This card is stacked. Therefore, let's stack our predictions here and see how we do. BJ Penn vs. Sean Sherk: Sherk W5 Penn I see Sean Sherk overcoming an early storm from Penn, probably losing the first two rounds, but coming on strong late for a unanimous decision. He's very strong, has great cardio, and enough ring generalship to pull off a minor upset. Wanderlei Silva vs. Keith Jardine: Silva TKO2 Jardine Jardine may have outpointed Liddel, something Silva could (or would) not do, but I think Silva's style compliments Jardine's. He's got more power, IMO, than H. Alexander, even in his advanced age. The only important factor is that Silva's got to throw the leg kicks. Lyoto Matchida vs. Tito Ortiz: Matchida Sub. 3 Ortiz I see Matchida dominating Ortiz. I think he's more well-rounded, and Ortiz has been off for a while. Sokoudjou vs. Nakamura: Nakamura Sub. 2 Sokoudjou I just don't like Sokoudjou's ground game. Nakamura has some fine wins on his resume, too (Randleman!!). :hey
Good predictions. Normally I'd like BJ against almost anyone in that division, but Sherk is very tough, isn't going to be submitted, and can last the whole 5 rounds. Much has been said about BJ being in better shape than the welterweight version of him, but I'm not convinced he's got enough to match Sherk who is always in amazing shape. Gotta go with Silva over Jardine, although who knows. Jardine is a sly fighter (disregarding that awful performance against Alexander). Yep, can't go with Ortiz. But, I'll go with Sokoudjou's just to be different. He's an exciting guy and I'd hate to see him lose two in a row in the Octagon.
B.J. in the second, via rear naked choke. He knows he can't go into deep waters with Sherk, so I think he's going to bring it early. And if Sherk really was juicin', and isn't now, his stellar cardio is going to take a hit. I don't care how much he trained, either. Silva in the second, via knee to the face. Jardine will bring it the first round, but Silva's eventually going to overwhelm him. Machida, via UD. He'll score tons of points on the feet and hold his own on the ground. Soko, TKO 1st round. I don't think he's going to get dominated on the ground like last time. I see him coming out and winning in stunning, first round fashion like he did in his "early" days. However, his next fight he will probably get subbed again in rapid fashion. That's just the kind of fighter is. He either knocks you out cold, or he flops around like a fish on the canvas.
BJ by tko on the ground or sub Wand by tko on the feet Machida by decision Sokodoujou by rocking nakamura on the feet then ending it by tko on the ground Thiago silva by tko on the ground
Going with BJ penn via sub within first 3. Wanderlei Silva via TKO Machida via sub on Ortiz not sure about the rest...
I am going all out on this one. Great card. Here are my picks. BJ Penn by early submission win. Silva by round three KO. Machida by SD in a close fight. Nakamura by UD after dominating the ground.
I'm going against the grain here and think Sherk can wear down B.J. for a late stoppage- 4th round tko Nobody seems to be giving Jardine much of a chance but I see him coming in with another good game plan and beating Silva- Jardine UD Machida will nullify anything Tito has to offer- Machida UD Skodo has been giving tough guys to fight since coming in the UFC which I don't think is the best idea to promote this possible star.....but I think he'll take this one. 2nd rnd tko Thiago Silva is near the top of the rankings and he should take this one as well....he should be only 1 more big fight away from a title shot.
A bloody Sherk will get choked out, probably by RNR or triangle in the 2nd round or early 3rd. Silva will beat Jardine via UD Tito will bust up Machida and get a UD.
B.J. Penn vs. Sean Sherk - tough one but I think BJ may win by sub Lyoto Machida vs. Tito Ortiz - Machida decision Keith Jardine vs. Wanderlei Silva - W.Silva TKO 2nd or 3rd Thiago Silva vs. Antonio Mendes - T.Silva sub Wilson Gouveia vs. Goran Reljic -Gouveia decision Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou vs Kazuhiro Nakamura - Nak decision (Nak could sub him but he is not good at finishing fights) Quality card, also looking forward to the UFC debuts of Dong-hyun Kim & Yoshiyuki Yoshida.
bj penn by tko in the 3rd wanderlei by tko in the second with a highlight reel of knees machida 3rd round decision in a close but yet not controvercial fashion i dont know why anyone thinks sherk will stop penn, whos the last guy sherk stopped??? he couldnt stop franca or florian he wont be able to stop penn, the last time penn was stopped was when he couldnt move cause he seperated his ribs doing a sick ass move to take matt hughes back, bj penn finishes fights, sherk rides um out to decisions
oh, forgot to mention thats the only time hes ever been stopped, and the man has fought at 185 and even heavyweight going toe to toe with one of the best light heavies in the world, machida
The last stoppage Sean Sherk won was in 2004 against Gerald Strebendt (I don't know who that guy is, either). Otherwise, generally, Sean Sherk wins via decision victories, occasionally he can pull out submissions. He beat Karo Paryisian a LONG time ago when Karo's corner threw in the towel. As for BJ Penn, he's a real finisher. He's stopped three of his last three opponents since his close decision loss to Welterweight St. Pierre in '06. I question Penn's ability to handle Sherk's strength as far as wrestling and submission avoidance (Sherk isn't about to stop Penn, but Sherk is not easy to stop, either). Final Call: I've got Sherk by a decision. He'll outwork Penn over the later portions of the fight on the feet and the ground.
Penn hasn't been in a 5 rounder in a while and with Sherk's work rate, speed and strength I believe he can wear down B.J. Assuming he doesn't catch Sherk in a choke which I think is Penns best chance. If Sherk can take him into deep waters.....round 4 or 5 I give a huge advantage to Sherk.