UFC’s Penn files formal complaint

By Andy Samuelson

Thursday, March 12, 2009 | 2 a.m.

At least now, it’s official.

After more than a month of accusations and posturing, B.J. Penn and his representatives have filed a formal complaint requesting official sanctions be taken against Georges St. Pierre and his team for improper actions performed during St. Pierre’s win over Penn at UFC 94 on Jan. 31 at the MGM Grand.

MMA Weekly reported that a 20-page document drafted by Penn’s legal representative, Raffi A. Nahabedian, of the Rosenfeld law firm in Las Vegas, was filed Monday with the Nevada State Athletic Commission.

The complaint alleges that St. Pierre and his corner knowingly used illegal greasing agents between rounds to affect the championship fight that St. Pierre won when Penn was unable to come out of his corner for the fifth and final round.

“It is Penn’s belief … that the aforementioned strategies were intentional and were orchestrated by Pierre as a means to unfairly and illegally defeat Penn in a regulated and sanctioned championship bout that prohibits the aforementioned conduct and that such calculated actions by Pierre were implemented as a means to prevent Penn from defending himself in a manner consistent with that contemplated in unarmed combat due to the highly and unnaturally slippery nature of Pierre during the bout,” the document says.

In addition to requesting a formal hearing from the NSAC, Penn is lobbying for fines up to $250,000 for members of Penn’s camp, suspension of St. Pierre’s license as well as the licenses of his trainer Greg Jackson and cornerman Phil Nurse, changing the result of the fight to a “no contest,” and requiring that St. Pierre undergoes a pre-fight shower to ensure no illegal substances exist on his body.

During the last week of February, St. Pierre’s team issued a response to Penn’s original complaint, claiming it did not cheat:

“We strongly believe that we have done nothing to violate Nevada State Athletic Commission rules, or to otherwise impugn the outcome of UFC 94, the integrity of the UFC, or the sport and that the letter constitutes nothing more than Mr. Penn's desperate attempt to protect his reputation and commercial value after being totally dominated by a superior athlete.”

While UFC President Dana White has dismissed the notion that the transfer of an undefined amount of Vaseline by Nurse from St. Pierre’s face to his chest and back affected the outcome of the bout, he is upset the action occurred at all.

“You could have put Vaseline on from head to toe, that wasn't the point, the point was you don't do it. It's illegal,” White said. “The guy who did it needs to be punished, it's not (St. Pierre's) fault. The question is what happens to a guy that does that. You've got to put the smack down on him.”

Now the decision for what punishment or actions are taken lies with the NSAC and Executive Director Keith Kizer.

Shamrock suspended: Mixed martial arts legend Ken Shamrock’s fighting days may be over as he was suspended Wednesday for a year by the California State Athletic Commission after testing positive for anabolic steroids after his victory over super heavyweight Ross Clifton at Wargods “Valentine’s Eve Massacre” on Feb. 14 in Fresno, Calif.

The 45-year-old Shamrock, who had lost five fights in a row before his win over Clifton, was scheduled to take on ex-World Wrestling Entertainment star Bobby Lashley in the co-main event of a March 21 MMA/boxing card in Pensacola, Fla. That bout looks dead considering that states are supposed to honor one another’s suspensions.

“Ken was taking legal over-the-counter products, and based upon our preliminary research, I’m investigating if those products were the result of these findings,” Shamrock’s manager and attorney Rod Donohoo told Sherdog.com on Wednesday, after the announcement that his client had tested positive for 19-Norandrosterone, 19- Noretiocholanolone and Stanozolol.

“Ken is willing to submit to immediate testing in Sacramento to prove his innocence.”

The other Shamrock: Ken’s estranged brother, Frank Shamrock, who has an April 11 bout with Nick Diaz on tap, doesn’t find himself in trouble.

Instead, he is working on a reality TV show that is looking to focus on the lives of up-and-coming MMA competitors, offering a different premise than the UFC’s popular show “The Ultimate Fighter.”

"You can't just show up and have fights," Shamrock told TAGG Radio. "Fights don't mean anything. You can't lock eight guys in a house and have it mean something. It's been done. It's boring.

“It's not about fighting. It's about the people and the extraordinary lifestyle and the things that happen around that."

Evans vs Machida: Rashad Evans will defend his UFC light heavyweight title against Lyoto Machida, and not former champ Quinton "Rampage" Jackson as originally thought, at UFC 98 on May 23 at the MGM Grand. The headline bout will be a battle of undefeated mixed martial arts stars as Evans takes a 13-0-1 record into the Octagon, while Machida brings his 14-0 mark an unusual karate-influenced style.

Evans-Machida is the third planned main event for the card that also features welterweight rivals Matt Hughes and Matt Serra squaring off. Originally UFC heavyweights Frank Mir and Brock Lesnar were scheduled to settle the championship scene. But when Mir was forced to pull out because of a minor knee surgery last week, it looked likely that Jackson would face Evans — especially after an intense trash-talking battle ensued Saturday night after Jackson defeated Keith Jardine at UFC 96.

However, Jackson also needs surgery for a jaw injury that he suffered in training for his bout against Wanderlei Silva at UFC 92 on Dec. 27, and thus won't be able to fight Evans.

Tapout founder dead: Charles Lewis Jr., known as "Mask" for his signature facial make-up, died Wednesday morning in an automobile accident in Newport, Calif., when his red Ferrari crashed into a utility pole.

Lewis Jr. — who founded the popular T-shirt company in 1997 by selling clothing out of the trunk of his car, but made $100 million in sales in 2008 — died at the scene, while a female companion was transported to a nearby medical center and in stable condition.

It is believed a second car, a white Porsche was involved in the accident and traveling at a high rate of speed next to Lewis' car. The driver of that vehicle was arrested on gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated.

Around the Octagon and beyond:"The Ultimate Fighter 8" lightweight winner Efrain Escudero (11-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) was forced to withdraw from his April 1 UFC Fight Night 18 co-main event bout against Jeremy Stephens because of an undisclosed injury. ... Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson's manager, Mike Imber, says details surrounding "Slice's" deal with Strikeforce may hold the fighter back from a possible May bout. ... WEC bantamweight champion Miguel Torres knows he has sacrificed a lot to get to the top of the sport — including living at his gym during the weekdays. ... WEC 40 card has been finalized. ... ESPN 1100's Steve Cofield had an interesting interview with Octagon girl Logan Stanton and how she joined the UFC.

Andy Samuelson can be reached at [email protected] or 702-948-7837.