Headlined by the long-awaited and much hyped lightweight title bout between BJ Penn and Sean Sherk, UFC 84 ‘Ill Will’ was the most anticipated MMA event of the year, to date. Other than the main event, this card was all about the UFC’s elite 205-lbs division, with five lightheavyweight matchups that all made the televised broadcast. Here is how it went down:
Thiago Silva vs Antonio Mendes
Mendes starts out aggressive, and quickly knocks Silva down with a partially blocked high kick. Silva pops back up and is knocked down again – this time with a body kick. Thiago scrambles up again, Mendes attempts a throw from clinch but lands on the bottom. Thiago quickly passes Antonio’s guard and pounds away from mount; Mendes is unable to escape and the bout is stopped.
The aftermath: Silva suffers an early scare but perseveres and keeps his undefeated streak (now at 13-0). He was originally scheduled to fight Rashad Evans rather than Mendes, and now that Rashad once again doesn’t have an opponent, there is no reason for this fight not to happen. Mendes makes a spirited UFC debut and will surely be back for another shot.
Fight grade: 4/5
Tito Ortiz vs Lyoto Machida
The bout that was advertised as Tito’s last fight in the UFC starts out with Machida landing light leg kicks then moving out of range before Ortiz has a chance to counter. Ortiz attempts to clinch but Lyoto throws him off and spins out. Machida is landing kicks to Tito’s legs, body and head but does no real damage. Towards the end of the round Machida gets a body lock on Ortiz against the fence and throws him to the ground, landing in side control. Machida quickly moves into the crucifix position and pounds away but the round is over and Ortiz is saved by the bell. Round 10-9 Machida.
The second round is mostly uneventful, with Machida landing kicks and moving out of range, leaving Ortiz whiffing at air. Ortiz shoots for a takedown; Machida sprawls and Ortiz resorts to pulling guard. Round 10-9 Machida.
In the third, Ortiz is more aggressive and is having some luck landing on Machida in the clinch. Ortiz realizes that he needs to finish for a win, but is still unable to find his target as Machida stays half a step ahead of him. Machida lands a heavy knee to the body towards the end of the round, and Ortiz crumbles to the canvas. Lyoto jumps into his guard, and gets caught in a triangle. Lyoto pulls his shoulder out and rolls; Ortiz attempts to transition to an armbar but Machida escapes. The fight ends with Machida in Tito’s guard. Round 10-9 Machida, and the judges agree for a unanimous 30-27 for Lyoto on all scorecards.
The aftermath: Machida’s style does not make for very exciting fights, but it sure is effective, and will likely propel him to a title shot very soon. He deserves to face the winner of the upcoming Quinton Jackson – Forrest Griffin bout, but I have a feeling UFC will have him fight one more time before he gets a title opportunity. If so, I’d like to see him against one of the other undefeated lightheavyweights: Rashad Evans or Thiago Silva.
Ortiz was very respectful in the post-fight interview, and said he does not rule out fighting in the UFC again, though he appears to be done with them at least for the short term.
Fight grade: 3/5
Wilson Gouveia vs Goran Reljic
Undefeated UFC newcomer Reljic is throwing numerous left high kicks at Gouveia right off the bat; most are blocked by Wilson’s arm and shoulder but a few find their mark. Reljic is dominating the standup though seemingly not doing much damage. Gouveia goes on the attack with about a minute left in the first round, hurting Reljic with hooks and causing him to pull guard. Round ends with a stalemate on the ground. Round 10-9 Reljic.
In Round 2 Reljic again starts out with kicks, but is dropped by a combination from Gouveia. Wilson attempts to finish with ground-and-pound. Reljic defends well, recovers and makes his way back to the feet. They exchange strikes and Gouveia is dropped with a left hook to the temple. Goran jumps on him and keeps landing punches from top until the referee stops the bout.
The aftermath: Very impressive debut for Reljic, now at 7-0. He is in a weightclass where the possibilities are endless. Gouviea’s recent streak has been derailed, and in light of Keith Jardine also losing at 84, I would like to see a rematch between these two (the first bout ended in a decision loss for Wilson). On a side note, the curse of the left hook knockout continues, passed from Lambert to Gouveia to Reljic. I predict that Goran’s next opponent will mar his undefeated record with a well-timed left hook.
Gouveia and Reljic both earned an $75,000 ‘fight of the night’ bonus.
Fight grade: 4/5
Christian Wellisch vs Shane Carwin
Both men are trading strikes early, and Carwin catches Wellisch with a huge cross that spins his head backwards and sends his mouthpiece flying. Carwin jumps on his fallen opponent and finishes him with strikes.
The aftermath: Carwin’s successfull debut may be a much needed breath of fresh air for the struggling heavyweight division, though it’s too early to proclaim him the next big thing. Eddie Sanchez would be a good test for Carwin. It is not clear what the future holds for Wellisch, who is now 2-2 in the UFC but has had the misfortune of losing both of his televised bouts in a highlight-reel fashion.
Fight grade: 4/5
Wanderlei Silva vs Keith Jardine
Jardine starts out with an overhand right. Silva responds with hooks. Jardine steps in with a leg kick and is caught with a combination. Silva keeps landing hooks; Jardine falls and Silva pounces on him. Silva grabs Jardine by the neck and lands huge right hands. Jardine is stiff and out cold.
The aftermath: This was absolutely a must-win fight for Silva, and he admirably rose to the occasion. The ‘Axe Murderer’ looks to be back to old form, and with two wins over the current champion Quinton Jackson, Silva will have a title shot in sight with another big win. A rematch with Liddell would be logical as an eliminator for the next title shot, but there have been some rumors of Silva facing the undefeated Rashad Evans next. Silva earns the ‘knockout of the night’ honors.
Jardine suffers a big setback and falls back into the middle of the lightheavyweight pack. A rematch with Wilson Gouveia or Stephan Bonnar would make for an interesting rebound fight for Keith.
Fight grade: 5/5
Ivan Salaverry vs Rousimar Palhares
Palhares immediately grabs a hold of Salaverry for a body-lock takedown. He lands in side control, quickly passes to mount, then takes Salaverry’s back. Palhares has both hooks in and is looking for the rear naked choke. Ivan defends the choke but Palhares transitions to an armbar and forces the tapout.
The aftermath: With a quick submission victory over a skilled veteran, Palhares demonstrates textbook jiu-jitsu and joins fellow Brazilian grapplers Demian Maia and Ricardo Almeida in the contention for the UFC’s middleweight title. Salaverry appears to be finished as a high-level MMA competitor.
Fight grade: 5/5
Sean Sherk vs BJ Penn
In the main event of the night, former lightweight champion Sean Sherk takes on BJ Penn, who defeated Joe Stevenson for the vacant title when Sherk was suspended after testing positive for an anabolic agent. Sherk attempts a single-leg takedown right away and is stuffed. From then on, Sherk gives up on the takedown and is happy to turn this bout into a kickboxing match. Penn has a clear reach advantage and is getting the best of most exchanges, though Sherk keeps attacking and lands some punches and leg kicks. By the middle of the second round, Sherk is bleeding under his eye. Towards the end of the third round, Penn backs Sherk up with a flurry; Sherk bounces off the fence and ducks his head right into Penn’s knee. Sherk collapses and Penn pounces with punches. Sherk slumps against the fence as the bell rings to end the third round. BJ is celebrating and it appears that the fight is called off between rounds; seems to be a premature stoppage until Sherk admits in the post-fight interview that he didn’t even know that the round has ended.
The aftermath: Penn is the undisputed champion, and new #1 lightweight in the world, but he wants to move up and rematch Georges St. Pierre at 170 lbs instead of defending the title at 155. This may open up the road for Sherk to take another crack at the 155 title down the road, provided he wins his next couple of fights. The winner of scheduled Roger Huerta-Kenny Florian bout at UFC 87 will be the next top lightweight contender, regardless of what Penn ends up doing.
Fight grade: 3/5
Jon Koppenhaver vs Yoshiyuki Yoshida
Another UFC newcomer, Yoshida takes control of the fight early, taking Koppenhaver down with a judo throw from the clinch. Koppenhaver scrambles and Yoshida latches on to a guillotine, then rolls and turns into into an anaconda choke. Koppenhaver loses consciousness and the fight is over.
The aftermath: Great UFC entrance for Yoshida, looking forward to seeing him again. A tough break for Koppenhaver who is now 1-1 in the UFC since his stint on the Ultimate Fighter; he will have to win his next bout to continue competing in the Octagon.
Fight grade: 4/5
Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou vs Kazuhiro Nakamura
Sokoudjou lands leg and body kicks on Nakamura in the beginning of the first round. Nakamura looks for a takedown but does not succeed; his punches also do not find their mark. Sokoudjou keeps landing strikes and floors Nakamura with a powerful right hand as the round ends. Nakamura’s leg folds under him as he falls, and he limps to his corner. Nakamura is unable to answer the bell for the second round and Sokoudjou takes a TKO victory.
The aftermath: Sokoudjou reestablishes himself as a real threat, and calls out Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua in the post fight interview – this has the makings of an interesting bout. Nakamura is now 0-2 in the UFC and does not look like he can really compete at this level.
Fight grade: 4/5
With nine fights broadcast, eight of them ending with a decisive finish, UFC 84 ‘Ill Will’ really made up for the lackluster UFC 83. While the lack of action in the Ortiz-Machida fight and the fact that main event turned into a one-sided kickboxing bout rather than a grappling battle that most fans had hoped for dragged this card down somewhat, UFC 84 almost lived up to its enormous hype.