Shark fishing made easy
Penn dominates "Muscle Shark" Sherk; Silva mows down Jardine; Ortiz outpointed by Machida at UFC 84: ILL WILL

Octagonside by Anthony Springer & David Hudson
Photography by Chris Cozzone

Good vs. Bad.

Legacy vs. Redemption.

Discipline vs. Endurance.

The night’s main event contained all the elements of a hit television drama. The former champion, Sean Sherk was clearly the villain in the minds of the audience, who joined together to jeer the “Muscle Shark” at every turn. On the flip side, B.J. Penn captured the loudest ovation of the night. The best Hollywood writer couldn’t have scripted a better fight scenario.

In classic story book fashion, the hero triumphed, with Penn (14-4-1) stopping Sherk (36-3-1) at the end of the third round.

“The Prodigy” was highly favored coming into the much anticipated bout, and asserted his dominance from the outset. Usually known for his lightening quick pace and superior cardio, Sherk uncharacteristically chose to keep the fight standing, which seemed to play perfectly into Penn’s hands.

When it came to exchanging leather, B.J.’s performance was nothing short of a boxing exhibition. He exhibited patience, hitting Sherk consistently with left jabs that left a mouse under the “Shark’s” right eye and a cut under by the end of the first round.

Sherk’s standup game never materialized beyond sporadic combos that were quickly returned by the Hilo, Hawaii fighter, but it was in the third round, that B.J. showed the world why he’s “The Prodigy.”

Towards the dawn of the round, Penn rocked Sherk with an onslaught of punches, the last of which sent the former champion hurling into the cage. Penn then charged and in a move reminiscent of Sherk’s title defense against Hermes Franca, the Minnesota native ducked his head—and ran into a flying left knee.

The knee sent Sherk—a fighter known for having an iron chin—crashing to the canvas with B.J. quickly following. A slew of hammer fists later left Sean literally unable to stand, causing Mario Yamasaki to stop the fight, giving Penn the victory, and exclusive rights to the lightweight crown via TKO.

In a bizarre move, Penn violated the rules of cleanliness and good health, licking Sherk’s blood from his glove. However, after that the in ring theatrics came to a close as the two men embraced in the ring, putting their bitter feud to rest.

“Very, very satisfying,” Penn said of the victory. “Sean Sherk is a great competitor.”

With little left to prove in the 155 pound division, Penn turned to the crowd, allowing them to play match maker for the moment.

“You want GSP?” he asked of a rematch with current welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre. The crowd responded with roaring approval, giving UFC President Dana White to go ahead to make that dream fight come to life.

Silva "The Axe Murderer' chops down 'Mean' Jardine

Wanderlei Silva put on a highlight reel performance, destroying Keith Jardine 36 seconds into the first round of their highly anticipated bout.

The affair was lopsided from the outset as Jardine tried to immediately engage the heavy handed Silva, who got the better of the exchange, hitting the “Mean 1” with a three-piece that spelled the beginning of the end.

From there, it was vintage Wanderlei, who pounced like a wild animal who smelled blood. After a lackluster defense from the “Dean of Mean,” Silva sent his hapless opponent to Dream Street, with a barrage of punches before referee Steve Mazagatti hauled the “Axe Murderer” off an unconscious Keith Jardine.

“Incredible,” Silva said of the win, the first victory in his last four fights.

The Silva victory was greeted with a raucous ovation, while Jardine was helped back to the locker room by members of his team.

If anyone had questions about Silva’s drive to fight before, make no mistake about it: “The Axe Murderer” has returned.

Reljic rallies for win!

Goran Reljic (8-0) rallied back from a near knockout in his UFC debut, defeating Wilson (10-5) via TKO 3:15 into round two of their see-saw battle.

Before the bout began, Reljic let his adversary know he was ready for a fight, head butting him at the previous day’s weigh in.

The pair wasted little time exchanging fire power, with Gouveia making the most of his hands, rocking the Octagon new comer several times in the first round with punches that found their mark. Midway through the round, it seemed that Gouveia would score a knock out in convincing fashion when a series of well-timed shots sent the Croatian spiraling into the cage. The undefeated fighter was able to pull off a desperation move, leaping into Gouveia and taking him down to the mat to pull guard.

Reljic was able to turn the tide in round two, unleashing a powerful looping left, catching Gouveia squarely on the ear, toppling him. The fight was called when Gouveia failed to intelligently defend himself.

“The left hand is my strongest weapon,” Reljic said in the post fight interview. I worked with [Mirko] Cro Cop on that. He was rocked big time and I realized I had to finish him off before he did the same to me.”

Tito raked by 'The Dragon's' claws

“The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” Tito Ortiz (16-6-1) came up short in what is likely his final fight with the UFC, losing a unanimous decision to Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida (13-0).

It proved to be an emotional night for Ortiz, who walked to the ring with his trademark double sided USA/Mexico flag. The former light heavyweight champion received a standing ovation and wasted no time making a statement, using Public Enemy’s anti-establishment anthem, “Fight The Power” as entrance music.

From the outset, Machida proved why he’s undefeated, moving with style and grace about the ring, landing leg kicks with pin point accuracy around the way. Ortiz clearly came for a fight and was the aggressor, often chasing “The Dragon” around the ring. Machida responded, not by obliging Tito’s request to mix it up, but with more bouncing and striking.

Tito’s frustration became apparent after several failed takedown attempts. With each missed try, the former wrestler was thrown off by the undefeated Karate specialist, whose strength belies his lean frame. As the second round ticked to a close, the men traded punches and kicks to close the second round, with Machida appearing to get the better of Ortiz, who came away from the dust, up with a cut over his right eye.

The onset of the third round brought the sold out MGM Grand Garden to its feet, with the decisively pro-Ortiz crowd hoping for a miracle out of the fighter hailing from Southern California.

But it was not to be.

On this night, “The Dragon” scorched Tito’s quest for victory, sending the former champ to the canvas with a bruising knee to the body. After hitting the mat, Ortiz was able to regain his faculties, preventing Machida from finishing the fight by securing a guard. As Ortiz’ storied UFC career began to eclipse, he delighted the crowd with one last trick.

Showcasing his oft unused submissions, Ortiz locked in a triangle choke, causing the capacity crowd to erupt with applause. Machida was able to squirm away from his first defeat, causing Ortiz to give up the choke, for an attempted arm bar, but Machida was having none of it, as he pulled away from his blond haired adversary shortly before time expired.

All three judges scored the bout 30-27 in favor of Machida, who was serenaded with boos when the decision was announced by ring announcer Bruce Buffer.

“I’m gonna die, but I’m not gonna tap,” Machida told Joe Rogan when asked about the submission.

While Machida came away with his hand raised, the night still belonged to a humbled Tito Ortiz whose post fight shirt borrowed a quote from legendary singer Frank Sinatra (“I Did It My Way”).

Silva remains undefeated

Thiago Silva kept his record unblemished, dominating UFC newcomer Antonio Mendes in the opening bout of the main card.

Mendes showed promise early, knocking the undefeated Silva to the Octagon floor with a left leg kick seconds into the opening round. Despite the solid shot, which connected to Silva’s head, the Brazilian was able to tie Mendes up long enough to regain his senses.

From that point, it was all Silva, all the time.

After taking Mendes down, Silva went to work on the canvas, hammering his nearly defenseless opponent with straight punches and elbows. Peril found Mendes at every twist of the body, as he came dangerously close to giving up his back to the more aggressive Silva.

With each Mendes movement, Silva remained patient while literally pummeling “Samuray” into submission.

Thiago Silva is now 13-0 while Mendes is 14-3.

Salaverry taps out

Newcomer Rousimar Palhares made short work of veteran fighter Ivan Salaverry (12-6-1), earning a submission via arm bar 2:36 into the first round

Palhares controlled the tempo from the outset, taking the more experienced Salaverry down after ducking a wide leg kick. From there, “Toquinho” put on a clinic, taking side control, followed by a mount. The grappling exhibition ended with Palhares taking Salaverry’s back, which signaled the beginning of the end. 

It was here that Salaverry was at his best, exhibiting the patience of an experienced fighter. However, his attempts to avoid the guillotine proved futile after an attempted spin resulted in Palhares locking in an arm bar.

Salaverry was forced to tap.

With this notch in the win column, “Toquinho” improves to 17-1.

Sokodjou TKOs Nakamura

“The African Assassin”, Rameau Sokoudjou (5-2) lived up to his moniker, earning a TKO victory over Kazuhiro Nakamura (11-8) as time lapsed in the first round.

Leg kicks proved to be effective early on for Sokoudjou early in the round, seemingly taking Nakamura out of his element in the first minute of the fight. From the opening bell, the Far East fighter could not find a rhythm, failing to connect with Super Man punches and jabs.

Both men looked to steal the round in the final seconds, locking horns and exchanging punches. Sodkodjou got the better of the exchange, flooring “Kaz.” The right hand was enough to end the fight, as Nakamura landed on his ankle and was unable to continue. 

Nakamura appeared to break his ankle during the skirmish, prompting Steve Mazagatti to call the fight at 5:00 in the first round.

“Just one word: Shogun,” he exclaimed after the fight, referring to former Pride standout Mauricio “Shogun” Rua.

Clementi continues streak

Veteran MMA fighter Rich “No Love” Clementi (40-12-1) kept his winning streak alive with a unanimous decision over Terry Etim (10-2).

After a brief feeling out period, both fighters let their hands—and feet go—in an exchange that drew cheers from the crowd. Etim capitalized early with a series of leg kicks that connected with Clementi’s face, but the fighter from Louisiana kept coming forward and secured a takedown two minutes into the bout.

Following a series of punches that failed to damage Etim, referee Yves Lavigne stood the fighters up and much to the crowd’s dismay, Lavigne’s would have to repeat the action several more times during the fight.

Round two saw the young Etim nearly pull off the upset with a guillotine choke after a Clementi take down. After what seemed like an eternity in Etim’s grasp, “No Love” powered out of the hold and continued his onslaught of punches and elbows, which opened up a cut under his opponent’s eye at the end of the second round.

With a third round that looked much like the first two, Clementi continued to have his way, taking Etim down at will while attempting to establish his ground and pound game. Neither fighter was unable to elicit support from the crowd, but in the end it was clear that “No Love” was the decisive winner.

The judges agreed, scoring the bout 29-28 in favor of Clementi, who picked up his fortieth professional victory. 

In the post fight interview, Clementi contested the repeated stand ups. “I love the refs in the UFC, but when you’ve got a guys arm trapped and you’re punching him in the face, I don’t think that’s stalling.”

Yoshida delivers in Octagon debut

Jon “the War Machine” Koppenhaver entered the Octagon for the third bout of UFC 84 as a favorite in many fans’ eyes. He had competed on the Ultimate Fighter 6 and had already accumulated a win in the Octagon on the Ultimate Fighter 6 Finale with an impressive win over Jared Rollins. 

By contrast, Koppenhaver’s opponent was a Japanese fighter named Yoshiyuki Yoshida who had never set foot in the Octagon. Many fighters talk about “Octagon jitters”, talking about the nervousness of setting foot in the cage at the apex of the mixed martial arts world. 

Yoshida showed no Octagon jitters but instead delivered one of the mostimpressive performances of the night. He used his exceptional judo skills to throw Koppenhaver to the canvas andthen proceeded to sink in an anaconda choke hold that put his opponent to sleep. Referee Herb Dean called the fight at 56 seconds into the bout. 

Perhaps it shouldn’t have been considered an upset since Yoshida had not lost an MMA bout since a 2005 Shooto event.  -- David L. Hudson, Jr.

South Korean lives up to billing

He may not be a household name to mixed martial arts and UFC fans.  He did not have the same level of name recognition in the United States as his opponent Jason Tan at UFC 84.    Perhaps this is because he hails from South Korean.  His name is Dong Hyun Kim and he should have earned some recognition and respect with his dismantling of Tan. 

Kim dominated the fight, winning the first round 10-8 on all three cards.  He slammed Tan to the canvas and delivered a wicked elbow that split Tan open.  It appeared the fight wouldn’t last longer than the first five minutes but somehow Tan survived.  

In the second round, Tan at one point pinned Kim to the Octagon fence but couldn’t inflict any damage or assert control.  The fight went to the ground with Kim again dominating the majority of the action.  He won 10-9 on all three judges’ scorecards. 

In the third round, Kim slammed an overmatched Tan to the canvas with an impressive hip throw and delivered a dizzying array of hand and elbow strikes until referee Steve Mazzagatti called a halt to the action at just 25 seconds into the third round.  

Many seemed surprised at Kim’s dominance.  It should not have been such a surprise.   This South Korean star defeated highly-regarded Hidehiko Hasegawa at DEEP 31 and should have gotten the decision instead of a draw with Hasegawa at their rematch at DEEP 32. 

An easy prediction after watching the Kim – Tan fight is that in the future many more UFC fans in the United States and elsewhere will know the name of his South Korean star.  --David L. Hudson, Jr.

Carwin KOs Wellisch

Shane Carwin opened the night up with a bang (literally), knocking out Christian Wellisch (9-3) just 44 seconds in the opening round of their bout.

Carwin (9-0) was surprised that he was able to down “The Hungarian Nightmare” so quickly.

It feels great, I’m just thrilled and excited to be here.” Carwin told Fight News after the match.

Carwin also overcame Octagon jitters, something that is known to plague fighters not used to the bright lights of the UFC. For Carwin, the new environment felt like a situation he’d been in before.

“I think my wrestling experience and being an NCAA champion and a two time national runner up, I’ve been there [in the spotlight]. I just relied on my wrestling background as far as the fans and the pressure.”