RECOMMENDATION:  If you’ve got the money, this card is worth every penny.  Lots of fights, newsworthy happenings, and a little bit of everything in the fights that were shown.  Off the top of my head, I’d say it’s the best card of the year so far.

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It’s 10:00 Eastern on May 24, and you know what that means.  Let the lightning create the Zuffa logo, and let my hopes for a new intro be dashed against the rocks.  We’ve got sepia, we’ve got gladiators, and we’ve got horrendous theme music.  Luckily, however, we’re not tuning in for the intro.  This has almost no option but to be a great card, with the top three fights alone being worth the price of admission.  Throw in Thiago Silva and an intriguing newcomer taking on Wilson Gouveia and you’ve got a winner, my friends.  

With the intro over, we cut to the men in black – Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan.  Something looks weird about Goldberg’s hair tonight, which is not usually something I notice, so maybe it always looks like that.  Whatever.  I’ve got to have something to talk about during the hyping of tonight’s fights, right?  Oh, and don’t forget that you can text your vote about whether you think Sherk or Penn will win tonight. 

Joe Rogan calls Keith Jardine one of the most underlooked fighters in the UFC, which I assume is a combination of underrated/underappreciated and overlooked.  I’m just here to translate, folks.  But let’s get this thing started, shall we? 

FIRST FIGHT:  THIAGO SILVA vs. ANTONIO MENDES (Light Heavyweight)

My first feeling is to go with Silva in this one, as I know nothing about Mendes, but that doesn’t mean anything.  Mendes is apparently riding an 11-fight win streak, which is pretty impressive.  Usually I like to research the UFC noobs before the event, but due to being crazy busy lately, I haven’t been able to.  Anyway, I’m going to go with Silva by 2^nd round TKO here.  If I’m going by theme music, Silva definitely wins.  Mendes entered to what sounded like the Dead Kennedys, and Silva makes his way to the Octagon with some angry Portuguese rap in the background.  Definitely more menacing on Silva’s part.

But before we get to the fights, let’s look at David Spade, because we still need mid-level celebrities to validate the popularity of MMA.

ROUND ONE:  They circle to start out, and Mendes throws a big nasty head kick that’s blocked by Silva, but Silva still wilts.  Mendes capitalizes and lands a knee as Silva comes back to his feet, and he lands some inside knees in the clinch.  They trade leg kicks and Silva goes down.  Mendes follows, but then lets Silva up.  They trade punches, Mendes capitalizing on his reach advantage.  Silva pushes Mendes against the fence, and Mendes unsuccessfully attempts a judo throw.  Silva lands in Mendes’s guard, then transitions to side control and the mount.  Big right hand by Silva.  Mendes looks to sweep, but Silva continues to land punishing, thumping shots to the head.  Mendes turtles up under the barrage of punches and eventually taps out.  Very impressive win for Silva.

RESULT:  Silva by TKO at 2:24 of round one.

STAR RATING:  (***-)  Can’t ask for much more out of a couple of minutes.  I give it a bonus for quick drama.  Silva was rattled by the kick, and Mendes was throwing some hard punches, but Silva weathered and pounded Mendes into submission.  Those were some very heavy shots landed by Silva on the ground. 

RAMIFICATIONS:  Silva has got to take a step up in competition now.  I wouldn’t be surprised if he fights a Rashad Evans or similar fighter in his next tilt.  Silva has some very heavy hands and some brutal ground and pound, so I’m really interested to see what he can do against tougher competition.  Mendes certainly acquitted himself well, despite the loss.  He’ll be back in an undercard bout at some point I’m sure. 

They show Urijah Faber in the crowd, followed by a promo for UFC 85.  After that, we get a glimpse into the locker rooms of BJ Penn and Sean Sherk, then there’s some skanky chicks in the crowd.

SECOND FIGHT:  TITO “THE HUNTINGTON BEACH BAD BOY” ORTIZ vs. LYOTO “THE DRAGON” MACHIDA (Light Heavyweight)

Wow.  Ortiz gets the low-man on the totem pole treatment here, coming out second on the fight card, and he’s the first guy to enter the Octagon.  These are little things, but it diminishes Ortiz’s status.  He enters the Octagon to “Fight the Power”, fittingly enough.  

This is a tough one to call.  Machida is very elusive and very tough, but Ortiz is right when he says that Machida hasn’t faced anyone with his style.  I’ll have to take Ortiz by decision, with the caveat that Machida could very conceivably win it.

There’s no disputing who the favorite is with the crowd – Ortiz gets a rousing ovation and Machida is booed.

ROUND ONE:  Machida lands a leg kick as chants of “Tito” break out.  Another leg kick for Machida.  Machida whiffs a roundhouse.  Ortiz feints a few times, but doesn’t attack.  Leg kick by Machida, and Ortiz looks for a half-hearted takedown.  Another leg kick lands for Machida, and Ortiz throws a left-right combo.  Ortiz clinches and throws a knee to the head of Machida.  Machida brushes it off and lands a leg kick.  Front kick misses for Machida, and Ortiz looks to take him down, but Machida throws him off.  Ortiz misses with a right hand and clinches, missing a knee to the head.  They circle some more.  Ortiz misses a right hand.  Head kick misses for Ortiz, and Machida lands a kick to the body.  Right hand lands for Ortiz.  Head kick is blocked by Ortiz, and Machida looks for an inside leg kick.  Ortiz continues to try bodylocks on Machida, and Machida continues to toss him aside.  Machida lands a left-right combination with his feet.  Ortiz chases Machida briefly, then drops his hands in disgust.  Machida hits another two-kick combination, then stunningly takes Ortiz down easily.  He moves into side control and lands punches in bunches to the head of Ortiz as round one ends.  Emphatic round one for Machida.  He was able to easily do what Ortiz could not. 

ROUND TWO:  Ortiz seems focused as he exits the corner for round two.  He lands an inside leg kick.  Machida answers in kind.  Leg kick lands for Machida, and Ortiz drops his hands again.  Ortiz is going to be in a world of trouble if he can’t take Machida down, and he doesn’t seem to know what to do.  He shoots and is thwarted, and Machida lands a punch-kick combo.  High kick and leg kick land for Machida.  Ortiz wings two punches and misses.  Machida lands a few punches to the head of Ortiz, but nothing too damaging.  Ortiz catches a head kick as Machida fakes a low kick then lands the head kick.  Ortiz just cannot catch up to Machida as he misses strike after strike.  They’re engaging every two to five seconds, but only for a second at a time or so.  Ortiz shoots and grabs a leg, but Machida sprawls.  He lands in Ortiz’s guard, but lets the fight get back to the feet.  Machida jumps in and lands a big knee to the head of Ortiz, but it doesn’t faze him too much.  Ortiz drops his hands and beckons Machida, and Machida lands a couple of punches.  Ortiz answers with a kick to end the round, and he is extremely frustrated.  Round two goes to Machida easily again.  Ortiz complains in the break that Machida is running the whole time.

ROUND THREE:  If Ortiz is as determined as he says, he’ll have to really chase Machida in this round and catch him.  Machida lands a leg kick.  Referee Yves Lavigne backs up and trips over himself, then scrambles back to his feet, which causes the loudest cheers of the fight so far.  Ortiz clinches and lands a few shots to the body before Machida pushes him away.  Leg kick lands for Machida, and a punch.  Ortiz shoots, but by the time he gets there, Machida is gone.  This guy is really fast.  Ortiz looks to land a knee in the clinch, but misses.  Ortiz charges in and lands a hook, then grabs a Thai clinch.  They clinch and start with dirty boxing.  Ortiz pushes Machida against the fence and looks to get him to the ground, but he can’t.  Remarkable takedown defense by Machida.  They clinch again and exchange inside knees.  They separate due to lack of action and the stalking begins again.   Machida lands a big knee to the bod of Ortiz, and Ortiz crumples.  Machida gets all “Tito Ortiz” on Tito Ortiz and throws some big elbows to the head from inside the guard.  Ortiz closes the guard and closes the distance.  Out of nowhere, Ortiz grabs a tight triangle, but Machida impossibly escapes.  That was an amazing sequence.  Ortiz looks for the triangle again, but is unable to get it.  He tries to land strikes from the bottom, but they are ineffectual.  Round three ends, and Machida probably takes it due to the knee, but Ortiz made it close at the end. 

RESULT:  Machida by unanimous decision (30-27 on all cards).

STAR RATING:  (***-)  It was pretty tactical without much action for two rounds, but the added drama made it a bit better.  The crowd is booing Machida for whatever reason, but you can’t fault the guy for escaping punishment.  He attacks, but he doesn’t take in order to dish out. 

RAMIFICATIONS:  Machida takes yet another step up the light heavyweight ladder.  He’s going to be tough for anyone to beat…I just don’t know how you gameplan against him.  I’d like to see what he can do against a tough striker with a ground game.  As for Ortiz, who knows?  Surprisingly he gets a post-fight interview where he says he’s probably not going to be in the UFC.  This could be a surprise for people who don’t know anything but the UFC.  Interesting.  I don’t know what’s going to happen here, but it’ll certainly be something to follow.

We get a plug for Silva-Jardine, then a plug for upcoming events.  They’re advertising the upcoming WEC card, which is nice.  That’s going to be a heck of a fight between Faber and Pulver.  Also worth noting is that they talked about UFC 87, where Brock Lesnar will likely fight Heath Herring now that Mark Coleman has pulled out of the fight, but they didn’t plug Lesnar’s appearance (probably due to the fight not being official yet, but you would think they’d at least plug him. 

THIRD FIGHT:  WILSON GOUVEIA vs. GORAN RELJIC (Light Heavyweight)

You know, I was going to pick Gouveia in this fight until he said in the pre-fight interview, “Who is this guy?”  If we haven’t learned not to underestimate debuting fighters by now, we haven’t learned anything.  Reljic by 1^st round TKO.  Also, if you want to underestimate someone, don’t let it be a Croatian dude with a 5” reach advantage over you.

They paw and circle to start,a nd Gouveia lands a nice inside leg kick.  Reljic misses a head kick.  Head kick is blocked by Gouveia.  Leg kick lands for Gouveia.  Reljic has got some big power behind the kicks as he throws two more high ones.  Gouveia wanders in with wild strikes.  Reljic scores with some nasty counter jabs.  Reljic lands a kick to the body.  Head kick blocked by Gouveia.  Gouveia lands some winging punches.  These two are swinging for the fences, and it could end at any moment if they continue to engage.  Reljic lands another nasty body kick.  Gouveia blocks two more high kicks, but those have got to take their toll on his arm.  Gouveia continues to throw wild punches, but lands a big uppercut that rattles Reljic.  Reljic sees the danger he’s in and pulls guard, bringing Gouviea to the ground.  Smart move.  Reljic looks for an omoplata briefly as round one ends.  Close round; I’d give it to Reljic.

ROUND TWO:  Gouveia throws a couple of punches to start.  Reljic wanders in with a few punches from the outside.  Reljic winds up and lands a left head kick to the chin of Gouveia.  He lands a straight right hand and evades the counter.  Gouveia attacks and lands a right hook that puts Reljic down.  Gouveia postures up in the open guard and begins to punish Reljic.  He lands elbows and fists to the head.  Gouveia tries to improve position and Reljic ties him up as they work their way back to the feet.  Reljic lands a stiff combo, then drops Gouveia with a left hand.  He follows Gouveia down and begins to punish.  Gouveia weathers at first, but Reljic pours on the pressure, getting through Gouveia’s defense until Herb Dean stops the fight.

RESULT:  Reljic by TKO at 3:15 of round two.

STAR RATING:  (***+)  Very nice fight.  Reljic fought a smart fight and was able to pepper Gouveia throughout.  There were some nice momentum changes that added to the excitement as well.  Gouveia was leading the second round until he took that left hand to the temple.

RAMIFICATIONS:  Is Reljic a Houston Alexander or a Frankie Edgar?  He’s another debuting fighter that was underestimated by his opponent and got the win.  Gouveia may not be a superstar, but he’s no slouch.  His win over Jason Lambert was big time stuff.  In fact, I’d like to see how Reljic fares against Lambert.  Gouveia takes a step down, but he won’t be out.  He’s a solid fighter that can afford a loss.

We get an inexcusable commercial for a video game on a show that we’re paying for.

FOURTH FIGHT (prelim):  SHANE CARWIN vs. CHRISTIAN “THE HUNGARIAN NIGHTMARE” WELLISCH” (Heavyweight)

I’m interested in this one.  Carwin is a much-hyped rookie that has ended all of his eight fights inside a couple of minutes with a win.

ROUND ONE:  They throw some leather immediately, nieither one really connecting with anything just yet.  Wellisch lands a nice right hand.  Carwin then lands a huge right hand that crumples Wellisch and ejects his mouthpiece.  And the fight is over just like that.  No one takes that punch and stays vertical.  This guy’s got some big power.

RESULT:  Carwin by TKO at 0:44 of round one.

STAR RATING:  (**+)  Tough one to rate with it being so short, but that was one hellacious punch. 

RAMIFICATIONS:  I’d be surprised if Wellisch sticks around at this point, but Carwin will be a fixture if this wasn’t a one-time thing.  I wouldn’t mind seeing how he does against a Chieck Kongo.

FIFTH FIGHT:  KEITH “THE DEAN OF MEAN” JARDINE vs. WANDERLEI “THE AXE MURDERER” SILVA (Light Heavyweight)

This is a tougher one to pick than a lot of people think.  I love Silva, but I’m going to have to take Jardine in this one.  People said I was crazy when I picked him to beat Chuck Liddell and Forrest Griffin, but those turned out alright for me and the Dean.  I’m sticking with him.  Jardine by UD.

Both men look focused and menacing as they come to the Octagon, and we get a nice staredown between the two.  Good stuff.

ROUND ONE:  Jardine feels out the distance and lands a right.  Silva lands a hook and hurts Jardine.  He lands another shot and floors Jardine.  He follows Jardine down and pounds him until Jardine is stiff and unconscious.  Wow.  That happened really fast.  The blow-by-blow doesn’t really do it justice, having seen the replay.  There were about 10 strikes that I missed.  Basically it was over when Jardine landed a leg kick and Silva countered with a big nasty right hand.

RESULT:  Silva by KO at 0:36 of round one.

STAR RATING:  (**+) Another quick knockout, but I’m pretty shocked by the quickness of it all.  Jardine is a good fighter, the quick loss to Houston Alexander notwithstanding.

RAMIFICATIONS:  You want someone with an attacking style to fight Lyoto Machida?  Look no further than Silva.  As for Jardine, I’m not sure what they’ll do with him.  I enjoy watching him fight, so I hope it’s on a main card soon, but I have no immediate ideas for opponents.  Stay tuned.

SIXTH FIGHT (Prelim):  IVAN SALAVERRY vs. ROUSIMAR PALHARES (Middleweight)

I love Salaverry, but I’ve got to think they’re putting Palhares in here to get a win.  I’ll take him by submission in two.

ROUND ONE:  Head kick lands for Salaverry immediately, then Palhares brings him down with a body lock.  Side control for Palhares, and he transitions easily to mount.  Salaverry spins and Palhares takes his back.  Palhares is a pitbull, and he’s looking for a rear naked choke.  They stall briefly, and I’m not sure why Palhares isn’t looking for a body triangle from the back.  Salaverry looks to escape and tries to pull free, but Palhares grabs an arm out of nowhere in the transition and submits Salaverry in a heartbeat.  Very nice armbar. 

RESULT:  Palhares by submission at 2:36 of round one.

STAR RATING:  (**+)  Another quick fight, and another impressive victory.  With guys like Palhares and Damien Maia in the middleweight division, things are heating up on the ground.

RAMIFICATIONS:  Goldberg alluded to Salaverry retiring after this fight, and that sounds about right.  I thought he had retired after his last fight.  Palhares is going to make some noise.  You don’t just submit Ivan Salaverry like that.  That’s the only time it’s ever happened.

We get some interviews with Urijah Faber and Jens Pulver.  It’s nice to see some real hype for the WEC.  They’ve put on some really nice events, and it’s good to see them on the big stage.  In addition to the interview, we get a well-produced vignette.  Another plus about the hype for this event is that it could get some nice exposure for WEC bantamweight (135 lb) champion Miguel Torres, who for my money is one of the best pound-for-pound fighters around.  (He’s 33-1.)

MAIN EVENT FOR THE LIGHTWEIGHT TITLE:  SEAN “THE MUSCLE SHARK” SHERK (Challenger) vs. BJ “THE PRODIGY” PENN (Champion)

I would’ve liked to have more time to put together a preview for this one, as it’s a heck of an intriguing fight, but I’ll just say that if it gets out of the third round, Penn is in trouble.  He may not even have enough gas to get through the second (I have to see him with good conditioning before I believe it.)  I don’t think it’ll get out of the third round.  Penn by submission in the second. 

We get the usual shark theme for Sherk, and the Hawaii theme for Penn.  While I’m thinking about it, I don’t get the hyperbole about Sherk being one of the best lightweights ever.  He’s good, yes, but he’s 2-0 at 155.  Most of his wins have come at 170.  I’m just sayin – you’ve got to get at least 5-6 fights under your belt in a weight class before being considered one of the best ever, right?

ROUND ONE:  Sherk grabs a single immediately, but Penn has none of it.  Penn lands a right hand and Sherk lands some leg kicks.  Left hands land for Penn as sherk misses a right.  Penn lands a stiff jab.  Sherk lands a sharp left hand that slams into Penn’s head, and Penn answers with three more jabs.  Sherk whiffs a left hand.  They clinch and Sherk lands a knee to the body.  Uppercut by Penn.  Jab lands for Penn, and Sherk answers.  Left hand lands for Sherk.  BJ lands a big straight right.  Sherk misses and they clinch.  Knee lands for Penn.  Sherk lands a jab.  Jab lands for Penn, an dSherk lands a leg kick.  Left hook lands for Sherk.  Neither man gets the better of a flurry.  Looks like neither is really hurt yet, but Sherk’s nose is bloodied.  They continue to exchange strikes, and Penn lands s tiff right.  Leg kick lands for Sherk, and Penn lands another jab.  Jab lands for Penn, and Sherk misses a counter let.  They exchange knees.  Round one comes to a close, and Penn wins it by a little.  This is not in Penn’s best interest, as he won’t last all five rounds going toe-to-toe.  He doesn’t have the conditioning.  But for now, he’s ahead, and Sherk is probably fine with that.

ROUND TWO:  They come back out and continue to box.  Penn continues to land the jab, and Sherk throws a big leg kick.  Not sure why he doesn’t continue to do that, as Penn’s lead leg is right there for the taking.  Penn lands a nice body shot and uppercut, and Sherk lands two more leg kicks.  He hisses a Superman punch, and they clinch, each landing a flurry of punches that has no effect on the other.  Sherk lands a jab as a “steroids” chant breaks out.  Sherk lands a left.  Penn is landing the harder shots, but Sherk is faster.  Left-right combo lands for sherk, but Penn lands some knees.  They exchange jabs.  Jab lands for Penn as he continues to exploit the reach advantage.  Another jab for Penn.  Sherk throws combination after combination, but doesn’t connect with much.  The reach is really a problem for him.  Jab lands for Penn.  Leg kick lands for Sherk, and Penn counters with a right hand.  Leg kick lands for sherk.  Penn continues to pepper with the jab.  Leg kick lands for Penn, and he throws a flurry of punches.  Knee from Penn leads to a takedown attempt from Sherk, but Penn shrugs it off. Round two ends with a flurry by both men, and Sherk is bloodied up.  Penn looks like he’s getting tired as he removes the mouthpiece and leans against the cage.

ROUND THREE:  The toe-to-toe continues with Penn landing jabs and Sherk missing with wild punches.  Left hand lands for Sherk, and he misses with two more punches.  Jab lands for Penn.  Sherk continues to throw more punches than Penn, but doesn’t land as many.  Jab lands for Penn.  Penn shoots but is thwarted by Sherk, and he lands a left-right combination.  Jab from Penn.  I’m not sure what the strategy is for either man right now, as a standup fight is probably not in either one’s best interest.  But whatever.  Penn continues to outpoint Sherk.  Leg kick lands for Penn.  Sherk lands a couple of leg kicks.  We get more of the same for the last minute and a half until Penn lands a flying knee that floors Sherk with about five seconds left.  He follows Sherk down and pounds him until time expires in the round.  It looks at first as if Sherk is saved by the bell, but Yamasaki calls the fight over.   Actually, Penn called the fight before Yamasaki, but the fight is over nonetheless.  

RESULT:  Penn by TKO at the end of round three.

STAR RATING:  (***)  I have mixed feelings about this one.  There wasn’t much going on for two and 9/10 rounds until the stoppage, but it gets points for significance and Penn proving me wrong on strategy and cardio. 

RAMIFICATIONS:  Sherk will hang around the lightweight division, but I don’t know what they’ll do with him immediately.  Penn says he wants to fight GSP again, but as with St. Pierre, shouldn’t both guys clean out their respective divisions first?  Penn’s got a tough defense coming up against either Roger Huerta or Kenny Florian coming up later this year (hopefully), so he should probably focus on that before trying to move up to 170.

EIGHTH FIGHT(!) (Prelim) YOSHIYUKI YOSHIDA vs. JON “WAR MACHINE” KOPPENHAVER (Welterweight)

I enjoyed Koppenhaver’s scrap on the TUF Finale as much as the next guy, but Yoshida will win this one.

ROUND ONE:  Leg kick lands for Jon.  Yoshida gets a judo throw from the clinch and gets into side control.  Koppenhaver scrambles, but Yoshida grabs an anaconda choke.  Koppenhaver struggles at first, but then goes limp.

RESULT:  Yoshida by technical submission at 0:56 of round one.

STAR RATING:  (**)  Nice submission, but we already knew that Koppenhaver wasn’t on the level of Yoshida.  Also, I’ve got to point out that one of the officials in the red jacket has got the worst toupee I’ve ever seen.

RAMIFICATIONS:  Not much to speak of.  I’d be surprised to see Koppenhaver back, but I’m intrigued to see what Yoshida can do.

NINTH FIGHT (Keep ‘em coming):  KAZUHIRO NAKAMURA vs. REMEAU “THE AFRICAN ASSASSIN” SOKOUDJOU (Light Heavyweight)

For typing purposes, this fight is between Sok and Kaz. 

ROUND ONE:  Leg kick lands for Sok, and another one.  Sok wings a right hand.  Nasty leg kick for Sok.  Two more land, and a head kick lands, followed by a knee.  Leg kick by Sok.  Kaz comes in with a body punch.  Sok misses a punch as Kaz evades.  Superman punch by Sok, and a knee.  Not much movement by Sok at this point.  His knee mayb e injured.  Flying knee lands by Kaz.  Right hand lands for Kaz.  It’s kind of a stick-and-move affair here.  Inside leg kick lands for Sok, and a right hand.  More of the same for a while, then Sok lands a big kick to the body and a monster right hand that puts Kaz on his back.  Sok follows him down and punishes him for the last few seconds.  It looks like Kaz hurt his knee when he went down, and the fight is over.  Sok shows one-punch power once again.

RESULT:  Sokoudjou by TKO at the end of round one.

STAR RATING:  (**+)  A little plodding at times, but it ended with a bang.

RAMIFICATIONS:  Sokoudjou redeems himself after losing to Machida, and I’d like to see him fight Wilson Gouveia.  Nakamura needs to drop to 185 if he’s going to have any chance in the UFC at this point.  Sokoudjou calls out Mauricio Rua in the post-fight interview.

So that puts an end to a great card with nine televised fights.  Stay tuned to MMATorch for reactions from the staff and a post-event podcast that we’ll record tomorrow.  Enjoy the holiday weekend heading into two more weeks with three more big MMA events to kick off a very busy June.