UFC 84: Ill Will Predictions

BJ "The Prodigy: Penn vs. Sean "The Muscle Shark" Sherk:

Penn is a better striker than Sherk, although Sherk's not horrible. We all know that Sherk is a cardio machine and wil have the pure strength advantage in this fight.

That being said, BJ can obviously handle himself on the ground in the event that Sherk can score a takedown. I see Penn utliizing his height and reach advantages to win the stand up battle, and if the fight goes to the ground I think Penns' jiu-jitsu will prevail over Sherks' wrestling—so long as BJ doesn't let the fight go on for too long. 

End result: BJ win's by TKO late in the first or some time in the second round.

Wanderlei "The Axe Murder" Silva vs. Keith "The Dean of Mean" Jardine:

I think both guys will come out hard and fast, and land some shots in the early going. Jardine will look to mix it up with some punches and the kicks the were so effective in his fight against Liddell.

Wanderlei certainly has no quit in him, and I think we will see more of the real Axe Murderer in this fight. I see Wanderlei pushing the pace throwing those wild looping punches that we're all accustomed to seeing.

I think Wanderlei will be able to close the gap through Jardines' kicks, much like he did the first time he fought Mirko Cro Cop, and being able to land a number of good punches to the head and body.

End Result: We're going to see a vintage Wanderlei KO(TKO)! Wanderlei will win via KO/TKO in the middle-to-late second round, with a possibility that the fight goes to the third with the same result.

Lyoto "The Dragon" Machida vs. Tito "The Beach Bad Boy" Ortiz:

I covered this fight in my last article, so I'll make this short and sweet. Tito has the pure strength and wrestling advantages while Machida is a better striker, a better jiu-jitsu fighter, and has a better all-around game.

End Result: As a credit to Tito's conditioning, I see him lasting until late in the second or sometime in the third round, only to fall victim to a Machida TKO.

Thiago Silva vs. Antonio Mendes:

Mendes is a newcomer to the UFC, and thus most of us aren't particularly familiar with his fighting style. Mendes holds an MMA record of 14-2-0, with seven of his victories coming by way of KO/TKO. He is a Thai boxer who is also utilizes a solid submission game.

Thiago Silva holds an undefeated 11-0 record, and has been impressive in his last three fights defeating James Irvin, Tomasz Drwal, and Houston Alexander—all by TKO! Silva is an agressive fighter, who does an excellent job of drawing his opponents to a clinch, eventually finishing them with a flurry of strikes.

End Result: Silva will bring the fight to a clinch, probably take it to the ground, and win with a ground-and-pound TKO.

Rameau "The African Assassin" Sokoudju vs. Kazuhiro "Kaz" Nakamura:

Nakamura is a solid, veteran MMA fighter whose specialties are takedowns and conditioning. Most of his victories have come down to a decision.

Sokoudju is a powerful fighter with explosive striking abilities. His last fight was a submission loss to Machida. Machida picked him apart and never allowed Sokoudju to land any harmful shots.

I look for Sokoudju to learn from that experience. I realy see him taking a more comprehensive approach to this fight.

End Result: Sokoudju is too powerful and explosive for Nakamura to handle, and will win via TKO (strikes) late in the first round.