UFC 84 Fight Predictions
UFC Fight Predictions, Analysis, Fantasy & Betting
These fight predictions for UFC 84 Ill Will from Las Vegas, NV have been logged by me (username: kickassfighter) over at the free UFC Fantasy League and I will be using my analysis and predictions here to place some bets over at the Bodog Life Online Sports Book.
Sean Sherk vs. BJ Penn
My fight analysis:
Sean “Muscle Shark” Sherk is the former UFC lightweight champion, coming off a unanimous decision victory over Hermes Franca at UFC 73 on July 7, 2007. But Sherk was fined, suspended and stripped of his belt after the post fight drug test came up positive for a banned substance. BJ “The Prodigy” Penn was the benefactor of the Sherk suspension as he beat Joe Stevenson by submission at UFC 80 in Jan of 2008, to capture the UFC Lightweight Championship belt.
After almost a year of trash talking, these two warriors will collide on May 24 at UFC 84. This is the most important fight in both of their careers and may be one of those fights that people talk about for a long time to come. I think these fighters truly dislike each other and would like nothing more than to shut the other one up. I see Penn being the more dominant fighter in the striking, grappling and octagon control, while Sherk has the aggression advantage.
- Striking: Penn
- Grappling: Penn
- Aggression: Sherk
- Octagon Control: Penn
Penn will be comfortable anywhere the fight goes, while I think the only place Sherk feels comfortable is on top raining haymakers down on his opponent, as we’ve seen in his last 3 fights, all unanimous decision victories. Sherk will need to use the same formula to beat Penn. Take him down and beat on him for 5 rounds to gain the decision from the judges. But I don’t see it happening.
Penn has great take down defense, a rock hard chin and is a Jiu Jitsu black belt. Even if he is taken down, he’s an expert from his back and has long limbs that he can use to isolate Sherk’s smallish-thick stature and short arms. I think BJ knows there are still questions about his desire to be the best ever, by his lack of total commitment to his conditioning. This was exposed when he ran out of gas and lost to Matt Hughes via TKO after dominating the early portion of that fight.
After seeing him dominate Joe Stevenson, I think BJ Penn knows it’s his time to shine and will come in superior shape. The fight will be a back and forth, up and down battle and I predict Penn will dominate the judges scorecards and put a stamp of validation on the lightweight belt for BJ Penn.
- Winner: Penn
- Method: Unanimous Decision
- Round: 5
- Minute: 5 (5:00)
Wanderlei Silva vs. Keith Jardine
My fight analysis:
If you like leg kicks, then don’t miss this light heavy weight battle as Wanderlei “The Axe Murderer” Silva takes on Keith “The Dean of Mean” Jardine. Silva likes to deliver high kicks to the head, to knock out his opponents (knees too). Jardine prefers low kicks to the legs and mid section, to wear his opponent down, and take the focus off his overhand right, as we saw in his knock out victory over Forest Griffin.
VIDEO: Wanderlei “The Axe Murderer” vs Keith “The Techno Viking”?
Jardine always comes to the fight with a good game plan. And as long as he doesn’t come with that goofy, ape-looking stance, I think he’ll survive Silva’s initial burst of fists and then use his leg kicks to wear down Wanderlei. In the end Jardine will use his hands to knockout the once dominant and feared Axe Murderer.
- Winner: Jardine
- Method: Knockout
- Round: 3
- Minute: 3 (3:00 – 3:59)
Tito Ortiz vs. Lyoto Machida
Video fight analysis from Nuker:
My fight analysis:
Is Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida for real, despite his boring, play-it-safe, methodical style? Does Tito “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” Ortiz have the heart and all around mma skills to make it back to the top of the mountain? Tito is fighting for a contract with a new organization while Machida is looking to further improve his status in the UFC light heavyweight division. It’s Tito’s time to shine. If he wants that big contract he’s been talking about, then a dominant victory would help his cause.
But a lackluster performance or dominant loss may further the UFC’s position that he’s not worth the big contract. See what Tito had to say about a host of topics in this video interview…
VIDEO 1: Tito Ortiz talks Machida, fued with Dana White and his last fight in UFC
VIDEO 2: Tito Ortiz talks Machida, fued with Dana White and his last fight in UFC
I see Oritiz’s fate in this fight, the same as I predicted for Sean Sherk in his fight. Tito needs to take down Lyoto and use his patented ground and pound to damage and punish his opponent for three rounds. Machida and the rest of the mma community knows Tito’s game is to dominate his opponent by taking them down and pounding on them.
I think Lyoto will keep Tito off balance with strikes and take down defense, doing just enough to win the rounds, without taking too many chances. In the end, Machida wins a unanimous decision to bring Tito’s UFC career to an end, it keeps Machida’s perfect record intact and sets him up for a potential title shot.
- Winner: Machida
- Method: Unanimous Decision
- Round: 3
- Minute: 5 (5:00)
UFC 84 Fantasy and Betting
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Enjoy!