Greasing

Last updated: July 4, 2026

What is greasing in MMA?

Greasing means coating the skin with a lubricant so an opponent’s grips slide off. Chokes and joint locks depend on friction: hands need to stay clamped on a wrist or a neck long enough to finish the hold. A layer of Vaseline or oil on the skin breaks that grip, which is why greasing is treated as cheating rather than a grooming habit.

The term comes up constantly in fan debates and fight commentary. Whenever a fighter looks unusually slippery, or escapes a submission that seemed finished, someone will accuse them of being greased.

Lubricating the body has a long history in wrestling. In a 2018 Bleacher Report survey of fighters and referees, former Bellator champion Joe Warren described wrestlers who rubbed baby oil into their skin in a sauna, then toweled off so the oil would only surface once they started sweating mid-match.

Why greasing is against the rules

The Unified Rules of MMA, the ruleset used by the UFC and most athletic commissions, treat the application of a foreign substance to the hair, body, clothing, or gloves as a foul when it could create an unfair advantage. The logic is straightforward. MMA includes grappling, and a slippery fighter gains an edge that has nothing to do with skill.

There is one exception: Vaseline on the face. Before a fight, a cutman or commission-approved official applies a thin layer to the cheeks, eyebrows, forehead, temples, and nose to reduce the chance of cuts. Facial skin sits tight against the skull, and the petroleum jelly lowers friction when a glove scrapes across it.

Since an August 2018 Association of Boxing Commissions and Combative Sports (ABC) policy, that facial Vaseline can also be reapplied between rounds, but only by an approved cutman or licensed cornerman. Everything else is off limits. The ABC’s rules committee spelled this out after 2009: no grease, gels, balms, lotions, or oils on the hair, face, or body, with supervised facial Vaseline as the lone exception, and even dumping excessive water on a fighter to make them slippery counts as a violation.

Greasing vs. legal Vaseline use

Most of the confusion around greasing comes from the fact that Vaseline is visibly applied to every fighter before every bout. The difference comes down to location and supervision.

	Legal Vaseline use	Greasing
Where it goes	Face only (cheeks, eyebrows, forehead, temples, nose)	Body, limbs, back, or hair
Who applies it	Approved cutman or commission-designated official	A fighter or cornerman acting without approval
When	Before the fight and between rounds, under supervision	Any time, hidden from officials
Purpose	Reduce facial cuts from glove friction	Make the fighter too slippery to grapple
Status	Permitted under the Unified Rules	Foul, punishable by point deduction or disqualification

Sweat is the one form of slipperiness the rules cannot touch. Fighters get harder to hold as a bout goes on, and that is part of the sport.

The UFC 94 controversy

Greasegate is where the term earned its fame. On January 31, 2009, Georges St-Pierre defended his welterweight title against BJ Penn at UFC 94 in Las Vegas.

Between rounds, Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) officials saw St-Pierre’s cornerman Phil Nurse apply Vaseline to the champion’s face and then rub his shoulders and back without wiping his hands. Commission staff wiped St-Pierre down mid-fight. St-Pierre went on to win by TKO when Penn’s corner stopped the bout after the fourth round.

Penn filed a formal complaint with the NSAC seeking sanctions against Nurse and trainer Greg Jackson and asking for the result to be nullified, according to The Globe and Mail. St-Pierre’s camp said Nurse had been rubbing his back as part of a breathing drill, and that any Vaseline transfer was accidental and too small to matter.

The commission held a hearing on March 17, 2009. Nurse apologized, no disciplinary action was taken, and the result stood, as Sports Illustrated reported at the time. Fans nicknamed the episode Greasegate, and it pushed the ABC’s rules committee to tighten its language on foreign substances in the aftermath.

What happens if a fighter is caught greasing

Penalties sit at the referee’s discretion. A first offense usually draws a warning or removal of the substance, while a clear attempt to gain an advantage can cost a point or the whole fight. The ABC’s committee report states that applying anything other than Vaseline in an approved fashion can be penalized a point or result in a loss by disqualification.

Commissions can also go after the corner. Cutmen and cornermen are licensed, so suspensions and fines are on the table for anyone caught applying a banned substance. Proven cases are rare in practice. Officials inspect fighters before they enter the cage and watch the corners between rounds, and anything suspicious gets wiped down on the spot, which is what happened at UFC 94.

Accusations have never fully gone away. As recently as UFC 313 in March 2025, greasing allegations surfaced against Alex Pereira, though no evidence was found, per TWNP News.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Vaseline legal in the UFC?

Yes, but only on the face, where an approved cutman applies it before the fight and again between rounds if needed. Anywhere else, it is a foul.

Did St-Pierre face any punishment for Greasegate?

No. The Nevada State Athletic Commission held a hearing in March 2009, took no action against St-Pierre or his corner, and let the win over BJ Penn stand.

Does sweat count as greasing?

No. Greasing covers deliberately applied foreign substances, so the natural slipperiness that builds up over fifteen minutes of fighting is fair game for everyone.

How do officials check for greasing?

Commissions assign an inspector to each fighter’s corner, and the referee gives every fighter a final check before the bout. Anything beyond approved facial Vaseline gets removed.

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Sources

1. Association of Boxing Commissions and Combative Sports. “Committee Report on Unified Rules for MMA.” Accessed July 2026.
   https://www.abcboxing.com/committee-report-on-unified-rules-for-mma/
2. MMA Mania. “New policy allows UFC fighters to grease between rounds.” Accessed July 2026.
   https://www.mmamania.com/2018/8/2/17644582/new-policy-allows-ufc-fighters-grease-between-rounds-mma
3. Bleacher Report. “Eye Gouges, Low Blows, Greasing Up and More: Cheating Is Winning in MMA.” Accessed July 2026.
   https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2775783-eye-gouges-low-blows-greasing-up-and-more-cheating-is-winning-in-mma
4. Sports Illustrated. “Resolution? No. But ‘Greasegate’ could spur change.” Accessed July 2026.
   https://www.si.com/mma/2009/03/18/penn-stpierrechange
5. The Globe and Mail. “Penn camp not ready to give up on ‘Greasegate’.” Accessed July 2026.
   https://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/penn-camp-not-ready-to-give-up-on-greasegate/article20441990/
6. Wikipedia. “UFC 94.” Accessed July 2026.
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UFC_94
7. TWNP News. “UFC Illegal Moves: Which are Banned in MMA Competition?” Accessed July 2026.
   https://www.twnpnews.com/2025/04/ufc-illegal-moves/

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