UFC 84 Preview: Blood in the Water

They call this one "Ill Will" mainly because of the matches on the card. On one side, you have a young up-and-comer facing a UFC legend. In another match, you have one of the best versus one of the cockiest. Then there's the main event.

Words will not describe this card, so let's just go to the preview.

Thiago Silva (11-0) vs. Antonio Mendes (14-2)

A 25-year-old striker who is an expert in Muay Tuay, Silva has dominated almost every fight he has been in. A black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, he is as dangerous on the ground as he is standing up. Whether he is grounding and pounding his opponent, he can lock in the Guillotine choke through any guard.

Not much is known about Mendes, except that he has a dangerous knee strike. He is fantastic at Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, but the foot lock is where he seems to excel the most. His specialty is Muay Tuay which should make this an interesting fight.

The question isn't whether first fight jitters will get him or not. It's more of whether he'll have enough to handle the prime time known as the UFC.

Tito Ortiz (16-5-1) vs. Lyoto Machida (12-0)

He's brash. He's cocky. He's arrogant. But yet, he's a good fighter, when he's actually fighting.

Whether he's aggravating Ken Shamrock or challenging Dana White to a fight (which Ortiz will never make it to), the Huntington Beach Bad Boy's biggest attribute is his ability to ground and pound his opponents through the mat.

The Japanese Dragon is undefeated for a good reason. He is one of the few that specialize in pure karate. Machida has fought in the UFC before, but has never had a fight of this magnitude.

He is the UFC's version of Bobby Lashley: Soft spoken and hard hitting.

There are many that have been waiting for someone to shut Ortiz up. Expect Dana White to have a front row seat for this one—nothing would please him more than watching the Bad Boy get pummeled for a change.

Wanderlei Silva (31-8-1) vs. Keith Jardine (13-4-1)

This bout is a true battle of past vs. future. Silva vs. Jardine is exactly the kind of fight that the crowd would love to see.

Since winning The Ultimate Fighter, Jardine has been on a rampage.  However, his biggest victory came after defeating another UFC Legend—Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell.

There is no question that the Dean of Mean will be looking to continue his dominance against another legend.

Unfortunately, the Axe Murderer has other plans. A well known and well respected legend in Ultimate Fighting, Silva has concentrated all his training regiment on facing Jardine.

His rear naked choke is just as lethal as his striking ability, but he has guaranteed that this fight will rarely go to the ground, which should lead to some good fist fights.

BJ Penn (13-4-1) vs. Sean Sherk (35-2-1)

Everyone wants to be known as the best in whatever they do. The UFC Lightweight Championship has been quite the hot topic since the war of words began between BJ Penn and Sean Sherk.

This is why words cannot and will not do this match justice.

The Prodigy believes that he is the undisputed best in the lightweight division, and he has no problem telling anyone within earshot.  Unfortunately, he didn't plan on going against someone who would debate that.

Penn, called the Educated Pretzel due to his ability to flex in ways that make most guys cringe and envious at the same time, has dominated the majority of his opponents. 

However, his greatest challenge was brought on by a mutual animosity.

Since relinquishing the championship due to injury, The Muscle Shark has been on a quest to get back what was lost.

The hype behind the fight is true to its words. Sherk hates Penn. Penn hates Sherk.

What better way to settle some of their differences by beating the holy hell out of each other.

An excellent wrestler who has the conditioning to go toe to toe with the best in the business, Sherk has brute strength, which he'll need to combat those contortionist-like legs of Penn's.

If you were expecting one hell of a fight card, this is it. If you're aren't a UFC fan yet, don't worry. After Saturday night, even the most skeptical of critics will be smelling blood in the water.