Penn's trainer, Rudy Valentino, told SI.com by text message that Penn has decided to move forth in filing a formal complaint with the Nevada State Athletic Commission alleging Georges St. Pierre's corner knowingly and illegally used Vaseline on his body to gain an unfair advantage Saturday night.

"Lawyers for B.J. are writting (sic) a complaint with the commission," Valentino said. "I just spoke to J.D. and B.J. a few minutes ago. They feel they have ations (sic)."

Are we going to have to call this vaselinegate now?

UFC 94 looks to be a big success with a live gate of 14,855 for a sum of $4.3 million. 

While the night featured eight decisions, five of which wee split, there were still plenty of 'fight night' bonuses. A total of five bonuses of $65,000 were awarded Saturday night, four 'fight night' bonuses and one bonus for 'knockout of the night.' Lyoto Machida earned the knockout bonus for his victory over Thiago Silva, partially due to being the only fighter to knock anyone out. While Josh Howard, Chris Wilson, Clay Guida and Nate Diaz all earned the 'fight night' bonus. 

For those interested in fighter salaries MMAWeekly has the numbers for the evening,

Main Event

- Georges St. Pierre $400,000 (includes $200,000 win bonus) def. B.J. Penn $125,000 (win bonus would have been $125,000)

Televised Card

- Lyoto Machida $120,000 (includes $60,000 win bonus) def. Thiago Silva $29,000 (win bonus would have been $29,000)
- Jon Jones $14,000 (includes $7,000 win bonus) def. Stephan Bonnar $22,000 (win bonus would have been $22,000)
- Karo Parisyan $80,000 (includes $40,000 win bonus) def. Dong Hyun Kim $26,000 (win bonus would have been $26,000)
- Clay Guida $40,000 (includes $20,000 win bonus) def. Nate Diaz $20,000 (win bonus would have been $20,000)

Undercard

- Jon Fitch $68,000 (includes $34,000 win bonus) def. Akihiro Gono $28,000 (win bonus would have been $28,000)
- Thiago Tavares $26,000 (includes $13,000 win bonus) def. Manny Gamburyan $14,000 (win bonus would have been $14,000)
- John Howard $6,000 (includes $3,000 win bonus) def. Chris Wilson $15,000 (win bonus would have been $15,000)
- Dan Cramer $16,000 (includes $8,000 win bonus) def. Matt Arroyo $8,000 (win bonus would have been $8,000)

Total Payroll: $1,057,000    

Some thoughts while I recover from my UFC 94 hangover...

• George St. Pierre elevated his status as the number one welterweight and possibly number one pound-for-pound fighter in the world, with his four round domination over B.J. Penn. Penn never amounted anything close to resembling an offense during the fight, and his corner stopped the fight after the fourth round due to a doctor's advice. George St. Pierre used superb takedowns and ground-and-pound to whittle away the lightweight champion. George St. Pierre found validation with his victory and now looks unstoppable at 170lbs. 
  
• The ladies LOVE George St. Pierre.
  
• Did B.J. quit? Did his brother stop the fight or was it the doctor who said 'that's enough'. I couldn't tell in the crowded bar (I will watch the fight later today to try an figure out what happened) but Penn was clearly outmatched physically. Hopefully B.J. will be content to stay at lightweight after such a disappointing loss.
  
• It was pretty cool hearing GSP describe his strategy and tactics for the fight. It offered great insight into how he approached the fight while demonstrating just how much I have to learn.
  
• Thiago Alves did not look exicted at all about the prospect of fighting St. Pierre, can't say that I blame him.
  
• The local bar that I watch UFC PPV events was packed! There was a great mix of old and young people as well as women and minorities. Granted this was a big fight but it was still great to see so many different people out for the fight. It shows how much the sport is growing.
  
• Lyoto Machida deserves a title shot. What else does he have to do? Machida finished his fight against Thiago Silva with what could only be described as a buzzer beater haymaker and should be rewarded with a title shot against Rashad Evans. 
  
• I was initially confused why the UFC cut Sokoudjou. I thought, why cut a young 205'er with great potential, true his salary is large but he could be the future of the light heavyweight division. After seeing Jon Jones I now know why the UFC cut Sokoudjou. Jon Jones announced his arrival with authority after he brutalized Stephan Bonnar for three rounds. 
  
• By the way , spinning back elbow for the win. Yes Joe Silva, that totally just happened. 
  
• Nice to see Jay Glazer budding up with Chuck Liddell. Maybe we will get to see him partying with Chuck and some ladies like he does with Micahel Strahan.
  
• Quote of the night, "Get off me bitch!" ~Joe Rogan.
  
• The Karo Parisyan Dong Hyun Kim fight was esseentially a judo match and it was nice to see Karo pull out the victory. Though it was odd hearing Rogan and Goldie make excuses for Karo for 15 minutes only to have him win. 
  
• Poor Kim, he just wanted some crowd love. 
  
• So close to my predicition of a night of all decisions. Granted, in that predicition I hadn't counted the undercard fights but still I was close. Overall I went 3-2 for the evening being wrong about Bonnar and Kim. Damn those Karo is crazy rumors! 
  
• The Diaz brothers are so entertaining. Can the UFC please bring back Nick. They could be the smash brothers of the UFC, running around like Triple H and X-Pac in DX. How entertaining would that be?
  
• Good job on the part of Micahel Clark Duncan and the UFC for honoring Helio Gracie. 
  
• Clay Guida was finally not screwed over by a judges decision good for him. 
  
• WKR's debut on Twitter went well and I hope more people decide to follow us for the next PPV event. 
  

Just got abck from the bar and here are the quick results from UFC 94

Main Event

Georges St. Pierre def. B.J. Penn via TKO (corner stoppage) - Round 4, 5:00

Televised Card

Lyoto Machida def. Thiago Silva via knockout (punch) -- Round 1, 4:59
Jon Jones def. Stephan Bonnar via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Karo Parisyan def. Dong Hyun Kim via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Clay Guida def. Nate Diaz via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

Undercard

Jon Fitch def. Akihiro Gono via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-26)
Thiago Tavares def. Manny Gamburyan via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
John Howard def. Chris Wilson via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Jake O'Brien def. Christian Wellisch via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
Dan Cramer def. Matt Arroyo via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

Jon Fitch and Akihiro Gono showed that they are all about having fun at the UFC 94 weigh-ins. The photo spread is in reverse but it is all in good fun. 

via mmaaddicts.com

via assets.sbnation.com

via assets.sbnation.com

via mmaaddicts.com

Probably the second best storyline going into UFC 94 is Karo Parisyan. Michael Rome, of Bloodyelbow.com, correctly lays out the argument that this fight is a must win for Karo. Once you consider that the WEC welterweight division is entering the UFC, Karo may be undere even more pressure to perform well. 

If Karo loses he could be in store for a career as gate keeper. Losses to Diego Sanchez (now at lightweight) and Thiago Alves created the perception that Karo can't beat top-ten fighters. Parisyan has also pulled out of a fight with Yoshiyuki Yoshida due to an injury. The same thing occured with his title shot against Matt Hughes. While one can't fault Parisyan for his injuries,  at the moment they do cast an ominous cloud over his career.  

With all that pressure Karo may be cracking. 

It became public that the UFC has a bench fighter ready to go just in case Karo pulls out for physical and mental reasons. When was the last time something like this ever became public before a fight? Perhaps this is foreshadowing for the UFC cutting some dead weight.

Recent history is not on Karo's side. The UFC cut a legit prospect at light heavyweight in Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou, for inconsistent performance and a high salary. Maybe this is what is in store for Karo if he loses tomorrow night. 

The UFC's welterweight division is easily the best division in mixed martial arts. Some have described it as a shark tank and that is doing it injustice. If Karo loses perhaps the UFC cuts him in favor for a differnt top-ten welterweight currently outside of their control. Could EliteXC's Jake Shields be the replacement to Karo if he fails?

The infamous quote of Karo Parisyan to Nate Diaz in the fifth season of The Ultimate Fighter, may be coming true in a far more insidious manner than even Karo thought. If he loses tomorrow night people might begin truly asking, "Do you know who that guys is?"

UFC 94 is garnering a ton of hype and fits in very nicely with the Super Bowl this weekend. One thing I noticed with the televised card is that there is real potential for all five fights to be decisions.

GSP and Penn went to a decision last time, it might happen again. The Machida fight is almost guaranteed to go to the distance. The Guida-Diaz fight also has real potential to go to decision, considering nether has knockout power. We don't know what we will get out of Bonnar, considering his eighteen-month hiatus, he may fight to win and not to finish. Besides Jon Jones is a very young and talented fighter. Then there is Karo, who knows what he will show up like. He may pull a Kalib and run around for fifteen minutes. When I look at each of these fights individualy I see decisions everywhere. It probably won't happen but I think this card has a lot of potential to be decision riddled and labeled as boring. But I am a pessimist so on to the picks...

George St. Pierre over B.J. Penn - The only way I see Penn winning this fight is if he gets a submission or KO in the first two rounds. Not out of the realm of impossibility but extremely low probability with the high level of talent involved. Rounds four and five I consider locks for GSP just due to superior cardio, size and athleticism making the third round crucial for deciding the winner of the

Lyoto Machida over Thiago Silva - I don't see how anyone can pick Thiago for this fight. While Silva may be undefeated he hasn't fought the competition Machida has. Besides Machida cannot be hit. While some think of this as cowardice I see it as more as extreme intelligence akin to a guerilla comander playing hit-and-run tactics. 

Stephan Bonnar just barely over Jon Jones. The only reason why I am picking this for Bonnar is that I feel that Jones may be in over his head. Vegas, Super Bowl weekend, Main Card and he's 21, I am older than him and I am already freaking out. 

Dong Hyun Kim over Karo Parisyan - This isn't so much an affirmation of Kim's skills as it is a referedum on Karo. With all the rumors swirrling about Karo's mental and physical status I have decided to change my pick here. Let's be honest where there is smoke there's fire and with Karo there is a ton of smoke. A second round KO to Thiago Alves, withdrawing from the Yoshida fight and now this. The UFC even has a back-up fighter just in case. 

Clay Guida over Nate Diaz - I see this fight going exactly the same as the Diaz-Pellegrino fight except that Diaz won't pull off a miracle submission victory in the third round. As long as Guida counters Diaz's submission attempts he will win this fight.

Overall pretty vanilla picks on my part.

It is always great seeing how professionals view their peers. That is why one of my favorite stories to read before a fight is the Pro Pricks feature on Sherdog. Here are some of my favorite pro picks, 

Din Thomas: I'm going with BJ. That fool knocked me out. That right there is an accomplishment and should say it all.

Yes Din, that fool did indeed knock you out. Sorry but it really isn't that big of an accomplishment. 

Matt Lindland: What an amazing fight. Two of the pound-for-pound best fighters in the world. I have to go with the American and say BJ takes this one. I am really looking forward to watching this fight.

I wasn't aware Matt Lindland was capable of conscious thought after his fight with Vitor Belfort. I thought he was still writhing in pain on the ground somewhere. 

Chris Lytle: I'll say GSP based purely on the coin I just flipped. It was tails.

I always knew Chris Lytle was capable of deep introspective thought.

Gabe Ruediger: I've known B.J. for years, and he has always had the gift. He was meant for fighting and he has excelled at this, like he did in jiu-jitsu. GSP is great and improves every single time he fights. This fight will be great no matter what the outcome, and both guys deserve the utmost respect. This could be a matchup of two of the very best ever. That said, I'm going with B.J. His only drawback in fighting has been drive. Now that he has that, it is scary.

Wait a second! This guy is still considered a pro?

James Thompson: Really finding it hard to decide a winner in this one. I keep changing my mind. In the end I am going for GSP, as I think B.J. is better at lightweight than welterweight. That's the only reason I'm giving GSP the edge.

James is still looking for what is left of his cauliflower ear. 

Patrick Cote: That will be a crazy war! I'll go with my buddy Georges in the fourth round by submission.    

You can always count on Canadians, pardon me Québécois, to stick together.

Luke Thomas of Bloodyelbow.com has an excellent piece on Sherdog, articulating all the reasons why St. Pierre vs. Penn II is the fight of our era. 

For the casual observers or those unaware of the magnitude of the fight, Thomas sums up what this fight is the equivalent of, 

In short, BJ vs. GSP 2 is the equivalent of the MMA All-Star Game. However, in most sports the all-star game lowers the stakes as the game exists simply for consequence-free entertainment. Not so in MMA. Rather than the best going through the motions in an exhibition contest, the fact that the elite are squaring off against the elite actually magnifies the challenge, the bounty of the win and the failure in defeat. Nothing less than historical positioning rides on this fight.     

To me persoanlly, I find the fight akin to LeBron James and Kobe Bryant playing a one on one game at Rucker Park, in Harlem. That is what Penn-St. Pierre is to me. 

The brief moment of tribulation between the UFC and Jon Fitch -- over a licensing agreement for the UFC's upcoming video game -- has lead many to believe that Fitch is being punished this weekend. The principle source of evidence is that Fitch is relegated to the undercard of UFC 94, a strange place for a the current #3 ranked welterweight. It is oddity to place a top-five fighter on an undercard especially when certain upcoming cards could use the added depth. 

Personally I completely agree with this analysis but I decided to tackle this issue from the opposite perspective. Perhaps Fitch is simply the victim of the Super Bowl card being too good?

Only five fights are scheduled for pay-per-view. The epic main event between George St. Pierre and B.J. Penn withers that number down to four. Also the Lyoto Machida Thiago Silva fight is a great bout to have right before the main event, it pits two top-ten light heavyweights against each other. The  potential title shot on the line for Machida gives the fight an extra story line.

The UFC usually pits two exciting lightweights against each other to start off their pay-per-view events. This role is filled by Clay Guida and Nate Diaz. That leaves just two spots on the televised card. 

Here is where it gets tricky, you have Jon Fitch, Karo Parisyan and Stephan Bonnar and they are all fighting against relative unknowns, how do you pick which two make the televised card?

Stephan Bonnar has been on an eighteen month hiatus recovering from an injury. Clearly the UFC wants to reintroduce the UFC viewers to a once promising light heavyweight as well as TUF season one finalist. An understandable motive for the time and money that has been invested in Bonnar, leaving just one fight for two fighters. 

Comparing Karo and Fitch is akin to comparing a Hummer to an Excursion, one is just hands down better, in this case Fitch. However there is a difference in competition in these two fights. Fitch is fighting Akihiro Gono, a journeyman fighter. Karo on the other hand is fighting Dong Hyun Kim who is 13-0-1 and a rising talent. Also Karo is on the cusp of falling into irrelevancy. Making the Parisyan-Kim bout far more significant then Fitch-Gono. Just look at the odds, Fitch is favored at a whopping -600. 

Jon Fitch can still make it on to the televised card with a dominating quick victory, but that is dependent on there being a quick victory in the five scheduled bouts. In the end Fitch may of just been a victim of a Super Bowl card truly being 'Super'.