The UFC 84 fight card was a great one. It was jam packed with huge names, big fights, and plenty of controversy. One of the largest stories of the event and over the past 6 months was the ongoing feud between Dana White and Tito Ortiz. The post fight press conference only added more fuel to this fire as Tito was not invited! For the post event Tito interview go to http://opinionatedsports.com/Tito_after_UFC_84.html. Tito and his lady were definitely not happy about not getting an invite and did not hold back in the interview. Here is an update on the top fights of the night, the complete results and awards.
BJ Penn def. Sean Sherk via TKO - Round 3, 5:00 UFC Lightweight Championship
This was the main event, and was a solid performance for the champ. Penn used his jab and length to his advantage. Sherk wanted to establish his standup game prior to attempting takedowns; he wanted to show the world that he could box. Unfortunately Sherk never got to that point. Penn’s jab was used to perfection and let him control the fight from start to finish. The fight ended in a fury at the end of the 3rd round. Penn pushed and got the better of an exchange. Sherk then stepped back and leaned into the cage. Once his momentum brought him off the cage, Penn landed a flying knee and dropped punches until the bell. At first glance it seemed like Sherk had been saved by the bell, but between rounds the referee stopped the fight. Throughout the 3rd round it seemed like Sherk was favoring his right hand, and seemed to be throwing more leg kicks and less rights. The medical results aren’t out of yet. In a move of bad sportsmanship and one that many are talking about, Penn ran over to Sherk after the fight was stopped, wiped some of Sherk’s blood and licked it. Prior to the fight it was assumed that the winner would fight the winner of the Ken-Flo vs. Huerta fight, but Penn says the fans want him to bump up and fight GSP. The future of Sherk is unknown, but the loser of the Huerta Florian in Minnesota was hinted in the post fight press conference (if Penn gets the winner). That could happen unless Penn bumps up. If he does then the 155 division will be shaken up and a fight for the title could ensue.
Wanderlei Silva def. Keith Jardine via KO - Round 1, 0:36
The Axe Murderer is back! Wand showed up, and the Jardine that fought Houston Alexander showed up. Wand landed a strong punch in a flurry and dropped Jardine! It was a quick and dominating win for Silva. Silva has talked about a drop to the 185 pound division, but if he is able to win in this fashion against the top competition many will wonder why he would drop. Jardine was seriously rocked and was taken to the hospital (per Tito Ortiz’s post fight interview). The 205 pound weight class is the deepest and strongest in all of MMA. The win puts Wand back on the map and could set up a fight against Liddell with the winner getting a title shot. This drops Jardine from immediate title contention. He could be up next against Rashad Evans or possible Thiago Silva.
Lyoto Machida def. Tito Ortiz via unanimous decision
This was the most disappointing fight of the night. I now have something that I hate more than lay and pray. In a display of a solid game plan and elusiveness, Machida defeated Tito by unanimous decision (30-27). This was the most boring fight of the night. The fans wanted to see Tito end his 11 year run for the UFC on top. Throughout the fight they were chanting Tito, Tito, Tito. Machida’s game plan was to bob and weave, and weave and bob countering Tito as he tried to push forward. A surprise in this fight was that Machida was able to take Tito down, but the biggest was a submission attempt by Ortiz. At the end of the 3rd round Tito attempted a triangle then to armbar. When he tried to transition to the armbar Machida was able to create space and escape. This fight at times seemed to be more Tito vs. Dana White then against Machida. It is no question that we will see Tito again in the near future. EliteXC’s Gary Shaw has been very vocal in backing up Ortiz and could be courting him to join the organization. Another possibility is Affliction. They are stocking up on some of the biggest names available and their show on the 19th of July looks to put up huge PPV numbers that could rival UFC PPVs. Tito was not allowed to enter the UFC’s official post fight press conference. Tito and Jenna then caused a scene and was almost escorted from the conference.
Goran Reljic def. Wilson Gouveia via TKO - Round 2, 3:15
Holy leg kicks batman! Goran Reljic the Croatian had something in common with another Croatian fight Mirko Cro Cop. Reljic’s leg kicks were fast and powerful and looked just like the kicks of Cro Cop in his prime in Pride! Although his leg kicks were the talk of the fight, Goran actually won the fight with his hands, dropping Gouveia in the 2nd.
Thiago Silva def. Antonio Mendes via submission (strikes) - Round 1, 2:24
Rousimar Palhares def. Ivan Salaverry via submission - Round 1, 2:36
Rameau Sokodjou def. Kazuhiro Nakamura via TKO - Round 1, 5:00
Rich Clementi def. Terry Etim via unanimous decision
Yoshiyuki Yoshida def, Jon Koppenhaver via submission - Round 1, 0:56
Dong Hyun Kim def. Jason Tan via TKO - Round 3, 0:25
Shane Carwin def. Christian Wellisch via KO - Round 1, 0:44
Awards
Wanderlei Silva received “knockout of the night”
Palheres earned “Submission of the night”
Reljic and Gouveia earned “fight of the night”
UFC 84 followed the hype and delivered a solid fight card that was very entertaining. The UFC has been reducing their roster to provide the fans with better more exciting fights. The next event that many will be looking for will be the battle of Pulver vs. Faber on June 1st.
Loading ...
May 26th, 2008 at 9:13am
Tito was unable to press the action. He lost. He thought he would be stronger than Machida, but he wasn’t. He was never able to utilize anything but the amazing submission attempt. Did Lyoto wilt away and give up? No, because he “would rather die, then tap out.”
Machida = Warrior. With so many ways to lose, Machida finds way to become victorious with technical precision. Every time Tito attempted to engage Lyoto, he paid the price.
Every one has their opinion . . . I love the match. The 2nd round was boring but the 1st and last stanza was great. I like Tito but he didn’t deliver. Most boxers know how Mayweather and Pernell Whitaker and Roy Jones fights. They would much rather give maximum damage than receive little to any. Tito had to be aware of that prior to getting in the ring. He couldn’t figure Machida out. Hmmm . . . Dana wasn’t in the ring. Yeah, I understand the emotions that were running through Tito’s head but . . . its over. He should be happy wasn’t in the ring against Thiago Silva. Would have been more exciting but the fight would end with a TKO in the 1st or early 2nd.
Thiago was in a little bit trouble but came out on top. Two undefeated LHW should match up, Rashad - Thiago - Lyoto. Either match up would be great because they all have interested differing styles. Although Rashad versus Lyoto will probably be less exciting than Thiago versus either opponent.
Wanderlei really set up his next fight. Wand vs winner of Rampage and Forrest sounds really good right now.
May 26th, 2008 at 9:43am
Vee, you won’t like my next article if you think Machida is a warrior. I won’t give too much away, but I can tell you that I think Machida is just exploiting the judging system while he avoids as much confrontation in the cage as possible so he can let the judges win his fights for him.
It’s funny you mention the submission attempt and Machida not wilting away. He didn’t wilt, but he ran. He rolled out of the submission and didn’t counter with anything except another back peddle. Once Machida brings some action, I’ll change my tune.
May 26th, 2008 at 11:37am
B,
I completely agree with you. Until he proves that he can fight with the top guys then I will not be convinced. Running from Tito for 3 rounds didn’t get him any points in my book.
May 26th, 2008 at 12:59pm
I have to agree with Vee…hitting your opponent while not getting hit yourself is the epitome of the perfect fighter…and Machida is as close to that as anybody has ever been in the Cage.
Sure, it’s more emotionally electrifying to see Wandy and Jardine stand in front of each other and just bang until somebody falls, but…Machida is technically the best fighter in MMA…why? Because nobody can hurt him, and he’s hurt everybody he’s been up against.
Yes, he has no real power (I think his only KO was when he put Rich Franklin to sleep), but…have you ever seen the face of his opponents after a fight? Every single one of them ends up with bruises, always.
Calling Machida boring or saying he runs just shows a lack of understanding of what fighting is all about, IMNSHO.
May 26th, 2008 at 1:57pm
I wish more people liked Machida, .. I really enjoy watching how skilled he. . the guy is a firkin master!!.. I thought a few times that it actually looked like he was fighting “drunken master” style.. It also goes to show that the UFC is more focused more on entertainment than finding the best.
P.S. if I was a fighter,. and I’m not … I would fight like Machida.. I mean who wants to get hit in the face if they don’t have to.
May 26th, 2008 at 4:03pm
I would say that it was BJ Penn who showed us how to hit without suffering the damage. If Machida impressed you, Penn must have blown your minds! Doing just enough to win a fight is not impressive; but it is smart if you feel you can’t overpower your opponent in any aspect of the fight. Its good for him to win without getting hurt, but it won’t gaurantee Machida a spot in the UFC for long.
May 26th, 2008 at 4:08pm
And yes I would also like to see Silva fight the winner of Griffin/Rampage. I’m thinking that will be Rampage (I’ll be safe and assume a KO) which would set up a great post-Pride fight between the two. Silva has destroyed Rampage in the past and it if the UFC hypes that fight properly, it could rival the Liddell/Jackson fight from last summer.
May 26th, 2008 at 4:13pm
The problem with being a boring fighter that just slides by is that when he loses (and he will!), especially if it is 2 in a row he could be cut. Dana White and the UFC wants fighters the fans want to see fight, that is exciting and explosive.
Machida will make a solid fighter and possible champ in a second tier organization.
May 26th, 2008 at 4:16pm
Rampage is a far better fighter now than he was then, I don’t know if I can say that about Wand, but I still would love to see this fight.
Throw in Rampage, Liddell, Wand, and Griffin in any combination and you have the makings of an exciting fight…
How about Machida vs Evans for a battle of boredom?
May 26th, 2008 at 8:27pm
I also have to disagree with the article calling Machida Boring. Lyoto Won his last bout with Soukodjou with a submission and used an arsenal of kick’s against Tito Ortiz. He used low kicks that made Ortiz’s legs look really red and threw Tito Ortiz around like a rag doll. So Why the hate? Have you ever seen Kalib Starnes try anything like that in his fight with Nate Quarry. Rewatch the fight and tell me in your honest opinion who landed the most shots in the fight and then tell me who was boring and outclassed. Answer is Tito Ortiz.
May 27th, 2008 at 8:00am
Anrej,
An arsenal of kicks? The only kicks of the night that impressed me came from Reljic.
kalib Starnes? where is fighting again? Good comparison because if Machida keeps using this strategy he is only riding his time.
I also don’t think he outclassed Tito. He hd a gameplan, boring but usefull. He did win and I commend his use of the referees to achieve a decision, but you can’t say you enjoyed that fight…can you?
May 27th, 2008 at 8:23am
Moving in a lateral position is totally different than back pedaling. Taking Tito to the ground and grounding and pounding him is . . . I don’t know you fill in the blanks.
Hmmm . . . did you see Tito’s fight against Wanderlei? That’s running. Or how about Tito against Chuck. If anything else, let’s talk about Chuck. Rampage was a little frustrated with Chuck’s defensive-counter punching-lateral movement. Well that was until Chuck reached in for a body shot too early in the 1st round and got caught.
Let’s not fault a fighter for not having enough KO power. Either way, I wonder how Tito got those cuts on his face? I can easily see how Machida polarizes his UFC fans. I only saw the fight once but, do you remember any offense from Tito? At all? I would figure a stronger cardio guy like Tito should be able to rush in and do something? No, he did get thrown around like a rag-doll. And what happened to Soukoujou’s highly touted judo? It got nullified.
Many boxing fans don’t like Mayweather Jr.’s style and they didn’t Pernell Whitaker’s style . . . because they rarely engaged in all out brawls. While all-out brawls are great for fans, the damage done to the athlete can really impact their careers down the road. Mayweather gives maximum damage but he also does not have pure KO power. And hey, while I’m a Mayweather fan because of his style and skills . . . I can’t wait for someone to stop him in the ring. Not by decision. It would also be cool to see someone really put Machida in a difficult position where’s he’s force to unleash more of his arsenal.
Muhammad Ali did a little bit of both. Stick and move, bob and weave, jab and get out. He also went toe to toe, again and again.
BJ Penn’s striking was PURE BEAUTY!! He’s in a totally different class. He jabbed and quickly got out Sherk’s range. Sherk didn’t have enough time to land a decent shot. Great!
Machida vs Evans will definitely become a snooze-fest because Evans really doesn’t engage. He’s tries to be technical but doesn’t have what it takes to do anything when he has an opponent on the ground.
In the end, let’s see what happens when a fighter beats Machida. Next up . . . Thiago Silva vs. Lyoto Machida.
May 27th, 2008 at 8:36am
I’m not one of those guys who wants to see an all out brawl between two fighters with different styles. I just wanted to see a fight and I don’t think Machida brings the fight to any of his bouts these days.
You don’t need to show that you didn’t get hit just to win a fight (as Ortiz nearly ended it all with that triangle choke). You have to remember that kicks carry a different range than punches. I’m interested to see the CompuStrike stats for this fight because the stats for the Sokoudjou fight were pretty low. Machida threw 3 punches in round 1 and none in round 2. He threw a total of 14 leg kicks. His fight with Nakamura stated more strikes were thrown overall, but again most were on the ground.
Again, he’s a fighter and he wins, but it’s only going to take him so far in MMA. There’s politics, bullshit, and favoritism for the fighters who bring in the excitement and the money - the entertainment aspect.