After watching the UFC 94 bout between Georges St. Pierre and BJ Penn another time, you can clearly see how St. Pierre's cornerman Phil Nurse rubs Vaseline on his shoulders, chest and back. NSAC (Nevada State Athletic Commission) Executive Director Keith Kizer noticed the Vaseline rubbing between the second and third rounds and immediately stormed into the octagon. After the fight, Kizer angrily stated that the Vaseline was totally unacceptable and that the commission would review everything thoroughly.
BJ Penn's trainer, Rudy Valentino, says that he had warned the Nevada
State Athletic Commission (NSAC) prior to the fight about the
Vaseline. According to Valentino, this wasn't the first time it has
happened. He stated that GSP's corner did the same during the first 'St. Pierre vs. Penn' match-up
in 2006. Matt Serra's camp claims that it was also done during the second fight
between St. Pierre and Serra at UFC 83.
Snip from Rudy Valentino:
was on the ground, not striking because we knew Georges had good kicks.
We planned to work off the back."
Many fight fans argue that St. Pierre would have won either way because he dominated Penn with his strength and wrestling skills. Not only that, but we must remember that it is the cornerman's fault and the blame cannot be blamed on St. Pierre. Even when they were standing up, St. Pierre took down Penn with ease and wore him down throughout the rounds with his ground and pound.
Other say that Penn was not able to execute his world class Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, which is extremely important when it comes to mixed martial arts. A slippery back prevents possible submissions that can be done off of their back including triangle chokes, armbars or simply to deny/minimize St. Pierre's ground and pound. After all, Penn did become the first non-Brazilian to win the World Jiu-Jitsu Championship in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil.
This controversial topic will remain in the MMA history books, but at least we know that Vaseline will probably never be placed on the shoulders, chest or back of any fighter in the UFC.
