In the opening pages of his autobiography entitled Why I Fight (released last month by William Morrow/Harper Collins), BJ Penn spends a moment to describe his parents’ background. According to Penn, his father “had a very difficult childhood…I’ve always known it best not to dig for answers.” It’s sadly representative of the book that, with some very noteworthy exceptions, ends up mostly skimming the surface of the champion’s life and legendary career.
“A few years back Diego Sanchez had enough grease on him to lube up a semi. His corner was greasing him up so Nick (Diaz) wouldn’t submit him. At the time the commission and public wasn’t as hip as to how this could affect the outcome of the fight and they got away with it. Now these guys are acting like they didn’t know what they were doing. Glad the truth is coming to light.” –Cesar Gracie
Last weekend, as Dave reported, one of the most anticipated rematches in MMA history came to a halt as BJ Penn’s corner retired him after a brutal four round beating at the hands of Georges St. Pierre. Now (as he predicted) the aftermath, regarding video of St. Pierre’s cornermen applying Vaseline to St. Pierre’s back and shoulders, continues to grind on.
JD Penn and company made their case to the NSAC earlier this week, assuring fans that “we are not trying to make excuses, GSP was the better fighter that night… we just wish his cornerman didn’t cheat…”
Now, the MMA world, including GSP’s previous opponents, are coming out of the woodwork to offer their perspectives on “Greasegate,” and enough trash has been talked back and forth that both parties are ready to step in the cage again.
Last night we saw a dominant Georges St. Pierre take on the much hyped BJ Penn in what was an unprecedented champion vs. champion bout. This was Dana White’s gift to both the company and to BJ Penn, the unstoppable Lightweight Champion who had always wanted to prove his meddle in higher weight classes. As part of BJ “playing nice” he would receive a rematch with Georges St. Pierre.
With Zuffa’s latest ill-titled PPV offering fast approaching, it’s time for a thorough analysis of the bouts on offer this weekend. The card is one I expect to have, at best, limited appeal to the casual viewer. Neither Penn nor Sherk, the putative headliners, is renown as a draw. The only man on the card who has any drawing history, Tito Ortiz, is third from the top and fighting someone who appeals only to hardcore fans. Make that “a few hardcore fans”. There are a pile of guys even most hardcore fans haven’t heard of. That said, there are some intriguing matchups in store.
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Before getting knee deep into the lightweight rankings, I’d like to take a moment to acknowldge Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira’s historic feat this past weekend. He was already a legend, and a first-ballot hall of famer, but with his victory over Tim Sylvia on Saturday, “Minotauro” is most certainly, one of the greatest fighters of all time.
Ranking fighters is difficult business, especially the lightweight division. As I illustrated in Part One and Part Two, because of the vast array of fighters in various organizations fighting between 150 and 160 lbs, coming up with a definitive ranking is essentially impossible. What I can, and will do, is look at some online MMA rankings and offer my critique.
