UFC Events
KELLER'S UFC 84 REPORT: Ongoing "virtual time" coverage of live PPV event
By By Wade Keller, MMATorch supervising editor
May 24, 2008 - 9:23:29 PM

KELLER'S UFC 85 "ILL WILL" REPORT
MAY 24, 2008
LIVE ON PPV - LAS VEGAS, NEV. - MGM GRAND

Right now also check out our own Shawn Ennis's live coverage of this event also, link on the Main Listing.

-The show opened with a video package containing clips of the top six fighters commenting on their fights. Tito Ortiz said Lyoto Machida will have a bright future, but not because of a victory over him. Wanderlei Silva said he'll knock out Jardine so fast. Keith Jardine said he wants to have an incredible fight that everyone is talking about. B.J. Penn accused Sean Sherk of cheating. He said he wants to hurt him bad. Sherk said he's going to come after him hard and he'll get right in his face and fight.

-After the opening video showing highlights of the key six fighters on this show, Mike Goldberg introduced the show. He called it "by far the most anticipated lightweight match in UFC history." Joe Rogan is back and he agreed with the assessment of the lightweight match as by far the most anticipated ever. Rogan touted Penn's two recent big wins over Joe Stevenson and Sean Sherk. Sherk's great cardio continues to be a huge talking point for all analysts in this fight. Goldberg plugged the text voting to pick the winner of that fight. They shifted to the Jardine-Silva fight. Rogan said Silva has a huge fan base because of his unbelievably exciting wins. Rogan said Jardine has an awkward style, but has beaten top flight competition. And then good ol' Tito Ortiz, whom in the pre-game show, Dana White said again doesn't have the drive to be the best fighter he can be. Rogan said this is Ortiz's last fight in UFC. They touted Machida as the most successful MMA fighter whose core discipline is karate.

1 -- THAIGO SILVA (25, 6-1, Sao Paulo, Brazil, 12-0)  vs. ANTONIO MENDES (27, 6-3, Fortaleza, Brazil, 14-2) -- Light Heavyweights

PRE-FIGHT: Rogan said Mendes's debut is highly anticipated. Goldberg said fighting in the UFC is the equivalent of the NFL for pro football and it's where the best have to prove themselves... They touted Silva being 3-0 in UFC and 12-0 in MMA and wasted Houston Alexander. Goldberg said he could truly be a factor in the light-heavyweight division... They showed David Spade in the crowd...

ROUND ONE: Mendez rocked the favored Silva in the opening seconds with a great back roundhouse kick to the head. Silva blocked it, but it took him down. He poppedup to show he was fine, but Mendez stunned hm again with a high-energy assault that ended up on the ground. Rogan said Silva has to pull it together. Mendez let him up and continued to attack. Mendez went for a judo throw but slipped as he shifted and ended up on his back. Silva ended up in a full mount. Silva just pounded on him and Mendes couldn't choose whether to get punched face-up or face-down and eventually the ref stepped in. Good comeback by Silva who looked to be in potential trouble early, but persevered.

WINNER: Silva at 2:24 of round one.

STAR RATING (**+): About as good as a half a round can be with a huge swing in momentum.

POST-FIGHT: Silva said Mendez caught him and hurt him. He said he was stronger than he thought. Nice honesty. He said he trained very hard and was able to come out on top. Rogan asked him where he thinks he falls in the light-heavyweight division. Silva  said he hopes he has a chance (at the title), but that's up to UFC.

RAMIFICATIONS: Silva at 13-0 is an obvious intriguing fight for any of the top tier light-heavyweights and this fight further confirms it.

-Just short of two-thirds are picking Penn over Sherk (65-35). No surprise there based on Penn's name value and history and rep with UFC.

-Urijah Faber was shown in the crowd. Goldberg plugged his fight on Versus a week from tonight against Jens Pulver. The cable rating for that will be really interesting. Truly the biggest WEC fight to date. How it compares to marquee NHL playoff games will be interesting.

-They showed B.J. Penn and Sherk arriving at the arena earlier separately.

-A plug aired for the UFC 85 "Bedlam" show June 7 on PPV.

-They showed Penn relaxing backstage in street clothes stretching his leg in a weird way. Then they went to Sherk wearing a hooded jacket backstage looking like he was watching TV really intently.

2 -- TITO ORTIZ (33, 6-2, Huntington Beach, Calif., 16-5-1) vs. LYOTO MACHIDA (29, 6-1, Belem, Brazil, 12-0) -- Light Heavyweights

PRE-FIGHT: Rogan said Ortiz got the biggest ovation of anybody at weigh-ins. He also noticed during Tito's trip to the ring that he looked emotional. He was teared up. Rogan noted that Tito says this is his last UFC fight. Goldberg brought up the feud with Dana White. He said other than an older Ken Shamrock, he hasn't defeated anybody since Vitor Belfort in 2005, but also said he has only lost to Chuck Liddell, Randy Couture, and Frank Shamrock. I guess the Forrest Griffin fight doesn't count, and that was for all intents and purposes a draw at best for him objectively speaking... Putting Tito on in the second fight of the night is quite the dig at him, but business-wise, it makes sense not to put him in a top spot if he's going to fight for a competitor later this year... Rogan said Tito has battled injuries, especially back issues, and he has said win, lose, or draw he's done... Goldberg said he's never seen as emotional an entrance as Tito's for UFC's debut in Las Vegas right after 9/11. That was my first live UFC experience and UFC rolled out the red carpet for me and other Torch staffers at the time. It was a hugely disappointing show with Belfort's no-show and a card full of flat draws, but a great experience overall nonetheless to see UFC in person and be backstage for the full pre- and post-show media events. White was super-accessible and professional, too... Rogan said Machida's karate background has given him a lot of unqiue skills to avoid punishment and score big wins... I wish they had Dana White mic'd for this for a reaction to whatever the result is of this fight...

ROUND ONE: Goldberg said Ortiz claims he's 100 percent healthy for the first time in a long time. Rogan said Tito says his back hasn't bothered him during this training camp. Goldberg said his back issues have hurt his ability to shoot in with full effect in recent fights. Not much went on during the opening two minutes except a loud "Tito, Tito" chant. Tito went for a knee, but Machida avoided. Tito grabbed him, but Machida tossed him backward. Tito threw a few punches, but Machida easily avoided them. Goldberg said nobody has learned to defeat Machida yet. Rogan said the elusive karate attack is difficult to train with. Another very loud "Tito" chant at 2:45. Goldberg said for six years Tito was considered the best 205 fighter on the planet "but that was a long time ago." They plugged Faber vs. Pulver and Rogan said he can't wait. Machida landed a high roundhouse kick to the head of Tito, but it didn't have a ton of power and hit Tito's blocking hand. Tito grew impatient and dropped his arms briefly. Rogan asked what he's upset about, as Machida is just being elusive. Machida took Ortiz down when Tito was looking to take him down. He locked him down and punched away at his face. That was probably the deciding ten seconds to win that round. Tito may have been saved by the bell only because he had Tito locked on the mat in side control and was hitting him with a flurry. Rogan and Goldberg practically talked as if that last 15 seconds proved Tito has no chance against Machida. Beteeen rounds they showed Chuck Liddell in the crowd.

ROUND TWO: About 90 seconds of nothing, then a Machida hard roundhouse kick to the ribs. Rogan complimented Machida for his fakes that keep Tito on guard but frustrated. Mid-round Goldberg said Tito hasn't been aggressive at all. Machida's karate is really fun to watch with the fake kicks and double kicks and switch kicks because it's stuff you do while sparring at karate class, but rarely see used effectively in an MMA fight setting. Trio tried to move in at 3:30, but Machida remained elusive. Tito shot in, but Machida pulled back and then ended up on top in Tito's full guard. Tto got back to his feet and Machida backed off. Machida shot in with a super-fast knee to the face. Tito seemed fine afterward. Tito needed to do more in the final 30 seconds to have a claim to the second round, but maybe lasting three rounds and acting frustrated is a marketing strategy on his part. Machida complied and shot in with some rapid fire punched in the final ten seconds and landed a couple. Tito went after him in return and landed a roundhouse kick to the ribs. When the horn sounded, he may have flipped him off and certainly gestured to him in frustration. The doc checked on Tito's cut on his right eyelid.

ROUND THREE: Goldberg said this may be the final five minutes of Tito's UFC Octagon career. Tito said between rounds Machida was running the whole time. Rogan said it wasn't running, it was intelligent fighting. Another "Tito" chant broke out. The referee Eve Levign fell backward drawing laughs from the crowd. He got up and smiled. The fighters didn't break concentraton. Tito moved i and clinched. Mahida didn't go down. Tito threw hard body shots and continued to try to take him down. Machida pushed him off and they were back to more of the same. Goldberg again mentioned the heat between Tito and Dana White, saying White wants out of the Tito Ortiz business. Rogan said Tito needs to realize the urgency and turn it up. He landed a hook and then a knee in a clinch. Machida had Tito against the fence. Tito switched positions, but couldn't take him down. TIto grabbed his leg, but still couldn't get him down. Machida got away and then moved right back into a clinch. Tito looked at the clock. 2:15 was left. Machida landed a knee to Tito's ribs and did major damage. Tito went down. Machida moved in and pounded him with a flurry of punches. Tito was in full guard at 4:00. Tito threw some weak punches from underneath. Tito slipped on a triangle choke and armbar and almost had Machida beat. Rogan lost it! Machida slipped out, but barely. Tito almost applied it again as the fight ended. Rogan said he wanted it to be five rounds. Tito and Machida acknowledged respect for each other and bowed on the mat. Rogan said Tito has never shown a tendency to apply submissions from his back before.

WINNER: Machida via unanimous judges' decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

STAR RATING (***): It had it's moments for sure. There was a lot of standing around, but even that is entertaining with all of Machida's fakes. The final minute was stellar.

POST-FIGHT: Tito looked at the camera right before the official announcement and said: "I tried. I gave it my f---in' hardest." He said something about the troops.

RAMIFICATIONS: Tito saved face with that final near submission. Great finish to a somewhat disappointing fight otherwise, but not a surprise in terms of Tito's tentativeness in response to Machida's elusive style. When Rogan asked Machida about the near-submission at the end, Machida said through a translator that he said to himself, "I'm going to die, but I'm not going to tape." He also said he is happy with the win. He said Tito is a legend in UFC. He thanked Tito for the fight. Tito hung around for a post-fight interview. Rogan told him he was so close at the end. Tito said he had the wind knocked out of him, but he recovered. He said Machida is elusive. He said, "I'm here to fight." He said he thought he had him for a second, but he was a little slippery and defended well. Tito said he'll be fighting for another three or four years, but probably not UFC. He said the hard feelings between he and White is bullsh--. He thanked the Fertita Brothers. He said it's sad it ends this way, but his fans will see him fighting a lot more often. Rogan asked if this is definitely his final UFC fight. Tito said he hasn't decided for sure. He said he has a book tour coming up for his autobiography. He thanked the fans again as the greatest in the world. Rogan tahnked him for all of his entertaining fights over the years. Tito said Rogan interviewed him after his first UFC fight and it's great to end with him. He thanked his ex-wife for taking care of his son, and his son, and of course his current girlfriend Jenna Jamison. He closed by saying Tito will be around "and be sure to buy the pay-per-view." That was classy of UFC to give him that much mic time, especially to plug potential competitive PPV appearances.

RAMIFICATIONS: Machida remains a rising star in the division on the path to a title shot. Ortiz didn't prove his critics wrong in either direction. He was neither a push-over for the impressive Machida nor did he prove he's someone who can beat a top tier fighter anymore. The crowd response for Tito here shows that Tito is a valuable fighter for a competing organization.

-Plugs for the June 7 PPV and The Ultimate Fighter came next.

3 -- WLSON GOUVEIA (29, 6-1, Fortaleza, Brazil, 10-4) vs. GORAN RELJIC (24, 6-3, Zagreb, Croatia, 7-0) -- Light Heavyweights

PRE-FIGHT: Gouveia lost three of his first four fights, then won six out of seven... The debuting Reljic is friends with Mirko Cro-Cop and trains on striking with him and also trains in jiu jitsu with a Gracie. He's been training in Vegas lately and sparring with Forrest Griffin and Wanderlei Silva... Goldberg said since both men like to stand and trade punches, this could be spectacular... Relic has a five inch reach advantage... The showed The Rock in the crowd. Rogan said he has really white teeth. Goldberg said Rock is one cool dude...

ROUND ONE: Reljic threw a high hard roundkick that Gouveia blocked. Rogan said that can break the blocking arm. His kicks are wicked and fast. He threw three more roundhouse kicks to the head and shoulder. None hit flush, but all were intimidating and dangerous. Gouveia decided to move in with some punches and Reljic countered nicely. At 4:00 Gouveia began landing a lot of punches and Reljic seemed to be in potential trouble, so he leaped into the air and brought Gouveia down into his guard to survive the round. Man, fun round. Tough call to judge as Reljic landed a lot of powerful high roundhouse kicks to Gouveia's shoulder and blocking hand, but in the end, Reljic was reeling until he dropped into guard. Reljic's corner told him to set up his kicks with a punch and be less predictable and maybe hit something other than a shoulder or blocking arm as a result on those powerful high kicks. He guaranteed him he'd win by knockout. We know for sure that Gouveia's right arm and shoulder are going to be very sore tomorrow.

ROUND TWO: At 1:00 Reljic landed another high roundhouse kick, but Gouveia doesn't flinch. Gouveia landed a punch and took Reljic down and began throwing more punches. Reljic dropped into guard again, but eventually Gouveia snuck in some punches. Reljic appeared to be in trouble, but he was surviving mid-way through the round and although dazed and tired, still defending himself. Gouveia let things go back to standing. Then out of nowhere Reljic landed a left to the face and seconds lateranother left. Gouveia went down. Reljic threw a barrage of punches, but he managed to defend himself just enough to stop Herb Dean from stepping in right away. Reljic kept pounding away and finally Gouveia stopped defending himself intelligently and the ref stopped it.

WINNER: Reljic at 3:15 in the second round.

POST-FIGHT: Rogan said he must be happy with his debut performance. Reljic said Gouveia almost took him out in the first round. He said he trained like an animal for two months and did his best and believes he deserved the win. He sent out a series of thanks, especially Randy Couture's gym. "I realized I had to finish him off before he did the same to me."

RAMIFICATIONS: You got the sense in ten fights, they'd go 5-5 and all ten fights would end by knockout. Reljic gets an impressive UFC debut win and seems to have the kicks and overall striking, plus ground defense, to hang with anyone in the deep 205 division. As for Gouveia, it's a step back for sure, but he looked like he could have won it several times, also.

-They showed Laura Prepton from "That '70s Show."

A -- CHRISTIAN WELLISCH (6-3, 230, Sacramento, Calif., 9-2) vs. SHANE CARWIN (6-3, 252, Denver, Col., 8-0) -- Heavyweights (Pretaped Prelim)

ROUND ONE: Carwin KO'd Wellisch with a huge right to the jaw. Wellisch went down and the ref stepped in almost immediately as Carwin moved in on him. Goldberg said he's never had a fight go longer than a round. This was his UFC debut. Wellisch stood for the decision and seemed to have recovered nicely.

WINNER: Carwin via TKO in 0:44 of round one.

POST-FIGHT: Carwin said, "This is the place, the UFC, baby." He called his KO punch "beautiful." He thanked his coach and that was it. Not a lot to it.

-They showed Mandy Moore in the crowd. Goldberg said she's becoming a UFC regular.

-They showed B.J. Penn warming up backstage. Then they showed Sherk getting his gloves taped.

4 -- KEITH JARDINE (32, 6-2, Albuquerque, N.M., 13-4-1) vs. WANDERLEI SILVA (32,5-11, Las Vegas, Nev., 31-8-1)

PRE-FIGHT: A highlight video of some Silva knockouts and then Jardine's big knockouts. Jardine said he's fighting a great fighter who can't afford another loss. Jardine said he wasn't supposed to beat Forrest Griffin or Chuck Liddell, but he can't believe he's considered the underdog in this fight. He said he expects him to fly across the ring and throw haymakers, but he's the better boxer and kickboxer and grappler. He said the harder the fight goes, the harder he goes. Silva said, "I'm going for the knockout to beat him so fast." He admitted, "I need this victory." Jardine said if he beats Silva, "you can't deny me my place in the UFC history books... They talked of Jardine's training with Greg Jackson, plus also working with George St. Pierre and Patrick Cote... Rogan said Jardine has a significant size advantage and noted that Silva is considering moving to 185. Rogan said Jardine is awkward and unorthodox... Rogan said Silva is motivated and thus dangerous coming off of the first three-straight loss streak of his career. Rogan said his highlight reel is among the best in the game. Goldberg said he had a five year run as the Pride 2005 champion, but hasn't won since July 2006. He said he got himself a true Muay-Thai trainer for the first time when preparing for this fight... Silva's intro music does not say "Axe Murderer" to me...  There didn't seem to be a three inch height difference during the staredown...

ROUND ONE: Silva won decisively and quickly. He landed one strong punch that rocked Jardine, then moved in for the kill and threw a barrage of punches that was unbelievable. He literally held Jardine's head on the mat with his left had and punched his head repeatedly with his right six times before the ref stepped in. Silva celebrated like it was his first win ever. He climbed on the side of the cage and had a huge smile as he pumped his fist over and over. Jardine was still on the mat and not moving a minute after the stoppage. Silva wanted to go over to him, but he was stopped twice.

WINNER: Silva via TKO in 0:36 of the first round.

STAR RATING: (***): A super highlight film destruction of a good fighter in Jardine. I consider a three-star rating to mean "you have to see this" no matter how short, and this qualifies.

POST-FIGHT: Silva was emotional and thanked everyone. He said it was a very big moment for him. He talked of what a great honor it was to face Jardine. He also thanked his coaches. Goldberg said, "What a class act. How do you not love Wanderlei Silva." Jardine was about to walk out of the Octagon after the promo and SIlva met him and hugged him. Jardine seemed a bit dazed and/or dejected. Goldberg said, "The Dean of Mean will be back."

RAMIFICATIONS: Silva is back and earned based on this win and his reputation and history a title shot again, but he may have one more light-heavyweight fight before he gets there against one of the up-and-comers in this deep division. As for Jardine, the main ramification is nobody is going to ever bet on his fights again because there is no way to predict how he'll do against anyone with his inconsistency. You can't help but feel bad for him as this is a huge setback given how he lost, but it is Silva, so you can only be so dejected.

B -- IVAN SALAVERRY (6-0, Seattle, Wash., 12-5-1) vs. ROUSIMAR PALHARES (5-8, Rio De Janeira Brazil, 16-1) -- Middleweights (Pretaped Prelim)

PRE-FIGHT: Palhares looks like the twin of the Latino boss on "NYPD Blue" late in that series' run...

ROUND ONE: Palhares took Salaverry down after eating a round kick to the body. He got side mount, but Salaverry was squirmy. Palhares shifted quickly to a full mount. Impressive. Salaverry tried to spin out of it, but he gave up his back and then had to try to fend off a rear naked choke. He did so for a while and tried to stay relaxed. Rogan said it's like quick sand as you continue to get tired and there's almost no way to escape if the guy under you is fresh. Palhares was. Salaverry held onto his hands Salaverry picked a spot to try to pop out, and it wasn't a bad strategy as it almost worked, except Palhares has seen that before and immediately popped on an armbar and Salaverry immediately tapped out. Very impressive. Rogan said that's what the Middlweight Division needs - a true top level Brazilian jiu jitsui - who can take Silva down and submit him. Salaverry was immensely impressed and lifted him into the air, even kissed him, then raised his arm. Rogan couldn't say enough positive about his jiu jitsu during the replays.

WINNER: Palhares at 2:36 of round one.

STAR RATING (**+): I almost entered three star territory because the jiu jitsu on display was almost as impressive as Silva's striking to KO Jardine in the previously aired fight. I don't because it wasn't as big of a fight in terms of star power and ramifications.

RAMIFICATIONS: Really impressive, and I'm ready to see Palhares face Anderson Silva just so we see somebody who might offer something new against Silva.

-Rogan interviewed Faber. He picked Penn. He said he's taking things seriously now, and his father is a motivation speaker, so he's drilled motivation into him. He asked about facing Jens Pulver in his hometown of Sacramento. He said they'll go out and find out who's the man. Rogan shifted to his left to interview Pulver. He said he's at his perrfect weight right now. Pulver said something about never fighting for a title before, and only defending title before, which frankly sound impossible since you have to win a belt in order to defend it. I won't try to decode it. Rogan asked if fighting bigger opponents helps him. He said it helps him feel comfortable. He said it was a conditioning issue to try to move bigger people around when he was outsized because the 155 pounders kept getting bigger. He said he's more comfortable at 145 and it really shows.

-A video featured aired hyping the fight on Versus on June 1. Big MMA weekend, huh?

5 -- B.J. PENN (29, 5-9, Hilok Hawaii, 13-4-1) vs. SEAN SHERK (34, 5-6, Oak Grove, Minn., 36-2-1)

PRE-FIGHT: Rogan talked up how it's the best match-up ever in the light-heavyweight division. He talked about the contrasting styles of both fighters. Rogan said Sherk lost his belt in court. He said his pace is tough to deal with and most fighters wilt under it. Over 40,000 have voted according to Goldberg, and Penn was picked over Sherk by a 55-45 margin, pretty tight considering Penn is a "bigger name" recognition-wise... Rogan noted that Sherk has not last at 155 ever. Rogan said Sherk denies he took steroids and passed lie detector tests. He said only he knows. Rogan said he has the most unbelievable workout routine and he gets tired watching it on TV. Rogan said Sherk has always been a respectful fighter and Penn has been disrespectful toward him... Penn, the champ, came out second to Hawaiian music. Rogan said Penn's takedown defense was some of the best he's ever seen. "His legs are literally like another set of arms." He said he can move his legs behind his head without using his arms. Goldberg said it's rare two of the greatest in their weight division get to face off in their prime... Penn has a three inch reach advantage... They showed Jason Statham in the crowd...  Earlier they showed Shaq, too, who's a regular at these...

ROUND ONE: Sherk went for an early single-leg takedown, but Penn resisted and came back to his feet. They squared off and swung away. Sherk swung but missed as Penn has the three inch advantage. Sherk landed a hard left. Penn landed a solid left in return. The first minute lived up to the hype. At 1:30 they clinched center-ring, but pushed of and went back to stand-up exchanges. Goldberg said Sherk's conditioning could be a huge advantage in latter rounds. Rogan said he is a conditioning machine, but noted Penn is training harder in that area. At 4:00 Rogan said it was basically a boxing match with Penn landing more, but Sherk holding his own given the reach disadvantage. Sherk threw some leg kicks as a set up for later in the fight if it goes long enough. Rogan said Sherk will go for takedowns in later rounds and is trying to wear out Penn in the mean time. They showed "Minotauro" Nogueira watching from the front row. Sherk's corner told him think about head movements and combinations. Penn's corner talked about counter punches, jabs, and circling. Penn listened intently. Sherk had a small cut under his right eye that wasn't bleeding between rounds.

ROUND TWO: Sherk increased the frequency of the leg kicks, both outside and inside on Penn's lead leg. They had rapid-fire exchanges at 0:30 and 1:00. Neither seemed super-fazed. A loud "steroid" chant started and lasted about 10 seconds. Sherk is swinging and missed more often than Penn. More of the same for several minutes. Rogan said Sherk may try to draw the fight into the latter rounds, but find that the doctor stops it before then due to cuts on his face. Penn threw a hard leg kick, also, at 4:30. Sherk went for another takedown, but Penn easily brushed it off. Penn won that round, landing a much higher percentage of punches and bloodying Sherk's face under both eyes. Rogan said the story of the fight all over Sherk's face.

ROUND THREE: Penn seemed a little tired and Sherk not at all as the round began. Another "steroids" chant rang out for a few seconds early. Rogan noted that Sherk has never knocked anyone out with a standing punch. Penn went for a takedown on Sherk, but Sherk backed off and avoided it. That got a rise out of the crowd and perhaps impressed the judges for him initiating a change of course. Mid-round the fight took a turn as Sherk entered the position of having to win via knockout or submission if he didn't start winning rounds. Rogan said nobody can question Sherk's strategy, but he doesn't get it yet. Penn just continued to pelt Sherk with punches and Sherk most often swung and missed. Rogan and Goldberg wondered if Sherk's right hand was broken. Penn moved in and KO'd Sherk with a flying knee. Sherk went down and Penn hit him with a barage of punches. The horn sounded and Sherk was saved by the bell. Penn called for the fight to be called off and he raised his hands. He was right. The ref called it. Penn celebrated, then went over and hugged Sherk.

WINNER: Penn via RKO at the end of round three.

STAR RATING (**+): Really dramatic, but not necessarily exciting most of the time. The finish wasn't a surprise by the time it happened with Sherk taking such a beating throughout and not showing real indications he had enough in him to take him down.

POST-FIGHT: Lots of love after the fight with a couple hugs. Penn told Sherk to come by and train with him in Hawaii anytime... Rogan interviewed Penn, who saluted Sherk again. Penn said it was a very satisfying win. He said he told Sherk he was going to create the biggest fight in history, but he shook his hand afterward. Rogan asked what else there is for him as a lightweight. Penn said he wants to take on GSP again. Well, he actually asked the fans and they cheered. Maybe Sherk's the one who should visit a different division over at WEC to face the winner of the Faber-Pulver fight... Rogan interviewed Sherk next. Sherk said he felt he had to show something different and establish a striking game before taking it to the ground. He said he felt pretty good in the stand-up so he kept it there. Rogan asked if it was a good stoppage. Sherk said he didn't hear the bell and didn't know how much time was left in the round. He seemed to not realizes the round ended. He said he knows he wants to keep fighting. He thanked the fans who supported him over the last ten months. He asked them to party with him. Goldberg said both are sheer class.

READER REAX: We welcome those of you who saw this event to send a paragraph of thoughts on this show. Would you recommend others order the replay? What surprised you most? What fights do you think this show set up for future events? Any random thoughts on the event are welcome. Also include your picks for best and worst fights and also a 0-10 rating for the overall entertainment value and historical relevance of the show. We'll run reader comments we receive in the Torch Feedback section. Send to mmatorch@gmail.com. Thanks very much for contributing!

© Copyright by MMATorch.com