handle his stand up and takedowns i think all of you forgot the 1st rd when he could not take a fat out of shape bj down and pulled on his shorts and still couldn’t get him down….that’s like i said when his attention whore ego kicked in and with help it did happen it’s called (vasoline) even after all the talk from all you dummies about bj filed is a accuse for getting beat down by tohe most powerful lW in the world and the best fighter in mma that just for dummies.black belt in bjj ? what the one they gave to him if you dummies knew what you were talking about then you would know that if he really was one he would havwe tapped BJ he had everthing going for him the bjj black belt ,wresting,cardio, muscel to do it… but what no tapp.. thats what i want to know cause i bet 2bills that he would submit him.. at 6 2 -1.that when i realized that he is a bitch like BJ said and all the stuff like “you and i know i what happen last time” and Matt made you tapp…i got you and you know it… he was scared and went back to his wrestling… there is know wrestler in mma lw ,mm,and even LHW that can tapp or beat BJ by wrestling hell even Bjj’s can’t tapp or beat him. so i’m to believe and give the benifit of !! that it was a accident .with the vasoline, this non martial arts champion of any art or wrestling style. could beat him on the ground….i’m done and when he finaly beat hughes he was over the hill… and don’t forget Bj tapped hughes at his prime….