UFC 94: St. Pierre vs. Penn 2
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UFC 94: St-Pierre vs. Penn 2 was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on January 31, 2009.
The main event featured the rematch of the UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre against the UFC Lightweight Champion BJ Penn for the UFC Welterweight Championship. Also, the co-main event featured a light heavyweight match between two fighters who were each undefeated at the time, Lyoto Machida and Thiago Silva. Referees assigned to the event were Yves Lavigne, Steve Mazzagatti, Herb Dean and Josh Rosenthal.
- Next Event: UFC Fight Night 17
- Previous Event: UFC 93: Franklin vs. Henderson
Contents |
Commentary Team
- Mike Goldberg, play by play commentator
- Joe Rogan, color commentator
Results
| Weight Class | Winner | Loser | Method | Round | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Welterweight (170 lbs.) | Dan Cramer | Matt Arroyo | Decision (Split) | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Light Heavyweight (205 lbs.) | Jake O'Brien | Christian Wellisch | Decision (Split) | 3 | 5:00 | Both fighters Light Heavyweight debuts |
| Welterweight (170 lbs.) | John Howard | Chris Wilson | Decision (Split) | 3 | 5:00 | Both fighters won Fight of the Night Honors |
| Lightweight (155 lbs.) | Thiago Tavares | Manny Gamburyan | Decision (Unanimous) | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Welterweight (170 lbs.) | Jon Fitch | Akihiro Gono | Decision (Unanimous) | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Lightweight (155 lbs.) | Clay Guida | Nathan Diaz | Decision (Split) | 3 | 5:00 | Both fighters won Fight of the Night Honors |
| Welterweight (170 lbs.) | Karo Parisyan | Dong Hyun Kim | Decision (Split) | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Light Heavyweight (205 lbs.) | Jon Jones | Stephan Bonnar | Decision (Unanimous) | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Light Heavyweight (205 lbs.) | Lyoto Machida | Thiago Silva | KO (Punches) | 1 | 4:59 | Machida won Knockout of the Night Honors |
| Welterweight (170 lbs.) | Georges St. Pierre | B.J. Penn | TKO (Corner Stoppage) | 4 | 5:00 | St. Pierre defends his Welterweight title |
Promotion
SpikeTV aired three countdown programs called UFC Primetime on the three consecutive Wednesdays leading up to the fight, beginning on January 14. The show examined the final preparations of Penn and St-Pierre before their fight. Camera crews spent 25 days with each fighter rather than the usual 3 days for a standard UFC countdown show, and episodes aired shortly after they are filmed, with the goal of providing weekly updates on the fighters' current status.
After the first episode aired, BJ Penn voiced issues with the show regarding his portrayal.
The first episode scored 1.4 million viewers (880,000 viewers for the original show and 614,000 viewers for the repeat which aired directly after). The second episode scored 825,000 viewers.
St-Pierre Greasing Controversy
B.J. Penn has filed a formal request for investigation to the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) claiming that St-Pierre used an illegal "greasing" agent on his body during the fight. His trainers announced that they intend to file a formal complaint with the organization, accusing St-Pierre of using similar tactics during his previous bouts. NSAC Executive Director Keith Kizer confirmed that improprieties had occurred in St-Pierre's corner. He witnessed St-Pierre's cornermen Phil Nurse apply Vaseline to St-Pierre's face and then immediately rub St-Pierre's shoulders and back before Nurse wiped his hands. Kizer had St-Pierre's back wiped down after the second round, and confirmed after the third round that no Vaseline was being applied. Kizer was critical of the cornermen's actions, but expressed doubts that the controversy would overturn St-Pierre's victory.
St-Pierre's trainer Greg Jackson denied any wrongdoing, claiming that Nurse was rubbing and tapping on St-Pierre's body as part of a drill to aid in his breathing techniques. Jackson said that any Vaseline transferred from residue on Nurse's fingers was accidental and wiped off when pointed out. Georges St-Pierre spoke to Sports Illustrated with regard to the controversy stating, "I haven't seen the fight yet, but I remember at some point something happened and the athletic commission was complaining. They used a towel to wet my back and wipe it off. I don't mind. I didn't put Vaseline on myself and I'm not a cheater." However Georges St-Pierre has offered BJ Penn a rematch which would happen in the summer, but is unlikely to happen then due to the fact they both have title defenses to take care of first.
Bonus Awards
Fighters were awarded $65,000 bonuses
- Fights of the Night: Clay Guida vs. Nate Diaz and John Howard vs. Chris Wilson
- Knockout of the Night: Lyoto Machida
- Submission of the Night: Not awarded as no matches ended with submission
Reported Payout
The following is the reported payout to the fighters as reported to the Nevada State Athletic Commission. It does not include sponsor money or "locker room" bonuses often given by the UFC.
- Georges St-Pierre ($400,000 - includes $200,000 win bonus) def. B.J. Penn ($125,000)
- Lyoto Machida ($120,000 - includes $60,000 win bonus) def. Thiago Silva ($29,000)
- Jon Jones ($14,000 - includes $7,000 win bonus) def. Stephan Bonnar ($22,000)
- Karo Parisyan ($80,000 - includes $40,000 win bonus) def. Dong Hyun Kim ($26,000)
- Clay Guida ($40,000 - includes $20,000 win bonus) def. Nate Diaz ($20,000)
- Jon Fitch ($68,000 - includes $34,000 win bonus) def. Akihiro Gono ($28,000)
- Thiago Tavares ($26,000 - includes $13,000 win bonus) def. Manny Gamburyan ($14,000)
- John Howard ($6,000 - includes $3,000 win bonus) def. Chris Wilson ($15,000)
- Dan Cramer ($16,000 - includes $8,000 win bonus) def. Matt Arroyo ($8,000)
- Jake O'Brien ($22,000 - includes $11,000 win bonus) def. Christian Wellisch ($12,000)
