Ufc 84

[Raji]

With four words, UFC lightweight champion B.J. Penn turned what was a slow drip into a flood of bad blood between himself and former titleholder Sean Sherk.

As he basked in the glow of his submission victory against Joe Stevenson at UFC 80 in January, Penn wrapped his gloved hand around the microphone and took aim at Sherk. “Sean Sherk,” he said, “you’re dead.” So began the mixed martial arts world’s latest feud.

Penn will defend his belt against Sherk in the main event at UFC 84: Ill Will on Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The dislike between the two – one a native of Minnesota’s frozen winters, the other spawned by Hawaii’s sun, surf and sand – has deepened in recent months, as Penn stepped up his public attacks on Sherk, who was stripped of the 155-pound title after a positive test for suspected steroid use.

Still only 29 years old, Penn appears to have turned a corner in his career, which has been spectacular at times and disappointing at others. He claims to have rededicated himself to training and conditioning, and recent results bear proof. Penn blitzed both Jens Pulver and Stevenson since he returned to the lightweight division. Few – if any – can match his natural ability, but his heart has been the subject of great debate. No fighter has dealt with higher expectations.

Penn has lost only once at 155 pounds and became the second man in UFC history to wear championships in two weight classes when he stopped Stevenson for the vacant lightweight crown four months ago. Victories against former UFC welterweight champion Matt Serra, one-time Pride lightweight titleholder Takanori Gomi and future UFC Hall-of-Famer Matt Hughes stand as testimonies to his capabilities.

The reserved Sherk, meanwhile, was thrust into the spotlight when he tested positive for the anabolic agent Nandrolone – a muscle-building steroid – following his unanimous decision win against Brazilian challenger Hermes Franca at UFC 73 last July. His downward spiral continued in December when the UFC stripped him of the lightweight belt after his appeal before the California State Athletic Commission did not clear him of wrongdoing. He has never once wavered from his claim of innocence.

Based out of the Minnesota Martial Arts Academy, the 34-year-old Sherk has yet to lose at 155 pounds. He holds notable wins against Karo Parisyan (twice), Kenny Florian, Nick Diaz and Benji Radach and has rattled off 15 wins in 16 matches. Always in superb condition, Sherk figures to own a decided advantage should the bout with Penn linger into the later rounds.

UFC 84 also features a pair of main-event-worthy lightweight matchups, as Brazilian superstar Wanderlei Silva locks horns with Keith Jardine and unbeaten Lyoto Machida tackles polarizing former champion Tito Ortiz. A 205-pound showdown between the American Top Team’s Thiago Silva and Antonio Mendes rounds out the main card.

FIGHT FORECAST

UFC Lightweight Championship
B.J. Penn (12-4-1, 8-3-1 UFC) vs. Sean Sherk (32-2-1, 6-2 UFC)
Odds: Penn (-250), Sherk (+200)

Stakes are high for both fighters. Penn wants to strengthen his position as one of the world’s premier pound-for-pound competitors and Sherk desires to regain the favor he lost with fans, media and some of his peers. A focused and in-shape Penn presents problems for almost anyone and Sherk would do well to achieve his goal of dragging the fight into the fourth and fifth rounds. If he can keep a relentless pace and tire Penn early, he has as good a shot as anyone of dethroning the reigning 155-pound king.

Prediction: Penn by submission

Light Heavyweight
Wanderlei Silva (31-8-1, 1-3 UFC) vs. Keith Jardine (13-3-1, 5-2 UFC)
Odds: Silva (-190), Jardine (+155)

On a troubling three-fight losing streak, Silva last appeared at UFC 79 in December, when he dropped a unanimous decision to former light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell. The 31-year-old Brazilian, revered for his violent style, owns a pair of stoppage victories against current 205-pound titleholder Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, and a convincing victory over someone of Jardine’s stature could thrust him back into title contention.

A product of Jackson’s Submission Fighting in Albuquerque, N.M., Jardine carries with him an awkward style and perhaps the best kicks in the business. He has not competed since he upset Liddell at UFC 76 in September, but his name’s believed to be on a short list of potential challengers for Jackson. A suspect chin could cost him dearly here.

Prediction: Silva by KO

Light Heavyweight
Tito Ortiz (15-5-1, 14-5-1 UFC) vs. Lyoto Machida (12-0, 4-0 UFC)
Odds: Ortiz (+160), Machida (-200)

From all indications, Ortiz will bolt from the promotion following his latest match. He has been beaten by only three men – Randy Couture, Chuck Liddell and Frank Shamrock – in the past 11 years, but his ongoing feud with UFC president Dana White has escalated to such a degree that it appears they can no longer co-exist. Ortiz, 33, has not fought since he battled unbeaten Rashad Evans to a draw at UFC 78 in November.

Rooted in the same Black House camp as UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva, Machida last appeared in December, when he submitted Team Quest juggernaut Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou with a side choke at UFC 79. He also owns key victories against former UFC middleweight champion Rich Franklin, current UFC lightweight titleholder B.J. Penn and Stephan Bonnar, the light heavyweight runner-up on season one of “The Ultimate Fighter.” Machida’s unorthodox style has presented problems for virtually every opponent he has faced.

Prediction: Machida by decision

Light Heavyweight
Wilson Gouveia (10-4, 4-1 UFC) vs. Goran Reljic (7-0)
Odds: Gouveia (-120), Reljic (-110)

A victor in four straight bouts, the American Top Team’s Gouveia has quietly emerged as a player in the 205-pound division. The well-rounded Brazilian has secured four wins by knockout or technical knockout, five more by submission. He last competed in January, when he flattened Jason Lambert with one punch at UFC 80. A TKO victory over welterweight contender Jon Fitch highlights his resume.

Reljic, a UFC rookie who trains under the watchful eye of grappling wizard Roger Gracie, will enter his promotional debut unbeaten in seven professional bouts. The 24-year-old Croatian has delivered five of his seven wins by submission but has not competed since August, when he took a decision from Waldemar Golinski in his homeland.

Prediction: Reljic by submission

Light Heavyweight
Thiago Silva (12-0, 3-0 UFC) vs. Antonio Mendes (14-2)
Odds: Silva (-850), Mendes (+550)

Perfect through his first dozen fights as a professional, Silva has finished his last eight opponents. The punishing Brazilian dominated Houston Alexander in November, as he stopped the explosive Nebraskan on strikes from the mount at UFC 78. Based out of the American Top Team, he also owns notable victories against Tomasz Drwal and Dave Dalgliesh.

Mendes will enter his UFC debut on an 11-fight winning streak but as a heavy underdog. The 26-year-old fought nine times in seven months in 2007 but has not competed since he scored a technical knockout victory against Kiril Sidelnikov at an M-1 show in July. Ten of his 14 career wins have come by knockout, TKO or submission.

Prediction: Silva by TKO

Middleweight
Ivan Salaverry (12-6, 3-3 UFC) vs. Rousimar Palhares (7-1)
Odds: Salaverry (-170), Palhares (+140)

The consummate veteran, Salaverry finds himself at the tail end of what has been an admirable career. At 37, he has show signs of decline recently, including a quick loss to Terry Martin at UFC 71 in May 2007. Still, his experience and skill level make him a dangerous opponent. A Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt rooted in the teachings of the Brazilian Top Team, Palhares has rattled off four straight wins by submission.

Prediction: Palhares by submission

Light Heavyweight
Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (4-2, 0-1 UFC) vs. Kazuhiro Nakamura (11-7, 0-1 UFC)
Odds: Sokoudjou (-265), Nakamura (+205)

Sokoudjou’s stock skyrocketed after he manhandled both Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and Ricardo Arona under the Pride Fighting Championships banner in early 2007. Then came his underwhelming UFC debut against Lyoto Machida, a debut in which king-sized chinks in his armor were exposed. Still, he remains one of the bright young stars in the 205-pound division, and many view him as a future champion. Nakamura, fresh off his suspension for suspected marijuana use, has been finished only by Wanderlei Silva, Dan Henderson, Josh Barnett and Rogerio Nogueira.

Prediction: Sokoudjou by decision

Lightweight
Rich Clementi (31-12-1, 4-3 UFC) vs. Terry Etim (10-1, 1-1 UFC)
Odds: Clementi (-260), Etim (+200)

The 31-year-old Clementi continues to score points with UFC management, as he has posted five straight wins since his decision loss to Roan Carneiro at UFC Fight Night 9 in April 2007. Seasoned by 44 professional bouts, Clementi counts victories against reigning International Fight League lightweight champion Ryan Schultz, Melvin Guillard and Anthony Johnson among his conquests. Etim, meanwhile, finds himself on the rebound after his first career defeat – a unanimous decision loss to the American Top Team’s Gleison Tibau at UFC 75 in September. An accomplished ground fighter, the former Cage Gladiators lightweight champion has secured nine of his 10 wins via submission.

Prediction: Clementi by decision

Welterweight
Jon Koppenhaver (5-1, 1-0 UFC) vs. Yoshiyuki Yoshida (9-2)
Odds: Koppenhaver (+140), Yoshida (-170)

A decorated Judoka, Yoshida will make his first Octagon appearance at age 34. He will enter his match with the hyperactive Koppenhaver on an eight-fight winning streak, which includes his disqualification victory against recent UFC acquisition Dan Hardy at a Greatest Common Multiple show in December. Koppenhaver, a product of season six of “The Ultimate Fighter” reality series, has been away from competition since he emerged victorious from a bloody battle with Jared Rollins in December.

Prediction: Yoshida by TKO

Welterweight
Jason Tan (5-2, 0-1 UFC) vs. Dong Hyun Kim (9-1-1)
Odds: Tan (+250), Kim (-325)

Tan’s experience within the six-sided cage consists of a forgettable 75 seconds with welterweight contender Marcus Davis that ended with his being knocked out. The 26-year-old Liverpool, England, native seems to have put the loss behind him, as he scored a unanimous decision victory over Alexandre Izidro at a Cage Gladiators event in August. Unbeaten in his past 10 bouts, Kim fought Hidehiko Hasegawa to a draw at Deep 32 in October. The South Korean favors strikes and has secured his last five wins by knockout or technical knockout.

Prediction: Kim by TKO

Heavyweight
Shane Carwin (8-0) vs. Christian Wellisch (8-3, 2-1 UFC)
Odds: Carwin (-180), Wellisch (+150)

Heralded by some as the next great heavyweight, Carwin has obliterated everyone in his path thus far. Not one of his eight opponents survived the first round. In fact, Carwin’s longest match lasted a mere 2:21. A two-time All-American football player and national champion wrestler in college, the one-time Ring of Fire heavyweight champion owns wins against Strikeforce veteran Rex Richards and former International Fighting Organization titleholder Chris Guillen. A product of the American Kickboxing Academy, Wellisch has recorded four wins in five fights, losing only to French kickboxer Cheick Kongo in that span. He submitted Scott Junk with a heel hook at UFC 76 in September but has not fought since.

Prediction: Carwin by TKO

Raji