• Penn remains embroiled in controversy, as his representatives are preparing a formal complaint against Georges St. Pierre, alleging the Canadian’s corner improperly applied a lubricant during their fight at UFC 94 on Jan. 31. Meanwhile, St. Pierre’s camp sent a 17-page response to Penn’s request to the Nevada State Athletic Commission for an investigation, refuting that there was any preconceived plan to improperly apply Vaseline in between rounds. It also argued such tactics would hurt St. Pierre’s chances of being effective in the fight just as much as it would Penn’s.
• Cain Velasquez and Heath Herring have agreed to a fight at UFC 99, according to several reports. In addition, Randy Couture and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira have agreed to face each other, according to several reports; the fight will likely happen at UFC 101 in August.
• The state of Pennsylvania announced this week that it has passed a law to regulate mixed martial arts under the auspices of the state athletic commission. The regulations take effect Feb. 27, opening the door to a UFC or WEC card in Philadelphia.
• Tim Sylvia will face veteran boxer Ray Mercer in a boxing match on May 30 in Atlantic City, Sylvia’s agent Monte Cox told MMAJunkie.com.
• The Vancouver-based Maximum Fighting Championship held one of its deepest cards in its eight-year history on Feb. 20. MFC 20 saw welterweight champion Pat Healy retain his title against a charismatic hometown favorite and the crowning of a lightweight champion in Antonio McKee, one of the most stifling grapplers in the sport.
Healy used superior ground control to turn Ryan Ford's proclivity for slams into an advantage, silencing the crowd at the River Cree Resort Casino. McKee toyed with striking in the first round against UFC veteran Derrick Noble but eventually shifted to his bread and butter, wrestling Noble down and holding him there for five rounds and the win.
Also at MFC 20, which aired on HDNet, welterweight Nick Thompson bested British striker Paul Daley for the decision victory. For the second straight fight, Daley came in over the 170-pound limit, weighing in at 171.5 and thus forfeiting 25 percent of his purse. Also picking up wins were Bryan Baker, in a first-round TKO of Rory Singer, and David Heath, in a dominating first round submission of Roger Hollett.
• Hot off his first-round crushing of Japanese kickboxing icon Kozo Takeda at K-1 New Year's Eve event, No. 10 ranked Tatsuya Kawajiri (22-5-2) will face Hawaiian-bred banger Ross Ebanez (19-6) at Dream 7 on March 8 at the at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. Kawajiri-Ebanez rounds out a card that includes bouts with fellow Japanese standouts Shinya Aoki and Mitsuhiro Ishida, as well as the opening round of the promotion's inaugural featherweight grand prix.
• East Coast standout Mike Easton may not have faced whom he expected, but he still emerged from Ultimate Warrior Challenge's "Man O War" card as its new bantamweight champion. Easton bested Matt Hughes pupil Justin Robbins with a third-round guillotine choke to take the title on Feb. 21 in Fairfax, Virginia. Easton was set to face former WEC bantamweight champion Chase Beebe, but Beebe was absent from the weigh-ins without a formal explanation.
Beebe, whose camp was in touch with UWC promoters about changing the weigh limit after Beebe had difficulty cutting due to an injury, could face penalties from Virginia licensing authorities for his absence.
Another fighter who recently pulled out of a fight at the last minute, Wesley "Cabbage" Correira, was suspended by the California State Athletic Commission until he fulfills his contractual obligation to the Wargods promotion. Correira told Sherdog.com that he pulled out of a fight on the group's Feb. 13 card in Fresno when the commission informed him that the promotion would penalizing a portion of his purse to cover medical expenses. Correira will be asked to headline the May 30 Wargods show.
• The M-1 Challenge launched its 2009 season with a Feb. 21 card in Tacoma, Washington. Team USA West, Team South Korea and Team Finland won their respective five-fight team meets in bouts taped for the second season of M-1's series on HDNet. The South Korean team dethroned the 2008 champion Russian team, while Team USA West was led by undefeated Team Quest fighter Dave Jansen, who replaced Brian Cobb when Cobb was called to fight at UFC 95. Jansen defeated Flavio Alvaro of Team Brazil Naja by submission.