During his dominant win over B.J. Penn at UFC 94, Georges. St. Pierre appeared to have petroleum jelly applied to his shoulders and back by Phil Nurse, one of his cornermen. That would be a violation of MMA rules, and it has a lot of UFC fans abuzz.
Here are my basic feelings on the matter:
1. Vaseline is definitely not the reason St. Pierre beat Penn.
2. Vaseline on the body is definitely against the rules, and if one of his trainers intentionally broke the rules, there should be consequences.
GSP's camp says the Vaseline was applied unintentionally. According to GSP and his trainers, Nurse had been applying Vaseline to St. Pierre's face (which is legal) and then was rubbing down the muscles of his back and shoulder before he had wiped all the Vaseline off his hands.
But Penn's camp doesn't buy it, and they've filed a formal complaint.
My own feeling is that this will blow over, but any time there are allegations of cheating in a major fight like this one, they need to be closely examined. For more, check out Cage Writer, Fight Opinion, MMA Weekly, Cage Potato, Fight Linker, Bloody Elbow and MMA Mania.
UFC 94 Photos
B.J. Penn takes left from Georges St. Pierre during their UFC welterweight mixed martial art title bout Saturday, Jan. 31, 2009 in Las Vegas. St. Pierre won by TKO. (AP Photo/Eric Jamison)
Eric Jamison, AP
B.J. Penn, left, punches Georges St. Pierre during their match at UFC 94 on Jan. 31, 2009 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
UFC
Georges St. Pierre, right, punches B.J. Penn during their match at UFC 94 on Jan. 31, 2009 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
UFC
Georges St. Pierre charges B.J. Penn during their match at UFC 94 on Jan. 31, 2009 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
UFC
B.J. Penn and Georges St. Pierre battle during their match at UFC 94 on Jan. 31, 2009 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
UFC
B.J. Penn tries to fend off Georges St. Pierre during their match at UFC 94 on Jan. 31, 2009 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
UFC
Georges St. Pierre, right, tries to punch B.J. Penn during their match at UFC 94 on Jan. 31, 2009 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
UFC
Georges St. Pierre catches the leg of B.J. Penn during their match at UFC 94 on Jan. 31, 2009 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
UFC
Georges St. Pierre battles B.J. Penn during their match at UFC 94 on Jan. 31, 2009 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
UFC
Georges St. Pierre elbows B.J. Penn during their match at UFC 94 on Jan. 31, 2009 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
UFC
Get the latest gear
- 2023 Panini Prizm UFC Factory Sealed Retail Blaster Box
- 2023 Panini Select UFC Factory Sealed Retail Blaster Box
- Islam Makhachev Walkout Jersey
- UFC Fanatics Single Glove Display Case
- 2022 Panini Donruss Optic Retail Blaster Box
- 2023 Donruss UFC Retail Blaster Box
- Miesha Tate UFC Authentic Plaque
- Brock Lesnar WWE Home Sweet Home Collage