When I went to the bar tonight, I was expecting three events that would leave my throat sore from screaming. When the night was over, I left with two events leaving me breathless and one leaving me wanting to puke. Guess which one made me gag?
In any event, in the interest of fairness, here's the recap from Ill Will.
Wanderlei Silva defeats Keith Jardine
He is known as the Axe Murderer for a reason. In the first round, the Dean of Mean found out the hard way why he is known by that moniker.
In just 36 seconds into the first round, Silva clocked Jardine and showed his relentless side by forcing the ref to stop the fight and achieved something better than a win.
Silva broke a three fight losing streak and won his first fight in the UFC in almost a decade by taking the upstart from the Ultimate Fighter series.
Lyoto Machida defeats Tito Ortiz
In what was dubbed as his final fight, the Huntington Beach Bad Boy came up short.
In the final fight of his contract with Ultimate Fighting Championship, Tito Ortiz took it all three rounds. He did whatever was necessary to go toe to toe with the martial artist, but in the end, the one thing neither wanted to happen did happen. It went down to the judges table.
The two men danced around and threw whatever punches were open at the moment, but it was the third round that left everyone enjoying this fight. Ortiz nailed an armbar late in the third round, but Machida managed to wiggle his way out and the fight continued on foot from there.
In the end, Ortiz got to fight with one of the best and admit that he lost a good fight. You have to respect the man for that at least. In the end, Machida won the judges over, claiming 30-27 on all three cards.
BJ Penn "defeats" Sean Sherk
In the most anticpated match of the night, it turned into the biggest screwjob of the night. Penn and Sherk beat each other senseless through three rounds, but it was the end of the third round when things started hitting the fan.
Penn drove a left knee into Sherk's skull as he was leaning against the fence for air. After that, Penn started going downtown with some severe ground and pounds. The ref stepped in to break the two up in what many thought was the end of the round.
Little did any of those people know, it was the end of the fight. Referee Mario Yamasaki deemed Sherk unable to continue the bout, even though the round was over.
Following the bout, Penn started hyping for a possible showdown with Georges St-Pierre, but what he should be doing is thanking Yamasaki for taking part in arguably one of the biggest screwjobs in UFC History.
Regardless of what anyone else has to say, if you saw the last round, doesn't matter if Sherk would make it to the next round, the least you could have done was ask him if he was able to continue. Honestly, you do that for everyone else, so why not Sherk? Either way, Penn became a "Paper Champion" tonight with his victory, and the whole world knows it.
It's just a matter of if anyone will actually say it. Lucky for those who can't say it, I'm going to say it because if you saw the fight, and you know the rules, Penn didn't earn his victory. He got it handed to him because Yamasaki didn't do his part.
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4 months ago
The Penn fight was a screw job. Why didn't the ref stop the fight at the end of the round like every other round? There was only 3 seconds left on the clock when Penn went to deliver the knee and the ref just stood there and let Penn attack after the round was over. It did look like the ref was ending the round and not calling it. If you just ask me it should have gone to the next round. You called it just like it happened Ron. Thank you! I wanted Penn to win but this was a fight that I feel should have kept going.
from 4 months ago
Did you want to see Sherk Seriously injured? Sherk did not even dispute the stoppage. BJ Penn beat sherk to the punch nearly every single time. He dominated the fight and if you think the fight should not have been stopped than lets put you in Sherk's situation and see how you feel!
4 months ago
A screw job? Wow! You are either a Penn hater, or you were watching something else. If it was such a screw job why did Sherk not have the typical "Bret Hart" reaction to the "screw job". Sherk's reaction was enough to tell you or anyone watching that he was beaten, and did not feel like he had been "Harted" out of anything.
4 months ago
should have kept going? are you guys serious? these are the type of comments that separate people who actually train and have knowledge of mma from casual fans. NOBODY who fights or has any clue would think that fight should have kept going. Sherk was out.
p.s. ron this is not pro wrestling, i know you think the ref turned his head and let bj hit sherk with a chair but it was actually a combo, followed by a knee, followed by some ground n pound. fight over end of discussion, end of your lame conspiracy theory.
from 4 months ago
Where are you getting wrestling in this? Were you actually watching the fight? I watched the fight and then also watched the recap on the web and he wasn't out. I think you need to watch it again and see that the fight was at the end of the round and it should have kept going. Have you ever fought in this kind of match? Is this the first time you actually watched UFC? Sherk was getting up and was not out.
By the way were are you getting this conspiracy theory idea? No where does it say that Ron thought it was such a thing. This article is based on what had happened in the fight and the ref never called it as over. Penn just started running around like the victor and his guys came in the ring and the ref never said that it was over. Watch it again and you can see it for yourself!
4 months ago
Bryan,
That was exactly my whole point with my WWF, E whatever, references. Thank you for see the obvious as well.
4 months ago
Sorry dude there was no "screw job" at all in that fight... And trust me when I say I'm a Huge Sherk fan and was cheering for him all the way.. But he was done.. He couldn't even get up at the end of the round! Do you honestly think Sherk wouldn't have screamed bloody murder if he felt the stoppage wasn't fair? He even said in the post fight that he didn't hear the bell to end the round because he was so out of it!
I'm sad to say BJ won fair and square... If i were you i'd be more pissed off that sherk stood and traded with BJ instead of taking him down like he should have.... I can't believe he thought that was a good idea! :S
4 months ago
Sherk was finished three punches after that knee landed... he was OUT. If they fought again, the same thing would happen, because Sherk won't be able to take him down and will lose on the feet due to his Penn's reach and technique.
Near the end, Sherk was just winging punches, hoping something would land. I think he hurt his hand though, but at least he should have tried for a take down. I believe he told the ref that he was done and then Yamasaki called the fight.
Sherk wasn't complaining about the stoppage, and neither should we. I don't think Sherk is eager to get back in the cage with Penn anyway. At least he lasted a full three rounds.
4 months ago
I am a BJ Penn hater. I hated him first for being called a "prodigy" when he was squandering his God given talent by being a rich Hawaiian playboy and partying and smoking weed rather than training hard to deserve the accolades he was given. Second, I consider him as being a "dirty" fighter. He has used "accidental" eye gouges against Hughes and St. Pierre. and hopefully I am not the only one to notice the cresent shaped cut below Sherk's right eye--just like the gouges to GSP and Hughes. He opened up Stevenson's forehead just to end that fight early. My biggest prayer is that the next person he fights takes a page from Penn's book and opens up his forehead then gouges him "accidentally" in both eyes while going for a Muay Tai clinch. Payback is a bitch! And where in BJ's indignation over illegal use of steroids did he mention his own predilection for using pot; or is that legal in the part of Hawaii that he owns?
4 months ago
and you think BJ Penn is the only fighter who does that?
give your head a shake
4 months ago
Screw Job?????! You need to go back and watch the same fight I watched. I saw a stubborn Sherk refuse to change his gameplan when his punched were continuously coming up short while Penn continued to land his jab easily keeping Sherk off balance. Sherk is a guy that is known for setting the tempo of a fight and Penn never let that happen. Sherk wasn't going to win this fight. If you watch at the end when Penn stands up, Sherk is waving his hand to the ref clearing signaling he has taken enough punishment. Outside of GSP, Penn is the best all around fighter in the UFC. Sherk found that out tonight.
4 months ago
Despite the fact that BJ was winning the fight and the outcome was predictable by all, BJ PENN DOES NOT HAVE THE RIGHT TO CALL A FIGHT! That was weak referring and I'm sure that we will hear more about this in the coming days.
from 4 months ago
actually mr truth teller, sean motioned to the ref that he was done. so the REF called the fight. bj was doing a job of stating the obvious. And im pretty sure we will NOT hear about it in the coming days, not from anybody with any sense anyways.
4 months ago
He did not motion to the ref. I saw that one. The ref didn't stop the fight after the horn sounded. He let Penn continue his assault, and only when Sherk was on one knee did he decide that he couldn't continue.
from 4 months ago
There was exactly 1 punch after the bell if I recall correctly. I have it on tape so I can look at it again later. And btw, an extra punch getting in at the end of the bell happens ALL THE TIME. And sherk was definitely done. Did you guys see the Kaz Vs Sok fight? Almost the same thing happened except they didn't stop it untill kaz was all the way back to his corner. This is how it works sometimes. It was obvious that Sherk didn't get screwed out of anything if you watch MMA enough.
from 4 months ago
the ref took a look at sherk, asked him could he continue, and sherk motioned to him in a manner that made him stop the fight. thats what the ref told dana white and thats what he said in the post fight interviews.
4 months ago
for lack of better words this is the most idiotic thing i have ever read. First of all Sherk was arguably taking more hits and more of a beating then BJ. Not even as far as trading punches or taking hits in any way. Anyone who watched the fight could see that Sherk was hurting while Penn was composed.
Second, not only did both Penn and the Yamasaki believe that Sherk was done, but also Sherks trainer who told the ref Sherk would no continue. If you were watching the same fight as everyone else you would have seen that as well.
And third, Bj Penn is one of the greatest and most well rounded fighters in the world and now he has rightfully earned that belt. For all the crap talking that went on that belt is fairly owned and I believe fairly defended. Sherk lost his belt because he dropped dirty and no one will ever know the complete truth about that. Now he has had a chance to claim the title that he believed was his and he lost it. Penn was a better fighter last night and I believe will always be a better fighter. Move over Sherk and lets see who is next Florian or Huerta.
I am done now.
from 4 months ago
And for lack of better words, I think that everyone is missing the point. I've watched enough fights to know that if the referee waves his arms in the air while pulling a fighter off the other that the fight is over. Sherk was on one knee, and breathing heavily. I'm not disagreeing that Penn would have won that fight, but for the sake of argument, they should have let it go to the next round. I know that there are plenty of Penn supporters out there who will disagree with this column, and frankly, I could care less.
I watched the same fight last night. I watched the replay this morning. Hell I even watched the recap, and the entire UFC locker room is divided on the decision. As for Florian and Huerta, I hope one of them shocks the world and knocks Penn on his ass. It's been proven that he has an ego, and it would be a good shot at his ego to get beat again. As for a better fighter, that is yet to be proven. He beat Sherk and he beat Pulver, but his mouth will get him into another fight.
Sherk will be back and he will beat Penn. Whether it's for the title or not will be pointless. But a word of advice for Team Hawaii: Until the decision is final, stay your asses out of the ring.
Now you're done. Go join some pacifist crew or something.
4 months ago
Sherk was not on a knee breathing heavy, he was on his ass using the fence to hold himself up. At first I thought maybe it was a screwjob but when sherk said he didn't even hear the bell ring I felt it was the right call. Sherk wasn't pissed about it so why should his fans be?
Also, you say "new" referee Mario Yamasaki made this call as if it was his inexperience, however Mario has been around for a while so I do not think that was a problem.
Not to sound offensive, but you should try to be a little less biased in your articles.
4 months ago
"Sherk will be back and he will beat Penn." - Ron
Um, I don't think so. He had his chance last night, couldn't outstrike Penn and couldn't take it to the ground. I doubt Sherk is eager for a rematch. He put up a decent fight, but was finished at the end, and Penn proved that he was a better fighter.
And Yamasaki has been around for years, he's one of the top 5 refs in the sport.
4 months ago
Howzit, I didn't get a chance to watch the fight last night. But from what everyone is stating, B.J. won. Said and done. I'm from the Big Island, and take offense to what some of you wrote about Hawaiians. Let me tell you, B.J. doesn't own A part of Hawaii, he resides in Hilo. He's turned his life around from being a punk-troublemaker from his youth and has proved to many of us that if you have a dream, you can succeed. He's a great fighter, Ego and all. It only expresses his self-confidence. Until he gets beaten, give the guy his PROPS. Aloha
from 4 months ago
my best friend is from HI. well said.
4 months ago
Sherk will come back and beat Penn!!!!! If not for the title but for the simple fact that he has been screwed royally. Some of you stated that Sherk couldn't hear the bell. Have anyone of you been in a fight and had the adrenaline flowing, you can't hear anything and that is the main reason why there is a referee in there with them. Think about this: a knockout is when you knock someone out. When you are knocked out you do not move, how is is possible that he they say Sherk was knocked out when he was still moving?
from 4 months ago
It's called a TKO, or technical knock out for a reason. Most fights that get stopped by strikes are TKO's, not KO's. Your point is irrelevant.
BTW, it was pretty clear BJ Penn could hear the bell, so that ruins your theory that you can't hear anything... as does 99.9% of the end of rounds in MMA or boxing history, basically. The fact Sherk couldn't hear the bell means he probably thought Yamasaki came in to stop the fight, and he didn't fight against it. He knew he was done and so did everyone else in the octagon.
from 4 months ago
actually he was technically knocked out not knocked out, so ya.
4 months ago
If Sherk wanted to continue or could continue he would have popped right back up and went to his corner.
I have had the chance to meet and talk with Sean Sherk on several occasions. If Sean thought he got screwed he would have said something, but he didn't because he got beat by the better fighter that night.
4 months ago
maybe nadene you should watch the post fight interviews. then you would see how silly your comments sound.
4 months ago
The idea that penn didn't earn his victory and he should thank the ref for the victory is just ridiculous. If you wanted to garner 20+ comments by making some outrageous claim well then you succeeded.
It is the refs job to determine if you can continue or not and he made the right decision. You don't ask sherk if he can continue, you're the ref, you make the decision yourself. You didn't hear sherk saying it was a bad stoppage did you? Sherk knows it was the right call too.
Also, how don't take anything away from penn. He earned the victory and he's a great champion. What did he do wrong? All he did was go out and dominate one of the best lightweights on the planet.
4 months ago
Derek, Ron is a huge pro wrestling fan, so its only natural that he makes up for his lack of mma knowledge with hyperbole and screwjob claims.
I personally want to know if Ron thinks Brock will land the F-5 on Heith Herring in their fight?
4 months ago
I think it was Sherk's corner that told the ref that Sherk couldn't continue. Buffer didn't say that the ref stopped the fight, he said that Sherk was unable to continue and answer the bell for the fourth round. It was just as if his corner had thrown in the towel.
Does anyone think that a rematch would go any differently? Sherk doesn't think he got screwed, and if so, then why isn't he demanding a rematch? Because he has accepted the loss graciously, and so should all fans.
Watch the slo-mo gif of the knee and punches, you will see Sherk go limp. He was out, didn't hear the bell, and there was no need for him to take more punishment.
4 months ago
Wow is everything a conspiracy? can't someone just lose anymore?
Sherk lost and he did not even complain all these people claiming the fight was stopped to soon probably never have taken a punch.
4 months ago
Sherk wanted to end the fight right then to save face. Better to quit in between rounds then to come out flat the next round and get knocked the F out. At least this way he got to walk out of cage instead of get carried out of it!
4 months ago
It was the refs decision to make that call, but think about it a little bit, why he would be a little quick on the gun.
In the Jardine fight, he was completely out on his back and didn't get up for about 5 minutes. Nakamura was stumbling all over the cage 2 minutes after his fight was stopped. Sherk is still a name fighter and BJ had his number the entire night. The only thing that was going to happen was for more pain for Sherk. The stoppage made complete sense, but because of his hesitation, it came off as lame. I didn't see Sherk complain at all. I think he was glad it was over.
4 months ago
First let me say that I AM NOT a Penn fan. In fact, I dislike him very much...this fight just gave me even MORE reasons to dislike him (more on that momentarily)...but no one can dispute the fact that he annihilated Sherk. I kept waiting for Sherk to try and take it to the ground. Instead he chose to try and submit Penn by letting him injure his hand Punching Sherk in the face. That gameplan didn't work. Sherk is a wrestler...not a boxer. Hopefully he realizes that now.
The reason I despise Penn even more than ever, was his disgusting display of barbarism and lack of sportsmanship after the fight was concluded. He literally ran over to Sherk's corner (while Sherk was still on his knees trying to collect his wits)...and I was thinking, "Oh, he's going to check on Sherk's health/condition after the big knee". WRONG. He was running over to take a big swipe of blood from Sherks pulped face, so that he could LICK IT from the back of his gloves. WTF DUDE???? Yes, the sport is violent. The sport is about domination and conquest. But F'n A....is it really necessary to throw sportsmanship to the wind and act like a complete F'n Barbarian? I mean, who the hell licks their opponents blood, while they're still half unconscious? The liberal left already sees the sport as caveman level entertainment. Is it really necessary to prove them right w/ that type of nonsense? How can an MMA fight fan defend our position on this as a legitmate sport with animalistic behavior like that?
Any faux sportsmanship that came out of his mouth afterwards fell on deaf ears. His ridiculous antics spoke much louder than any false words ever could.
4 months ago
Take it easy, Paul. Penn will lose to GSP again, don't worry. He'll be put back into his place with some much-needed humility.
from 4 months ago
you do realize GSP won by split decision. I wouldn't say that is a humility placer. Plus BJ was only fighting at that weight because he had no choice then.
4 months ago
Hey Paul,
I think BJ and Sherk knew well in advance that all that trash talking was done in wink wink, nudge nudge style to sell the fight. From a competitive standpoint, I'm sure they don't like each other. But all of the antics were definitely premeditated.
4 months ago
To Jen: You do realize that the only reason Penn won the first round is because he clipped GSP's nose and poked him in the eye? He hardly hurt a blind GSP. And Cecil Peoples scored the fight for Penn, and he is viewed as the worst judge in the sport. GSP clearly won the last two rounds.
Plus, Penn is better at 155, and GSP is too big for him. Penn won't win by k.o. or sub, and GSP will take him down and maybe even finish him this time. And I think GSP has improved more since their last fight.
There are plenty of hungry, talented challengers at lightweight and I think Penn should be more worried about holding on to his belt than moving back up to welterweight. When is the last time he won a fight at 170 lbs?
Penn's losses to GSP and Hughes made him drop back to lightweight, otherwise he would have been champ at 170. Better to be champ at a lower weight class than challenger at a higher one. Though Penn has guts for fighting above his natural weight, especially against Machida.
4 months ago
Sherk himself in the post fight interview with Rogan said, "The round ended? Well I wasn't able to continue anyway."
Sherk cannot get screwed if Sherk himself admitted that it was a good stop.
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