Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) to Become Sanctioned Sport in Hawaii Beginning Wednesday

BJ Penn's Training Ring in Hilo

An island that’s long had a tradition of prizefighting — with some accompanying crowd melodrama that’s sometimes turned public officials cool to the idea — Hawaii has put up with MMA in the same manner as a neighbor might put up with a nuisance kid.

Effective Wednesday, the sport will be a sanctioned, licensed event with rules and regulations that mirror Nevada’s…

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Penn Training and Fitness Center on Kinoole St. in Hilo, Hawaii

I stopped by BJ Penn’s Academy in January before his fight with George St. Pierre and blogged about my visit there here.

BJ Penn on Vaselinegate… Wants Rematch With George St. Pierre

BJ Penn had the following to say at his homecoming rally at Ala Moana Center the other day.

“…The most important thing is that we told the commission to watch out for that before the fight, and then they caught him doing it and they didn’t tell us until after the fight,” Penn said. “I just wish they would have told us when it happened. It’s all hindsight now, but maybe they could have taken him to the back and cleaned him off or something.”

Because of the controversy, Penn said he’d like to get another shot at St-Pierre’s welterweight belt. St-Pierre is scheduled to face Brazilian Thiago Alves this summer.

“After I defend my belt and he defends his belt, I’d love to do it again,” Penn said. “Mostly because of the controversy. I just want it to be clean — no questions, no controversy.”

But Penn also admits that he took a beating at UFC 94. He said he can’t even recall what happened in the third and fourth rounds.

“I was probably borderline knocked out or something,” he said. “I just got beat up, that much I know…”

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Ringside From a Ring Girl at UFC 94

Arianny Celeste was a ring girl at the recent UFC 94 fight in Las Vegas.

UFC "Ring Girl" Arianny Celeste on the left

This is her footage right before the BJ Penn vs. George St. Pierre fight.  It gives you probably one of the best seats in the house (just wish she would have shot the whole fight):

Final Round of BJ Penn vs. George St. Pierre Now Available on Youtube

If you check out youtube, there is a few people that have posted some home movies of tonights fight.

I’m not sure how long they will be posted. This one is a decent pirate:

Like I said, I’m not sure how long that will be available though.

UFC Post Fight Interviews Live… BJ Penn Loses to George St. Pierre

You can watch the post fight interviews to tonights fights here… while they are still being broadcast.

If you don’t know what happened in the BJ Penn fight, he got rocked at the end of the Fourth round and his corner people stopped the fight.

I had George St. Pierre ahead in all rounds.

BJ looked really slow tonight.