BJ Penn Interview Apparently Never Happened
by Michael Rome on Mar 15, 2009 10:09 AM EDT
in MMA News
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UPDATE II [from Luke Thomas]: This shouldn’t have happened. Due diligence was missed here. On behalf of the site, I apologize. However, we are committed to transparency and hope the update and clarification are sufficient. If not, let me know.
Update: I've been told the summary of the interview I referenced was made up by someone at the underground. I should note however that BJ Penn's formal legal complaint filed this week does ask for suspension pending the investigation, which would indeed freeze GSP out if he was granted it. I was quick to believe this interview because it was consistent with the formal complaint that was filed. I'll leave the initial story I posted below.
BJ Penn was interviewed by KGMB 9, a local TV station in Hawaii, and someone over at the UG provided a summary:
On Kenny Florian:
-He was offered to fight him in Germany as the main event.
-He says that he fought Stevenson in England and Nobody buys the PPVs when their overseas. Said he didnt get paid nearly as much as he does when he fights in the states because of the PPV cut and says he will never fight overseas again.
This is a serious problem for the UFC. I've heard other big stars including Chuck have turned down overseas fights for similar reasons.
There is other big news in the interview, including the fact that BJ is hoping to freeze GSP's career pending the hearing and a possible appeal. They apparently plan to delay the Thiago Alves fight, but first they'd have to get the commission to suspend GSP pending an outcome in the investigation. I find this completely unlikely for a number of reasons, but we'll find out more on Tuesday.
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BJ Penn
is cementing his legacy as world’s biggest sore loser.
Be water, my friend.
http://martialfarts.fightlinker.com
what?
you what?
Be water, my friend.
http://martialfarts.fightlinker.com
by Martial Farts on Mar 16, 2009 8:19 AM EDT up reply actions
All of this goes back to what GSP said on the UFC countdown show. B.J. came from a wealthy family. He’s used to things coming easy or being given to him. When he runs into any kind of real challenge and people don’t just lie down for him, he holds a grudge or throws a tantrun. B.J. needs to be shown the door.
well chuck really wanted to fight overseas against shogun before..
he even felt bad about being injured and not being able to fight that he still came there to meet with the fans..
If he does not want to fight overseas, why was he not offered fight in May.
by The Bronzeville Bully on Mar 15, 2009 3:57 AM EDT reply actions
I used to like Penn, warts and all, but this is a bit much. I get not wanting to fight for less money, even though I would love to see that fight, but trying to stall GSP over a non-issue in their fight is petty (I’m not saying greasing isn’t a problem, just that it wouldn’t have affected his ass-kicking). This also screws Dana & Co., and given their discussion of Loyalty to the company, this could not end well for BJ.
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better. -Samuel Beckett
by Scott C. Broussard on Mar 15, 2009 4:01 AM EDT reply actions
against gsp?
well he’s obviously still bitter.. His ego got hurt cause of the beating he took.. and bj has a big ego and never really had a “true” loss in his eyes..
So having someone beat him up that bad really damaged his ego i think to a point that he’s desperate to validate his excuse..
(and dont get me wrong im a huge bj fan and this is not me hating on him..)
by Anton Tabuena on Mar 15, 2009 4:08 AM EDT up reply actions
I get the feeling that it was a personal vendetta when he first told Dana White he wanted to fight GSP a second time, he’s taken it beyond even that at this point.
I agree with the personal vendetta angle.
The greasing issue is one thing but actively trying to hurt another fighters career is pretty bad. BJ really needs to move on and start focusing on his own career and training.
ie: Figure out where your stand up went for that fight BJ
by Benicio on Mar 15, 2009 5:09 AM EDT up reply actions 5 recs
Don’t you see? The grease helped GSP jump through the air, giving him more force behind the superman punch!
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better. -Samuel Beckett
by Scott C. Broussard on Mar 15, 2009 4:05 PM EDT up reply actions
he punched me
cos he was greased up!!
Be water, my friend.
http://martialfarts.fightlinker.com
by Martial Farts on Mar 16, 2009 8:19 AM EDT up reply actions
While I think he is a total douche, he has a point. Typically when I think someone is a total douche who has a point I start to rethink what happened to lead me to think about what the hell is going on to begin with. But when he ignores the importance of the UFC, he is validating the UFC. Worked your ass off to become a champion, barely defended it, got your ass whooped in another weight class then complained a lot to get more press. Hello $/hype/can’t be hawaiian forever, t-shirt. Or we can pretend he’s burning bridges for the sake of burning bridges which seems to be the layman’s approach to mma bickering. Cannot wait to see him fight again though. Hope he wins, interesting storyline. I would not be surprised to see him completely destroy in his next fight, and when GSP comes back from his 7,000 year banishment they will fight for control of the underrealm if it all comes together in his tiny, salmonelly peanut head. Which it won’t.
Disclaimer: Very drunk.
Everybody fightin' bout a spoonful...
BJ Penn Confirms My Theory
He’s an a******
I can’t wait for Penn’s reaction when (hopefully) the athletic commission tells him no. At this point, I wouldn’t put it past him to just go ‘screw you guys, I’m going home’, leave UFC – and sue when they decide to crown a new LW champ.
One thing is for sure: he’ll never accept the fact that he lost.
by Monday Morning Martial Artist on Mar 15, 2009 8:37 AM EDT reply actions
Here we go again, Belly Jelly Penn is such a pre madonna. Its always about him. He doesnt care about the fight game anymore and it’s obvious through his actions. He didnt deserve a title shot anyways, but he forced his way into getting one, delaying the shot Alves and Florian should have gotten earlier. And if he would have won, he would have retired, screwing over all of the UFC and both lightweight and welterweight divisions. Florian has been waiting forever already, this guy needs to fight just to earn a living, and Penn could give a shit about that. I wont be surprised if Penn just keeps fighting GSP out of the octogan with appeal after appeal forcing Florian to take another fight later this year just for a payday. I used to be a fan, but he doesnt train hard, he doesnt respect the sport, he’s 4-4 in his last 8 fights and now we add this out of the ring crap onto his resume. I am a huge MMA fan, and I was so pumped to see GSP/ALVES, and cuz of Penn we all might have to wait, and knowing BJ, don’t be surprised if they appeal this decision twice so that GSP isn’t fighting on UFC 100, cuz again, if its not BJ fighting on the biggest PPV, then he wants to make sure it’s gonna be ruined. Your a class act BJ!
by AK15 on Mar 15, 2009 9:15 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs
My sentiments exactly.
I laughed out loud when I heard Penn say that he wanted to “take some time out to spend some time with his new baby”. Yeah. Right. Not gettin enough money sounded more plausible… And now he comes out and says it. I bet that if you asked him what happended to “spending time with his family” he would have no recollection whatsoever of ever making such a statement. BJ is Beyond Justification.
"They called him the axe-murderer because he was murdering chumps. They should have been calling him the chump-murderer..." Rampage Jackson (commentating on the fighting abilities of Wanderlei "F#ck Chuck" Silva.)
by BlueberryMuffin on Mar 15, 2009 10:13 AM EDT up reply actions
Jesus Christ BJ, seriously? Just let it go. You got your shot at GSP (becoming, as far as I know, the first person to get a title shot after losing their previous 2 fights in that weight class) and got dominated, grease or not. Yes, it should not have happened and the rules need to be fixed so something like that doesn’t happen again, but do you really need to do all this shit and take everyone else down with you? Just accept your loss and move on, you are the greatest lightweight on the planet, I’m sorry if that’s not good enough but you obviously aren’t willing to work hard enough to be anything more than that. No matter what you do to damage GSP’s reputation and the sport as a whole nothing is going to change about the fact that you are used to being handed everything you want and things don’t work that way in MMA, you actually have to work to get the things you want in the fight game. I don’t know whether it’s jealousy, shame, or hatred that is driving you to go to these extremes but it will be so much better for you to move on from this, let the formal complaint run its course, and then close this chapter. No matter how loudly you scream nothing is going to change the fact that you got your ass kicked. You already have your excuse so concentrate on KenFlo and worry about defending your belt, you stand to hurt your reputation a whole lot more than GSP’s if you continue on with this.
Here is a more recent picture than the one in the article, and in my mind illustrates exactly how BJ is acting right now. Trying to ruin GSP’s career is low, petty, and spiteful.
A man should never waste an opportunity to keep his mouth shut.
by iiowyn on Mar 15, 2009 10:33 AM EDT reply actions 3 recs
On second glance, think I found the thread, and it looks like it was started by one of the biggest trolls on there.
A man should never waste an opportunity to keep his mouth shut.
brilliant!
love the postcard!
Be water, my friend.
http://martialfarts.fightlinker.com
by Martial Farts on Mar 16, 2009 8:20 AM EDT up reply actions
This fight should have never even happened.
BJ Penn hasn’t even defended his LW title and now he’s trying to freeze up the WW division too. If Florian winds up beating Penn (which I’m hoping will happen) BJ will look like a retard supreme.
Well he has defended his title once, against Sherk, but you’re right, the fight probably shouldn’t have happened. He had lost his last 2 fights at welterweight , that would be like Matt Hughes moving up to middleweight and getting a fight with Anderson Silva right off the bat, I don’t see how that’s fair.
it's not like that at all....
it’d be the same as if say for instnace gsp had faught a while ago at 185 and lost, and then was doing well at WW like he is now and decided to go fight anderson
No it’s not really like that, because BJ has only won 3 fights since his 2 fight losing streak at WW, if he had won say 6 or 7 then that’d be different, but he had only defended his belt once when he decided to move up.
BJ vs Sherk
was only a battle between champ vs. interim champ. In my opinion, that does not constitute a title defense.
if he had a title...
he would have lost it had he lost his match, so he defended his title.
BJ was the champ. Sherk did not have a belt coming into that fight.
Bolts from the Blue // "Game over." - Jamal Williams
Bloody Elbow // "Every normal man must be tempted at times to spit upon his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats." - H.L. Mencken
by Richard Wade on Mar 18, 2009 3:35 PM EDT up reply actions
Future Champion vs Champion bouts..
Has Bj just destroyed any chance of these kinds of fights from happening again? I wanted to see GSP vs Silva, but with all this crap thathappened between Penn and GSP< I am ndoubtful Dana will ever go that route ever again.
:(
"I find this completely unlikely for a number of reasons, but we'll find out more on Tuesday."
What are these reasons? Did you plan on expanding on that comment?
"Stop smiling you are about to be punched in the face !"
Jeez BJ, if you hate GSP that much why don’t you just kick his ass.
Oh wait…
Keep firing Assholes!
by Ubernoober on Mar 15, 2009 11:42 AM EDT reply actions 11 recs
This is the problem when you train at a place where you are clearly the best fighter and everything revolves around you. This is my opinion, but I think it is pretty accurate.
BJ trains at a place where everything is about him and everyone around him is a “yes” man. They probably rarely disagree with him, and instead of making him own up to his loss, they all affirm his believe that the greasing had something to do with him getting completely dominated. If he trained at a place with many other fighters that we on his level or close, this whole thing probably would not have turned out like this. They would have told him you get your ass kicked, move on and fight again. This is why guys need to train with camps that have just as much talent as they do as opposed to one guy being the star.
[IMG]http://img10.imageshack.us/img10/4676/38612706m.th.gif[/IMG][/URL]
On the Complaint he says that it was done to help the sport grow and clean things up to not allow cheaters to win.
On the Complaint he says that it was done to help the sport grow and clean things up to not allow cheaters to win.
If he really cared about the sport growing. he would fight in Germany even if it meant that he would take home a little less money.
If he really cared about the sport, he would quit being a bitch and accept the fact that he got his ass whooped. Casual fans hate controversies and conspiracy theories that put results in doubt.
by cauliflower_ears on Mar 15, 2009 12:41 PM EDT up reply actions
Agree
I completely agree, if BJ really truly cared about the sport he would shut up and fight!!! If he really cared about the sport he would care about his fellow competitors who have been waiting forever for a once in a lifetime dream to fight for the title! Instead he is more worried about his ego and his legacy. He is the T.O. of MMA now, he is the most selfish fighter in the UFC. He is more upset that he was not offered to fight in UFC 100 and that GSP was, and before the Brock/Mir fight, GSP was the main headline and is still now co-headline. He has this obsession with GSP that is beyond strange. And the true MMA fans will now suffer, Im sure BJ will do anything and everything to make sure GSP/AVLES does not happen at UFC 100! I think GSP, Alves, and Florian should just be involved in a 4 man steel cage match with BJ and then just jump BJ as soon as the bell rings!!!
Let's not kid ourselves
You, me, BJ, and everyone else who loves this sport knows this is about BJ’s huge ego and nothing else.
This personal vendetta is just more evidence of why BJ will never be a better fighter...
… than he is now. BJ will never improve as a fighter if he continually blames others for his losses. Get over it, BJ.
I’m wondering what Zuffa thinks about BJ trying to freeze GSP’s career and delay the GSP/Alves fight? I can easily guess they won’t be happy about such a thing.
I never thought I'd say this ...
… but BJ is bad for the sport.
"It's like a flying knuckle sandwich." --Rogan
"And many men have eaten it." -- Goldy
I’m a huge BJ fan.
That said, he should not fight overseas for less ppv money if he doesn’t want to. If that is the case, the UFC should compensate guys like him with ppv clauses.
He should let the GSP thing go. He brought it to the attention of everyone, had changes brought about, now let it go.
If you're not submitting, you're just rolling around with another guy.
Yeah, the UFC needs to find a way to compensate the bigger draws in order to convince them to fight overseas. An extra fight incentive, perhaps.
The thing of it is, they don’t want to pay more becuase they know they aren’t going to pull the big PPV numbers overseas and it costs them more to put on the shows, that’s why we get main events like Sanchez vs. Stevenson and Franklin vs. Henderson. Not that these are bad cards but we aren’t going to see the big stars on these shows unless they are willing to fight for less money.
What happened to champions who would “fight anyone, anywhere”?
by George Lucas on Mar 15, 2009 4:16 PM EDT up reply actions
Money changes everything, even for the biggest of trash-talkers – see Slice, Kimbo.
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better. -Samuel Beckett
by Scott C. Broussard on Mar 15, 2009 4:44 PM EDT up reply actions
Is Rich Franklin the only big star that doesn’t have a PPV bonus? Because he is the only one that I can think of that is going to fight overseas three times so far. I know Bisping has fought 4 times over there but I don’t really count that since it is his home country. Gonzaga and Hendo have fought over there twice but I don’t know if I would count them as big stars.
Personally this doesn't bother me that much...
Only cuz i feel like there is a good chance that GSP has been greasing in someway or another for a while…
Yea, BJ got his ass whooped, but to me GSP gets a pass on possibly cheating just because he whooped Bj’s ass….
Fans say that since BJ didn’t appropriately complain it doesn’t matter, but then when he goes directly to the commission with his complain he’s a douche bc GSP is so awesome that he doesn’t deserve to be investigated apparently.
Professional athletes, loved and loathed, have proven to have questionable characters at higher levels than MMA, as well as in MMA period… I don’t care how popular GSP is… or how awesome he seems to fans… when a buncha fighters make an accusation about one fighter possibly cheating I think there is a basis for an investigation, and it’s not that far fetched at all to think that GSP has been greasing…
A few years ago my favorite baseball player was accused of using steroids (Palmeiro)… IMO it couldn’t have been true, because he didn’t fit the character or the physical appearance of a steroid user… Also years of watching one of the smoothest swings in baseball may have gave me a bias… regardless of the fact that he was my favorite player since i was a child, Rafael Palmeiro was investigated and put in front of a committee (congress?) and questioned… and his legacy was ruined…. I felt horrible for him, but then again, It didn’t bother me when the random other players were being accused…
All I’m saying is that biases have no place in right vs. wrong… Most ppl are simply justifying no actions being done because these other fighters are supposedly bitter, and angry… I appologize if I feel like Sherk, Hughes, Miller, Serra, and Penn are better sources than random internet fans who hate BJ and are self professed Nut-huggers….
We’re talking about competitors who have wrestled hundreds of matches, fought in dozens of mma fights, and competed in submission grappling…. This doesn’t even included the years of practicing techniques in the gym,…. How any of you can say “they’re just bitter” as if they can’t tell the difference between sweat and something else is absurd, and almost laughable.
I expect to get flamed, but the online community is always so biased one way or another it just becomes ridiculous to read… BTW I do think BJ’s ego may be hurt, but I also think he is more pissed cuz he HONESTLY thinks GSP is a CHEATER…
And to ppl complaining that BJ won’t fight in Germany, let’s not forget that ass whooping he took… and then remember that GSP wasn’t willing to step up at 98 to replace the main event… Nobody seems to be crying foul that GSP turned down a fight at 98 (probably due to the huge buyrate that 100 will do) yet BJ is a demon of hate thats bad for MMA. lol….
Double standards, and lack of rational thought are usually what makes me atleast play devil’s advocate, although in this instance I wouldn’t be at all surprised if GSP had been greasing for years.
by Loot on Mar 15, 2009 2:24 PM EDT reply actions 5 recs
don't try to make this about GSP
this is about BJ hurting the sport while trying to destroy other people’s careers for selfish purposes.
so gsp greased all those fights…
yet, no one ever saw him and no camera caught him and no athletic commission caught him…
yet, at 94… everyone saw it happen….. odd you wold think with all the extra practice it would be perfected by now.
and for the “no one yelling at gsp”… gsp plans his training carefully… he travels across the world to train (wasn’t he going to thailand for muy thai?). Moving the fight up would mess up all his plans
penn, on the other hand, can’t even train hard for the biggest fight of his life in his own freaking hometown.
I understand...
That there has been no definitive proof of GSP being greasy… but ongoing speculation by other athletes at varying times can lead one to a few possible conclusions. You saying that 5 other fighters are all choosing to accuse one fighter they’ve lost to (when most of them have multiple losses, yet do not attack the other fighters that have beaten them) is a less logical conclusion than admitting there might be some merit to what they’ve said. Mayhem said this well before BJ… Sherk speculated after his fight… Serra’s camp mentioned something to BJ’s camp before the fight… The commission was advised to pay attention specifically to the fact that GSP might be greasing BEFORE the fight… Hughes speculated privately to others that GSP may have been slick…. All of this happened before the fight and the camera footage.
That leads me to think that there is a plausible reason for concern, especially because it can affect a fighter’s ability to defend themselves in many ways… Even Hughes and Sherk admitted to not wanting to speculate further because it makes them seem like sore losers, and have said that they didn’t want to make excuses for their losses… Because of reactions such as yours fighters would rather ignore blatant cheating than get a bad rap for telling what they believe is the truth.
If this had been any other fighter people would be begging to lynch the guy, but because it’s GSP people are willing to overlook any POSSIBLE truth to it… Nobody can say he definitely did cheat, but the thought that this doesn’t need to be further looked into is ridiculous imo.
by Loot on Mar 15, 2009 5:22 PM EDT up reply actions 4 recs
I definatly am not “GSP people”, I figured Penn would win that fight but when we get right down too it this isn’t something that a lot of fighters are saying that just GSP does they are saying that everyone does it. It’s also not something as drastic as people are making it out to be. Don’t take my word on that, here is Pat Miletich on the topic:
I recently asked MMA legend Pat Miletich if he thought this was a serious issue in the sport. Miletich continues to corner most of the fighters who come out his Iowa-based Miletich Fighting System. Surprisingly, he thought that "grease-gate" was much ado about nothing.
"Trust me, BJ’s face rubbing against GSP’s arm and everything else while they were battling, got way more grease on GSP then GSP’s trainer rubbing on him," Miletich said.
"(Cornermen) have techniques for rubbing down a fighter’s thighs when they are in the corner. You know, massaging their thighs to get the lactic acid out of their legs. They massage their traps to loosen them up, rub their shoulders, too. That’s always been done in boxing. So, to me, there is going to be a lot more Vaseline coming off a guy’s face onto another guy’s body than anything else."
Miletich added that this sort of practice happens in almost every single MMA fight.
"People don’t even think about it," he said. "If I have Vaseline all over my face just in a boxing match, you know, when I am punching someone in a boxing match, the Vaseline gets all over my gloves. When we tie up, it gets all over a guy’s body.
"Now, imagine in a wrestling scenario with grappling and everything else going on. Your face is rubbing up all over a guy’s shoulder, all over his arms, all over his chest, all over the sides of his body when you are taking him down. There’s Vaseline all over everybody all the time. It doesn’t even matter."
http://www.versus.com/nw/article/view/77363/?UserDef=true&catID=2175&tf=ariel_helwani.tpl
It’s also sort of funny that there is footage of Hughes “greasing” in one of the fan post too. We’ve already got to a point where it is being looked into at this point and nothing any of us say on the internet matters at all anyway, we are just discussing this as outside observers with no influence or control over the situation at all. Accusing people of taking sides is really sort of silly, of course we all are going to have different opinions we are fans discussing things on the internet. We can accuse or ignore or say anything we want and it doesn’t matter because we are just having friendly discussions from afar.
I don’t hate BJ. He was one of my favorites. As a fighter, he still is, cause he’s exciting to watch. However, I don’t need to agree with what he’s doing now. He’s got a complaint, fair enough, but this is a vendetta. At this point, it’s not about GSP, it’s about BJ’s ego and his inability to acknowledge he isn’t as good as he thinks he is. BJ’s got a legit complaint – against GSP’s cornerman. But this is going too far. He’s obsessed with GSP. GSP beat him the first time, then BJ calls GSP out, and then gets humiliated. I understand his ego is bruised, but it’s time to move on.
As for BJ not wanting to fight oversees, I completely understand his logic for it, and I support it. If he has the opportunity to make more money, all the more power to him.
First, best of luck using “accusations” about GSP maybe feeling slippery 2+ years after the fact to launch any investigation or prove anything. The funniest thing is that there’s never been anything caught on tape looking like the incidental grease to the body at UFC 94.
Those accusations have as much basis as Karo saying GSP was on steroids because nobody could be as strong and fast as he was without them. It’s called other elite athletes being sore losers and trying to reconcile how a guy can be that good.
As for GSP stepping up at UFC 98, why should he? He’s not going to do Dana White any favors at this point, nor should he.
Second, GSP had long stated he wanted to travel to Thailand and Europe in the spring to train standup. Those types of training camps before his fight-specific training camp take a lot of time. May 23 wouldn’t allow him to prepare as he already stated he wanted to. It’s different when it’s a consummate professional like GSP who takes training and preparation to a new level, as opposed to BJ Penn, who hasn’t defended his LW belt since May 2008, and never leaves his hometown to train. One guy can’t train enough in the time needed to fight early, the other is too lazy to train.
You do the math.
Strip BJ of his title
If he refuses to fight for non-injury reasons, then he doesn’t deserve the belt. Start up a lightweight tourney and let’s crown a fighting champion. BJ deserves no where near the amount of respect Dana gives him with his 6 fights in 2 years and 3-3 record.
Put up or lose the belt. I’m tired of BJ’s petulance mucking up the lightweight division and, to some degree, the UFC as a whole.
Sorry, thats 6 times in 3 years that BJ has fought. Stupid fingers.
by a tommy point on Mar 15, 2009 2:53 PM EDT up reply actions
I officially hate B.J. more than any other fighter on the planet. I don’t want to fighter bash but to be perfectly honest he is acting like a whiny baby over this whole thing. If he gets GSP Alves stopped I am going to go f-ing crazy. I want to see that fight so bad.
by attgnp on Mar 15, 2009 2:54 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Nice work getting trolled by someone named "Lube Skyballer", Rome
I guess bloodyelbow adopted the “if someone on the internet said it, it must be true” vetting process, a la fightlinker
Was wondering when you were gonna chime in, is that one of Donny’s names?
A man should never waste an opportunity to keep his mouth shut.
The latest filing from BJ’s camp asks for a suspension pending investigation. It’s perfectly in line with this, the actual legal complaint asks for it.
by Michael Rome on Mar 15, 2009 5:06 PM EDT up reply actions
“I guess bloodyelbow adopted the "if someone on the internet said it, it must be true" vetting process, a la fightlinker”
Screw fightlinker(anti-American, anti Christrian chumps). UFC 100 needs one more huge fight to be the best card of all time anyways. Right now it rivals 94, but if Penn/Florian was added, then it would definitely live up to the hype. It’ll be fun if Penn and St. Pierre are on the same card
by Josh H. on Mar 15, 2009 3:49 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
I don't get it...
I never really like BJ, but I could at least acknowledge that he as a good fighter. I even had respect for him when he first filed the complaint, simply because this is an issue that the NSAC has refused to deal with in the past. But the rules at the time allowed exactly what happened to happen, and there is nothing that anyone could do about it. Now I’ve lost all respect for BJ entirely. He is trying to highjack two different weight classes because his ego got a little beat up. Whats next, is BJ going to come out and call GSP a dumb dumb head. Seriously, this has to stop, let GSP and Alves fight, and get that out of the way. BJ should fight Kenflo at the next available event, possibly the one after that. If not strip him of his title, and give Kenny and the next in line a shot to fight for the title. I think BJ is setting himself up to go the way of Tito. I for one will not miss him if thats the case.
This looks like more than BJ crusading against cheaters in MMA. The rules in regard to “greasing” need to be explicit and enforced to the point in which it’s feasible. I haven’t seen anything so far that is deserving of GSP being held up from fighting and otherwise severely punished. The part that is most troubling to me is that I have no reason to doubt GSP’s integrity, based on his prior behavior. Some of the allegations made against him (by other fighters) really can’t be proven true or false at this point, so the claims themselves could be damning to GSP’s character. I’m all for doing an investigation and checking this thing out, but I dislike the public aspect of it when people are just throwing out accusations.
I really can’t fault BJ for not wanting to fight overseas if can’t make as much. That’s a problem that the UFC has to deal with. They may possibly have to give these top guys more even if it hits their bottom line. I’m sure in the long run that the overseas shows are important as a vehicle for growth.
One more thing. I know that this is an emotionally charged subject, but let’s please refrain from name calling, fighter bashing, and the like. I know it’s difficult sometimes, but we need to keep the level of debate high. Thanks, folks.
BJ is towards the end of his career
He’s really thinking about the money… if I know that I have only one or two more fights left till I retire and I can take a difference of $500,000 to stay in the states… I have to think about my kid’s future. It’s ignorant of the fans to say, “who cares, fight anyways!” and things like that. Or “he has a lot of money to begin with.” (doesn’t make the value of a dollar less).
I think everyone paradigms BJ as having this huge ego and what not… but that’s just kind of BS because if you took the fact that it’s BJ penn out of the equation and you just looked at it as, “Fighter "A” and fighter “B”. Fighter A put grease on his back to the point where the NSAC had to step in. Fighter B was unable to hold fighter A down (POSSIBLY as a result of the grease). Owner of UFC said “this wasn’t a fair fight.”
Now due to the loss that not necessarily was affected by the vaseline, but POSSIBLY (even if only a 5% chance.), Fighter B missed out on a winning bonus of over $200,000 dollars to someone he whole heartedly believes was cheating. Just because everyone in the internet community has discussed this way too much, does not mean that the NSAC has hardly looked at the issue at all. So he felt it necessary to say something to the state. There is nothing wrong with that. This is America… we have the right to seek justice, it’s what we do. Just because we don’t like it, doesn’t make wrong.
BJ is throwing fuel on this fire. The little video he did didn’t appeal to me at all. There was nothing new in it to convince people looking for evidence to support his claims. I’ll just call it unappealing, but that doesn’t really capture my true distaste for stunts of that nature.
by Cannon Jacques on Mar 15, 2009 4:44 PM EDT up reply actions
This is America… we have the right to seek justice, it’s what we do.
Please don’t bring any rhetorical politics into it. Everyone agrees that the situation is questionable, and steps have been taken to monitor Vaseline use more carefully, but no amount of grappling grease would account for BJ getting whipped on his feet. Where you’re born has nothing to do with it.
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better. -Samuel Beckett
by Scott C. Broussard on Mar 15, 2009 4:54 PM EDT up reply actions
So.....
Him being rich to begin with has nothing to do with it…….
But holding out for more money to “care for his kids future” is completely within reason.
In the mean time, he his attempting to hold up 2 divisions worth of title contenders, some of whom really do need to make money via fighting, just to pay their mortgage. Those fighters train extremely hard, and have to plan everything very carefully based on schedules, so their training camps have the most benefit for them.
You can twist this any way you want, but it is his JOB to fight. It’s not like he’s in contract re-negotiations or anything.
If you think he does not have an ego, then I don’t really know what to tell you.
Still, he’s working with in his means. The UFC allows him to turn down fights, it’s not his fault to want a considerable more ammount of money. And again, i don’t think you should look at their bank account before hand, either way a dollar is a dollar, regardless of how you intend to spend it or what you have before.
and i don't think his intentions are to tie up the WW division
His intentions are to make sure that GSP’s cheating doesn’t get washed away.
BE got buttrapaed here pretty hard by a troll
But at least they didn’t pull a Sam Caplan and delete the post trying to pretend it never happened.
So props to BE…they made a mistake and manned up.
It’s not really a “buttrape” since the troll mentioned things that agreed with the actual legal complaint. You can hardly blame someone for believing something with most of the facts right.
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better. -Samuel Beckett
by Scott C. Broussard on Mar 15, 2009 5:43 PM EDT up reply actions
It’s the internet – that extreme attitude is standard stuff, even around here, so I just assumed. No harm, no foul, then?
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better. -Samuel Beckett
by Scott C. Broussard on Mar 15, 2009 5:56 PM EDT up reply actions
Bom-chika-wah-wah…
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better. -Samuel Beckett
by Scott C. Broussard on Mar 15, 2009 6:12 PM EDT up reply actions
This post was not “immediately bumped down the page.”
by Cannon Jacques on Mar 15, 2009 6:09 PM EDT up reply actions
How was it bumped down the page? I certainly didn’t do it. Another writer posted new stories.
by Michael Rome on Mar 15, 2009 6:15 PM EDT up reply actions
Yes but...
Let’s get back to the point:
Your post was not about BJ’s case to NSAC – the claims BE made were based on a bogus post on another forum and and any reputable news source would add an apology for misrepresenting someone’s views as a result of poor fact-checking. This is especially necessary since there is no credible proof to claim that BJ refused the Germany card for PPV reasons – it might be true but you can’t leap at fabricated evidence just because it confirms your suspicions without checking it out first.
I loathe BJ and GSP is my favorite fighter: they really represent the worst and best respectively of martial arts, sports and character.
But this doesn’t change the fact that a basic journalistic mistake was made – if BE truly wants to be “Pound-for-Pound the Best in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) Commentary, News and Community” someone should own up to this mistake instead of pointing to BJ’s legal case to say, in effect, that you were right for the wrong reasons.
by trainyourmind on Mar 15, 2009 7:39 PM EDT up reply actions
“Memos on Bush Are Fake but Accurate, Typist Says”
by dualdiagnosis on Mar 15, 2009 7:44 PM EDT up reply actions
you are just a dick smoog
If i’d been around instead of celebrating my kid’s first birthday today, I would’ve posted four or five articles before Rome figured out he’d played himself.
"the spirit of your average dumbass with more overblown rhetoric" OR "the self-appointed savior of MMA"
by Kid Nate on Mar 15, 2009 8:46 PM EDT up reply actions 6 recs
Congrats on the birthday! Because everything’s gotten so negative, I’m going to rec this bit of good news.
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better. -Samuel Beckett
by Scott C. Broussard on Mar 15, 2009 8:54 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
ha!
he’s already tucked in, but he’ll be ready for you in the morning.
"the spirit of your average dumbass with more overblown rhetoric" OR "the self-appointed savior of MMA"
he's allergic to chocolate
"the spirit of your average dumbass with more overblown rhetoric" OR "the self-appointed savior of MMA"
only on match nights
"the spirit of your average dumbass with more overblown rhetoric" OR "the self-appointed savior of MMA"
Congrats
when does his training begin?
by trainyourmind on Mar 15, 2009 9:05 PM EDT up reply actions
Frank shamrock
says to sstart kickboxing training at age 2.
"the spirit of your average dumbass with more overblown rhetoric" OR "the self-appointed savior of MMA"
Do you mix Stevia into his milk bottle?
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better. -Samuel Beckett
by Scott C. Broussard on Mar 15, 2009 9:07 PM EDT up reply actions
no we give him stevia enemas
"the spirit of your average dumbass with more overblown rhetoric" OR "the self-appointed savior of MMA"
Boy you have just blown the lid off the internet by pointing out that fans posting about MMA have personal opinions on topics.
It’s hilarious to see the hate and the pile on from preconceived notions about BJ and GSP, this fake report brought it all out.
by dualdiagnosis on Mar 15, 2009 10:16 PM EDT up reply actions
Come on.......
So you quote something posted on that drivel factory the underground, and then when it turns out to be fabricated you dont even apologize. Pull your head out of your ass. This is exactly why people consider MMA journalism a joke. Be more responsible.
Apologies to everyone for getting this wrong
This shouldn’t have happened. Due diligence was missed here. On behalf of the site, I apologize. However, we are committed to transparency and hope the update and clarification are sufficient. If not, let me know.
by Luke Thomas on Mar 15, 2009 8:52 PM EDT reply actions 3 recs
The final paragraph doesn’t need an apology, BJ really IS in fact trying to get GSP suspended and ruin UFC 100.
by N. Rodriguez on Mar 15, 2009 8:55 PM EDT up reply actions
Yeah but it was still wrong. I already knew he was asking for it so I was more apt to believe a post confirming it…I didn’t even see the goofy name.
by Michael Rome on Mar 15, 2009 8:58 PM EDT up reply actions
Thank you
That’s what a responsible editor-in-chief and honest writer look like.
Issue over.
by trainyourmind on Mar 15, 2009 9:34 PM EDT up reply actions
Considering some want a pound of flesh, you won’t satisfy everyone. Even if the interview never happened, it’s “substance” is factually correct and consistent with legal paperwork thus far. Can anyone disprove that BJ doesn’t want to tear down GSP and wreck UFC 100?
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better. -Samuel Beckett
by Scott C. Broussard on Mar 15, 2009 8:58 PM EDT up reply actions
You guys screwed up and you will do it again and again and again. No big deal.
I just think its cool you left this up instead of deleting it pretending like it never happened.
I doubt we'll be repeating this particular fuck up
but thanks for the confidence.
"the spirit of your average dumbass with more overblown rhetoric" OR "the self-appointed savior of MMA"
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