UFC 84: Ill Will

[Boblobla]

Very happy with the results. I was 4/5 on the live card, I guess I should have gambled .

As far as Machida, that is his style, the is not a take the center of the ring and attack he is a defensive fighter who reacts to the mistakes of others. Since Tito didn't really do anything at all it is hard to react.

Tito was only classy at the end because he is trying to get a contract with someone and didn't want to come off as a total prick. Over all, I was really happy with this PPV and we got to see all of the fights except for the Clementi fight,.

[MrMastodonFarm]

My thoughts..

Shane Carwin vs Christian Wellish
Carwin had some hype going in and a legit heavyweight prospect and boy did he deliver. That punch had some serious power behind it. He movement looked good for a guy being billed as mostly a wrestler. Hopefully Joe Silva can throw him into another event asap.

Yoshiyuki Yoshida vs Jon Koppenhaver
Koppenhaver made a huge mistake clinching up so easily, but he was totally outclassed in this fight so what can ya do. Yoshida took him down with ease and locked on a fantastic choke to end the fight.

Palharess vs Salavarrey
Not much to say, a beautiful gorgeous arm bar. You have to have some -- or alot -- of knowledge in BJJ to understand just how great that was. It was gorgeous. Salavarrey is a warrior but he is done. Should be interesting to see where Palharess goes next.

Sokoudjou vs Nakamura
Sokodjou didn't looked that great. He started out strong but really seemed to flatline as the round progressed. Nakamura isn't a great fighter but he is strong so maybe I'm not giving Soko enough credit but he certainly still has alot to prove, calling out Shogun might not be the smartest move.

Thiago Silva vs Antonio Mendes
Mendes has some fantastic strikes but Thiago showed a better all-around game. Silva is a killer and it will be interesting to see where he goes next. He showed great poise on the ground, albeit against a guy with little ground game.

Lyoto Machida vs Tito Ortiz
My favourite fight of the night. I love Machida and yes I enjoy watching him fight. The way he evades and then engages is impressive, just flat out impressive. The guy doesn't get hurt. The only guy to ever have Tito hurt like that is Chuck Liddell. Ortiz was saved by the bell at the end of the first round. Lyoto actually out muscled a guy who probably outweighed him at fight time by 20+ pounds, slammed him to the ground, trapped Tito's right arm and started feeding him shots. If it wasn't for the round ending that fight would have been stopped.

Lyoto had some impressive strikes throughout the fight as well, some beautiful switch kicks, knees and quick combinations. He is a real treat to watch when he engages. That knee in the third buckled Ortiz pretty bad, and then manged to get out of a pretty tight triangle choke. Though Tito made a huge mistake in not sticking with that choke, he transitioned into an arm bar but left his legs crossed, which is a big no-no. Lyoto knew exactly how to get out of it. Loved that fight, and Lyoto just notched a huge win.

Goran Reljic vs Wilson Gouviea
Gouviea has to be one of the most frustrating fighters out there. Guy can be a complete killer at times, but his ego gets in the way of putting on solid efforts. Reljic had some impressive credintials coming in, striking with CroCop, BJJ with Roger Gracie and then training for this fight at Xtreme Couture. Reljic showed a diverse striking game and a CroCop esque dedication to the left high kick. Very good fight.

Wanderlei Silva vs Keith Jardine
What else is there to say, Silva came out with a shaved head, so that equals win haha. Guy looked like a killer, and I really hope he gets on a roll again. The guy is only 31 so any talk about him being done was ridiculous. Jardine, like Gouvia is a frustrating up and down fighter.

BJ Penn vs Sean Sherk
My least favourite fight of the night. It was basically a boring boxing match for two rounds and Sherk's game plan was..stupid. If you want to wear BJ down then take him down and do your thing, make him work, not circle and get picked apart on you feet for 14 minutes. I'm glad BJ won, minus the blood licking fetish he has. I really wish he would stay focused on 155 but that's Penn for you. Already obsessed about moving up to 170 again to fight GSP. I really hope Zuffa doesn't give him a shot at George down the line, because moving down to 155 doesn't mean you get a shot at 170 after losing back-to-back there.

Great event though, one of the more enjoyable shows in recent memory. Dream3 and this are my two favorite events in 2008 so far, but UFC 84 gets the edge due to less mismatches and without the half hour intermission. Just an enjoyable card though, hopefully the momentum continues into UFC 85 in two weeks.

[MrMastodonFarm]

Originally Posted by Hanna Sniper

Neither fighter looked impressive and neither fighter showed anything to win the fight.

Yeah, okay.

Machida had Ortiz beat in the first round. Slammed him down to the mat and trapped his right arm and started feeding him lefts. If it wasn't for the end of the round, that first was over in the first. Ask Tito's face, ribs, liver, and eye if Machida didn't do enough to win.

[Hanna Sniper]

Yes no question, and honestly I don't care about whether a fight is exciting (I do love the fighters that try to bring a fight regardless of the result but thats a different thing)... My comment has very little to do about skill, it's not about excitement. It's do with with I don't think either fighter did enough to deserve a victory... and with the point system like this it can really expose that flaw. All three judges called the fight 30-27 if I remember correctly, which on paper is a decisive victory. If the commentary was turned down, one can make an argument the Tito pushed the pace of the fight for the full three rounds, won the second round and scored the only real point in the 3rd where this fight had a chance of ending. By all means I'm not saying Tito won that fight, my point is no one did... there was very little clear cut exchanges where you can say this fighter clearly won this or that.

I don't dispute the fact of Machida getting the decision, that is common sense by how this system awards the victory. It's more to do with how little was actually done and how one 10 point round carries far to much weight in a 3 round fight. If it was Tito that had that ten second burst in the final seconds of the 1st I have no doubt the victory would have been awarded to Tito... he didn't and it wasn't.

I'll have to watch the fight over again, maybe pick up a lot more finer details without the group of people around. I feel like I'm beating a dead horse but I'll try and re say it if you're not catching my meaning, just ask.

[Hanna Sniper]

Originally Posted by MrMastodonFarm

I really wish he would stay focused on 155 but that's Penn for you. Already obsessed about moving up to 170 again to fight GSP. I really hope Zuffa doesn't give him a shot at George down the line, because moving down to 155 doesn't mean you get a shot at 170 after losing back-to-back there.

As a fan you have to love that though, belts mean nothing and you chase the fighters you think are the best. I wish more fighters were like that. I can't see Zuffa wanting it but i think time has shown that you can't stop Penn from chasing the fight.

[Boblobla]

Awesome review Mastadon, thanks.

[MrMastodonFarm]

Originally Posted by Hanna Sniper

As a fan you have to love that though, belts mean nothing and you chase the fighters you think are the best. I wish more fighters were like that. I can't see Zuffa wanting it but i think time has shown that you can't stop Penn from chasing the fight.

That's where we differ, I do think that belts mean something, I think they mean alot. It's a goal, something to strive for. Yes, sometimes it means nothing but ultimately it does.

Penn doesn't deserve a shot at St. Pierre at 170. If he wants to move up then fine, but move up, and wins some fights against Karo, Fitch, Koscheck, Hughes etc to deserve that shot.