UFC 84 Results & Recap
by Robert Sargent
Putting on one of their best events in years, the Ultimate Fighting Championship had great success with UFC 84, as BJ Penn, Wanderlei Silva, Lyoto Machida and Thiago Silva all emerged victorious in their bouts on the main card.
The night was filled with stoppage victories, with a series of fights ending in knockouts and two early bouts ending with extremely slick submissions.
UFC Lightweight Championship
"The Prodigy" BJ Penn vs "The Muscle Shark" Sean Sherk
Prior to the fight, Sherk expressed displeasure with Penn having the UFC Lightweight Championship, a title which Sherk never lost in a fight. However, after this night, there was no doubt as to which fighter was the true champion, as Penn dominated the striking battles and stopped Sherk at the end of round three.Round one began with Sherk immediately trying for a single-leg takedown, but Penn easily escaped and stood back up. Both fighters traded strikes for the next two minutes, with Sherk landing leg kicks and a hard right, and Penn repeatedly finding a home for his left jab. Sherk landed an elbow after a clinch, while Penn continued to keep him off-balance with his jab. Penn made frequent use of one- and two-punch combos, then backed up to avoid Sherk's wild counterpunching. With two minutes left, Sherk landed a hard kick, but he was already beginning to bleed from a cut below his right eye. Penn continued to use his left jab to dictate the pace of the fight, mixing in right hooks as well. Penn then landed two knees and a pair of solid punches to easily take round one.
Penn came out swinging in round two, landing jabs and two rights, with Sherk countering with a stiff leg kick. Sherk began to mix up his strikes, using jabs, hooks and more leg kicks, but Penn countered with an uppercut and a hard knee strike. An exchange saw both fighters land solid punches in short succession, as a "Steroids!" chant from the crowd was directed at Sherk. Sherk landed another right hook, but Penn countered with numerous jabs. As the round neared the end, Penn was soundly dominating the striking, using his jab to set up hooks and crosses that Sherk had little answer for, as Sherk's punches never had the right range. Penn wins round two.
Penn continued to look relaxed as round three began, showing no signs of fatigue as he had in past fights. He landed more jabs early in the round, while Sherk countered with a quick combination. Penn shot in looking for a double-leg takedown, but Sherk backed up, so Penn drilled him with an uppercut instead. Both fighters landed hard rights in a punching exchange, with Penn starting to mix in leg kicks. Sherk began to shake out his right hand after blocking a punch from Penn, then did so again near the final minute of the round, appearing to be injured as he stopped throwing right punches.
In the final minute, Penn continued to pick Sherk apart with jabs, as Sherk resorted to weak left punches only, seemingly not wanting to use his right hand. With mere seconds left, Penn rushed forward with two glancing uppercuts and a left hook, sending Sherk backwards into the cage. As Sherk bent down for a takedown attempt, Penn landed a jumping knee that dropped Sherk to the canvas. Penn followed up with a barrage of punches just before the bell, then declared that Sherk was "done." The referee agreed and called a stop to the bout at the conclusion of the third round.
Winner: BJ Penn by TKO (Referee Stoppage) at 5:00 of round three. He improves to 13-4-1 and remains the UFC Lightweight Champion.
"The Axe Murderer" Wanderlei Silva vs "The Dean of Mean" Keith Jardine
This was a return to days passed for Silva, who brutally knocked Jardine out with punches on the ground after dropping him with a right hook mere seconds into the fight.Following a typically intense stare down from Silva, the fighters circled each other in the opening seconds, with Jardine connecting with a right hook. Silva came back with a quick combination. Jardine threw a leg kick, but Silva drilled him with a right hook below the ear at the same time, then landed a left and another right as Jardine fell to his knees. Jardine got back up, but was met with a quick flurry of punches, including a left hook that sent him falling to the mat. Silva pounced, landing a barrage of follow-up punches, including three rights to the face that knocked Jardine completely out for almost four minutes. An extremely impressive display from a fighter who must remain as one of the most feared in the sport.
Winner: Wanderlei Silva by KO (Punches) at 0:36 of round one. He improves to 32-8-1, 1 NC.
Lyoto "The Dragon" Machida vs "The Huntington Beach Bad Boy" Tito Ortiz
Machida once again used his elusive style in this fight, nullifying all offence from Ortiz while landing kicks at will, but Ortiz nearly came back from the brink of defeat with a last-second triangle choke and armbar combination late in round three.The fighters circled each other in the early goings, with Machida throwing kicks to the legs. Ortiz attempted a takedown, which was easily avoided by Machida. Ortiz tried and failed for another takedown, but landed a knee from the clinch. Machida repeatedly pushed away from Ortiz's takedown attempts and landed a hard kick to the body, then a kick to the head. Machida continued to land leg kicks, then landed a jumping switch kick to the body. Another switch kick from Machida landed. With just over ten seconds left in the round, Machida scored a takedown, trapped Ortiz's arm with his leg and began raining down unanswered lefts to the face of Ortiz. The bell rang, but Machida commandingly won round one.
Machida opened with more leg kicks in the second round, using feints to keep Ortiz off-balance. A quick combo from Machida was followed up with two leg kicks. A snap head kick from Machida and another leg kick landed. Both fighters exchanged punches, with Machida landing another leg kick. Ortiz tried for a takedown, but Machida sprawled out of it, so Ortiz pulled guard. Machida landed a knee to the face as Ortiz got back to his feet. Machida landed another jumping knee and looked for a trip takedown, with Ortiz punching his way free. Ortiz, growing tired of chasing down Machida, stood in the middle of the ring with his hands down, and Machida responded with three quick punches before the bell.
The opening minute of round three saw Machida land more leg kicks, with the crowd cheering wildly as referee Yves Lavigne slipped and fell as he moved out of the way of the fighters, laughing as he got back to his feet. Both fighters landed knees in the clinch, with Ortiz landing punches to the body as well. Ortiz landed another knee in the clinch, then a running hook and more punches and knees in the Thai clinch. Machida repeatedly defended takedown attempts from Ortiz. With 90 seconds remaining in the round, Machida landed a jumping knee to the liver that sent Ortiz to the mat, and Machida immediately tried to finish the fight with punches on the ground.
The final minute saw Machida seemingly on his way to an easy victory, as he landed strikes from the top to Ortiz, but Ortiz, never known for his submissions, locked Machida in a fairly tight triangle choke with 30 seconds remaining. Machida rolled and squirmed to escape, managing to get free as Ortiz tried for an armbar. Machida escaped that as well, and survived the final 10 seconds to take the clear-cut victory.
After the fight, both fighters were interviewed, with Ortiz remaining respectful and thanking the many people who had helped him during his career. He promised to continue fighting outside of the UFC, hoping to compete for at least three or four more years.
Winner: Lyoto Machida by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds. He improves to 13-0-0.
Goran Reljic vs Wilson Gouveia
Reljic, just 24 years old but looking very large for 205, used lightning-fast kicks early in round one, then survived a scare and knocked Gouveia out in the second round.Gouveia landed leg kicks early on, while Reljic came back with a series of incredibly fast kicks to the legs, body and forearms of Gouveia. Three successive kicks from Reljic left Gouveia's entire right arm gleaming red. Reljic continued to land kicks and punches to the head and body, with both fighters engaging in a brief punching battle in the middle of the round. After an exchange of kicks, Reljic landed two hard high kicks that Gouveia blocked with his arm, which was beginning to swell. Gouveia landed a hard right with just under one minute left, staggering Reljic, then landed shots to the head and body before Reljic jumped and pulled guard. Reljic kept Gouveia at bay on the ground, trying for an omoplata just before the bell.
Gouveia used more footwork in round two, trying to throw off the timing of Reljic, but Reljic drilled him with another kick. Gouveia caught Reljic's leg as Reljic landed a kick to the body, pushing Reljic to the ground. He got back up as Gouveia landed a quick combination. Gouveia dropped Reljic with a left hook and landed a series of rights and lefts on the ground, but Reljic held guard and got back to his feet soon after. Seconds later, Reljic caught Gouveia with a left hook to the temple, dropping Gouveia. After 15 seconds of unanswered punches from Reljic on the ground, the referee finally stopped the fight.
Winner: Goran Reljic by TKO (Punches) at 3:13 of round two. He improves to 8-0-0.
Thiago Silva vs Antonio "Samuray" Mendes
Silva had to survive an early scare in this fight, after being dropped by Mendes, but came back and used effective ground and pound to force Mendes to submit due to strikes.Mendes dropped Silva with a head kick just 15 seconds into the fight, forcing Silva to immediately go on the defensive, rolling on the ground to get back to his feet. Silva clinched and used knees to the body to keep Mendes at bay as he regained his composure. Both fighters landed kicks to the body and Silva fell. After getting back to his feet, Silva used another clinch and got Mendes down. From there, Silva moved right to mount and landed a series of punches to the face. Mendes gamely defended, rolling to avoid punishment, but Silva got mount again and landed more hard punches, forcing Mendes to tap out.
Winner: Thiago Silva by Submission (Strikes) at 2:23 of round one. He improves to 13-0-0.
"The African Assassin" Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou vs Kazuhiro Nakamura
Nakamura more than held his own in this fight, but a punch from Sokoudjou just before the end of round one dropped Nakamura awkwardly, injuring his knee and leaving him unable to continue.Sokoudjou, with his right knee heavily taped, started off aggressively with a series of kicks to the leg and body, mixing in punches and knees as well. Another combination from Sokoudjou ended with a Superman Punch and a knee. Nakamura came back with punches and a knee of his own, then a right hook as Sokoudjou began to slow the pace. Both fighters landed punches in an exchange, with Sokoudjou throwing occasional kicks. After another punching exchange, Sokoudjou landed a kick to the body and a quick punch to the face that dropped Nakamura with less than ten seconds left in the round. Sokoudjou pounced, landing follow-up punches, but the bell rang to end the round. However, Nakamura had fallen awkwardly and injured his right knee, and could not continue.
After the fight, Sokoudjou called out Shogun. That would be an incredible fight if both fighters were healthy.
Winner: Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou by TKO (Knee Injury) at 5:00 of round one. He improves to 5-2-0.
Yoshiyuki "Zenko" Yoshida vs Jon "War Machine" Koppenhaver
Yoshida made the most of his UFC debut, quickly rendering Koppenhaver unconscious with a modified Anaconda Choke.Koppenhaver started off aggressively, but was met with a right hook as he came in. The fighters clinched and Yoshida took Koppenhaver down with a beautiful Judo hip toss. Koppenhaver tried to get back to his feet, but Yoshida locked on a guillotine choke, then quickly switched his arms into an Anaconda Choke. Rather than rolling to the side, Yoshida trapped Koppenhaver in what was essentially a combination guillotine/Anaconda Choke, rendering Koppenhaver unconscious in mere seconds. A highly impressive debut for Yoshida.
Winner: Yoshiyuki Yoshida by Technical Submission (Anaconda Choke) at 0:56 of round one. He improves to 10-2-0.
Rousimar "Toquinho" Palhares vs Ivan Salaverry
Palhares dominated this fight from start to finish, taking Salaverry down and working for a rear naked choke before finishing the fight with a textbook armbar.Salaverry landed a high kick early in the fight, but was promptly taken to the mat by a trip from Palhares. Palhares moved from side-control to mount, then took Salaverry's back and worked for a rear naked choke. Salaverry defended the choke attempts for well over a minute, but Palhares was relentless and eventually transitioned into a perfect armbar on Salaverry's left arm, forcing Salaverry to submit in what was said to be his retirement fight.
Winner: Rousimar Palhares by Submission (Armbar) at 2:35 of round one. He improves to 8-1-0.
Shane Carwin vs "The Hungarian Nightmare" Christian Wellisch
Carwin kept his streak intact, remaining undefeated and scoring his ninth first-round victory, with all of his fights to date ending in less than 2:15.Carwin came forward aggressively, but couldn't find his range in the opening seconds and Wellisch landed two solid counter lefts. However, that would be all that Wellisch would do, as a huge right from Carwin sent Wellisch's mouthpiece flying as Wellisch crumpled to the canvas. Two follow-up punches from Carwin were an afterthought, as Wellisch was out.
Winner: Shane Carwin by KO (Punch) at 0:43 of round one. He improves to 9-0-0.
Rich "No Love" Clementi vs Terry Etim
Clementi scored his sixth straight win in this fight, all within the last nine months, emerging victorious in a hard-fought battle with a very game Etim.The fighters circled and landed sparse strikes in the early stages of round one, with little action until Clementi eventually scored a takedown. However, he was unable to do much of anything on the ground, resorting only to small strikes. The fighters were stood back up and Etim drilled Clementi with a punch that dropped him. On the ground, Etim's huge reach advantage was evident, as he landed numerous lefts to the face of Clementi as Clementi tried to defend. Clementi eventually got back to his feet, with both fighters landing punches before the bell. Etim takes round one.
Round two began stronger, with both fighters immediately landing punches and Etim scoring with a left hook. Clementi went for a double-leg takedown and Etim pulled half-guard. Etim attempted a guillotine choke, but Clementi managed to escape. Clementi moved to side-control, but could do very little and the fight was stood up. Etim pulled guard and applied another guillotine choke, this one much deeper, but Clementi again escaped. Clementi spent the remainder of the round in Etim's guard, landing effective punches and elbows that cut Etim, taking the close round in the process.
Round three was slow and methodical, with Clementi scoring an early takedown and doing almost nothing on the ground. The fight was brought back to the feet, where Etim landed a solid knee. Clementi countered with another takedown, however, and maintained top position for the remainder of the round. Not an exciting finish, but an effective one for Clementi.
Winner: Rich Clementi by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 32-12-1.
Dong Hyun "Stun Gun" Kim vs Jason Tan
Kim continued his reign of dominant knockout victories, ending Tan's night in the third round with a slam and a series of vicious elbows.Round one was all Kim, as he dropped Tan with a punch early in the round. Tan grabbed Kim's leg, but was met with a flurry of elbows for his troubles, opening up a cut. Kim spun and reversed position, mounting Tan and landing more elbows. This continued for quite some time, with Kim raining down elbows from the top. The final minute saw Kim retain top position as he battered Tan with more elbows before the bell saved Tan from further punishment. Kim takes the round in highly dominant fashion.
Round two wasn't quite as dominant for Kim, but he once again held control for most of the round. Tan tried for a head kick and a takedown, but Kim blocked and sprawled to defend. Tan pressed Kim against the cage, but Kim threw Tan to the mat with a quick Judo toss. Tan did well to keep Kim in his butterfly guard, but Kim eventually transitioned to side-control and landed more of his patented elbows. As time wore on, both fighters began to fatigue, with Kim eventually taking mount briefly, where he landed more elbows. Tan got back to guard, while Kim was content to punish him with more elbows and punches before the bell.
Tan came out swinging in round three, but Kim put a stop to that by tossing him to the ground once again. Tan was stunned from the slam, and Kim battered him with a series of left elbows, knocking Tan out and forcing a stoppage. Yet another highly impressive UFC debut.
Winner: Dong Hyun Kim by KO (Slam & Elbows) at 0:25 of round three. He improves to 10-0-1.
Although Tito Ortiz's departure from the UFC did not go as he had planned, the finish of the fight was very exciting. Wanderlei Silva's destruction of Keith Jardine and BJ Penn's dominance over Sean Sherk ensured that UFC 84 will not be soon forgotten.
