Mike Chiappetta • E-mail

Lots of interesting storylines for UFC 84. The Sherk vs. Penn feud, Tito Ortiz's last match, Wanderlei Silva trying to get back into the win column. Yet what am I most excited to see? Thiago Silva, the undefeated light-heavyweight who is squaring off with Antonio Mendes. It's not the sexiest matchup on the card, but the dude has some serious star potential, with good standup, an excellent chin and great groundwork. He loves to brawl, is energetic and has the goods to rise to the top of the weight class. Despite the fact he doesn't speak English well, the Brazilian oozes charisma. I named him among my ones to watch in '08, so let's see how he does.

Thiago Silva vs. Antonio Mendes

Round one: Mendes landed a solid kick early that floored Silva, but he recovered. Silva got back to standing, but took another powerful kick. Silva showed his ability to take a shot by withstanding the barrage. He then proceeded to take control, driving Mendes against the cage. Mendes tried a judo takedown but Silva reversed it and ended up on top. Silva got the mount and landed a couple heavy shots. Mendes tried to buck him, but with no luck. Silva ground-and-pounded him until referee Herb Dean stopped the fight.

Silva remains unbeaten, improving to 13-0.

Winner: Silva by TKO

Lyoto Machida vs. Tito Ortiz

Round one: Crowd is pro-Tito, chanting his name in the early going. Ortiz looked for the takedown early but Machida anticipated it and sprawled well. Ortiz landed a knee for the first significant shot of the fight two minutes in. Machida's takedown defense looks good when they get in close, as he's basically shrugging Tito away. Machida landed a switch kick with a minute left. With 10 seconds left, Machida got a takedown and landed shots as the round ended. Machida actually trapped Ortiz's arm with his leg and might have finished him if time was left.

Round two: Machida is doing a lot of dancing, faking and keeping Ortiz off-balance as he tries to get the takedown. Ortiz is likely frustated as he can't get close enough to do anything. Machida landed a high kick that didn't hurt Tito but likely scored points with the judges. Ortiz shot in with 1:10 left but Machida sprawled and Ortiz pulled guard. Not much was landed and Ortiz worked his way back to the standing position. Machida landed a flying knee with 30 seconds left. Ortiz showed his frustration as the round counted down, imploring Machida to fight with him.

Round three: Referee Yves Lavigne fell down with 4:15 left, and got a huge pop from the crowd as it was possibly the most excitement in the fight. Ortiz landed a couple good knees from the clinch with 3:00 to go. Ortiz almost got the takedown with a single leg, but Machida managed to get loose again. Machida landed a knee to the ribs with 1:30 left and Ortiz went down in a heap. Machida threw punches from the top but Ortiz held on. Tito almost pulled off a Hail Mary with a triangle with less than 20 seconds to go. It looked like he had it cinched in, but Machida escaped as the round came close to a finish.

Winner: Machida via unanimous decision

Machida was very gracious, saying it was an honor to fight Ortiz, who he called a legend. The UFC did the right thing, giving Ortiz a forum to say good bye to the fans, and he thanked the UFC and fans for 11 years, and said he expects to fight for three or four more years before retiring.

Wilson Gouveia vs. Goran Reljic

Round one: Reljic shows impressive kickboxing early with some high kicks. Gouveia blocks most of them but these two look like they're more than willing to brawl. Reljic looks poised for a rookie making his UFC debut, but Gouveia connects on a series of shots with about a minute left. Reljic pulls guard, which is surprising since Gouveia is a black belt in jiu-jitsu, but he lasts the round.

Round two: Gouveia rocked Reljic a minute into the round with a left hook. Reljic fell to the mat and Gouveia secured half guard, and rained down punches but couldn't finish. On the standup, Reljic caught Gouveia on the temple with a left and dropped him. Gouveia was in big trouble as Reljic landed punches and elbows, and the referee had to stop it.

Winner: Reljic via TKO

Wanderlei Silva vs. Keith Jardine

Round one: "The Axe Murderer" is back. He got inside and hammered Jardine, who went down from a straight right. Silva got top mount, held Jardine by the throat and showed the "Dean" what "Mean" was really about. It took all of 36 seconds.

Winner: Silva by KO.

Lightweight title fight
B.J. Penn vs. Sean Sherk

Round one: Penn dropped Sherk early with an uppercut, his best punch. Sherk went for the single leg, but Penn did his split-sprawl defense and they stayed standing. The round was surprisingly all standup, which favors Penn, who snapped off several jabs that landed. Penn likely won the round with his jab.

Round two: Sherk hasn't tried a takedown for the first half of the round. Sherk's standup looks decent, but Penn's reach advantage is a killer. Penn is leading with the jab and that's been the difference. Penn has been very scarce with the leg kick, and Sherk likely can't win if they stay standing.

Round three: You have to wonder what Sherk's strategy is, because he's not trying takedowns, and is standing right in front of Penn. With the reach advantage, it's not a fair fight. Penn is landing the left jab at will. Penn landed a solid knee to the jaw with 10 seconds left and hammered Penn against the fence. The horn sounded with Sherk dazed against the fence, but Sherk didn't get up and the referee determined he was unable to continue.

Winner: Penn via TKO

Preliminary match results
Shane Carwin def. Christian Wellisch via TKO, 1st Rd.
Dong-Hyun Kim def. Jason Tan via TKO, 3rd Rd.
Yoshiyuki Yoshida def. Jon Koppenhaver via anaconda submission, 1st Rd.
Rich Clementi def. Terry Etim via unanimous decision
Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou def. Kazuhiro Nakamura via KO, 1st Rd.
Rousimar Palhares def. Ivan Salaverry via arm bar submission, 1st Rd.

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