UFC 84 - Lack of Sportsmanship?
This is the first in a new series of MMA commentary here on MMAPredictions called TKO: Tall Kid’s Opinion. Our commentator Eric Davidson is way too tall and way too brainy. Readers are encouraged to agree or disagree with his comments in our MMA Forum. - Caleb
For all who watched UFC 84: Ill Will last Saturday you probably saw the headlining fight between B.J. Penn and Sean Sherk. An unusual boxing max between two renowned grapplers that ended with a victory for B.J. Penn over Sean Sherk right after the third round. The point under question now is: were B.J. Penn’s actions after the fight unsportsmanlike in a professional environment? Let’s take a look at the events leading up to the fight, to better help understand what could have happened.
Most of you know that the blood between the two fighters was anything but static before the fight. Sean Sherk previously lost his lightweight championship belt due to allegations of steroid use and felt that his belt still rightfully belonged to him, having not lost the belt in a fight but instead to a technicality. B.J. Penn was quite vocal after being presented with his prize, calling Mr. Sherk “dead” and adding plenty of statements about Sherk’s supposed steroid use. So obviously, when you place two people with different points of view in an arena where they use fists not words, there will be an emotional aspect to the conflict that will in evidently take its toll on the combatant’s actions. For the casual MMA fan this is what you want to see though. Drama, passion, tempers, combat, are all factors to an equation that equal a new gladiatorial coliseum, with the mob in tow.
On the flip-side, each fighter knowingly entered into a professional fighting arena, not an amateur fighting ring, not a back alley bar brawl, or a showy wrestling match. This is a professional sport now. At what point should the fighters take their ego out of the equations? At what point in their careers do they retain control over themselves and remember their responsibilities as a professional?
For the MMA purist, watching Penn’s display was probably frustrating. The man referred to as “The Prodigy,” and with good reason, let his feelings get the best of him and proceeded to try and smear a man’s face in the dirt after he’d already been knocked down. Yes it’s his trademark to lick the back of his gloves; like Wanderlei Silva’s wrist rolls or Keith Jardine’s odd mouth stretches, but to walk over to a man who just took a knee to the face and had all his hopes smashed for the night and wipe the sweat from his face is unprofessional.
In a street fight it might be okay. I’d even laugh and cheer for the guy who had the guts to perform such an act. At the UFC however, fighters should be expected to uphold a certain degree of honor. And although B.J. Penn collected himself afterwards and even invited Sherk to come train at his gym, it was the scene of Penn reaching past arena doctors, who were trying to make sure Sherk was alright, just so he could lick his blood/sweat that remains cemented in our minds. Winner by T.K.O.: unsportsmanlike conduct by B.J. Penn.
- Eric 
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