Posts tagged UFC84 at FanHouse

If You Have a Problem With Lyoto Machida, Your Problem Is With MMA Judging

Four days after he defeated Tito Ortiz at UFC 84, I'm sensing a growing backlash against Lyoto Machida.

Machida is 5-0 since joining UFC and undefeated in his 13-fight mixed martial arts career. But, as I alluded to after watching him Saturday night, Machida tends to back away during his fights, rather than force the action. Some people find that boring. Dan Stupp thinks Machida is bad for UFC; some observers have even compared him to Kalib Starnes, who became the laughingstock of MMA after running away for three rounds at UFC 83.

But that's ridiculous.

Sorry, Robin Leach: Tito Ortiz, Jenna Jameson and Dana White Story Too Good to Be True


I don't know where former Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous host Robin Leach gets the information for his blog, but I wish he'd stop. He's going to give responsible bloggers a bad name.

Leach breathlessly reports on the spat that took place among UFC fighter Tito Ortiz, his girlfriend Jenna Jameson, and UFC President Dana White at the post-UFC 84 press conference Saturday night. Except that Leach wasn't there, and he gets his information wrong.

I was there, and I wouldn't really care that Leach gets his information wrong, but when responsible media outlets like the Los Angeles Times then repeat that information, I feel the need to offer a correction.

Michael Jackson Likes UFC, Hates Being Seen


After attending UFC 84, I noted that there were several celebrities at Octagonside, and that UFC shows were starting to be viewed as a good place to be seen.

But what if you're a celebrity who wants to watch the fights but doesn't like to be seen? In that case, you put a sheet over your face and enjoy the show.

According to TMZ, that's what Michael Jackson did on Saturday night:
MJ rolled up to the event in a wheelchair, just in time to watch Tito Ortiz get smacked around ... that is, if he could see anything through those ridiculously blacked out shades.
Yep, that's Jacko above. I hope he enjoyed the show as much as I did.

The guy in front of Jacko, by the way, is AOL Sports General Manager Derrick Heggans. And no, they didn't go to the event together.

Tito Ortiz and UFC: At Odds to the End

Notes on a trip to Las Vegas.

Here's what happened at the post-UFC 84 press conference, when Tito Ortiz came out to talk to the press before the press conference had officially started:

Video link

Ortiz initially started answering reporters' questions, but a UFC official stepped in and asked him not to. Then reporters tried to question Ortiz again, and again it was stopped.

Finally, when all of the other fighters got there, Ortiz participated in the final post-event press conference, and there were more questions about the feud between Ortiz and UFC President Dana White than there were about the fight between Sean Sherk andB.J. Penn.

UFC 84: At Octagonside, the Sights Are Impressive and the Sounds Even Better

Notes on a trip to Las Vegas.

I had a seat about 10 feet from the Octagon for Saturday night's UFC 84 show, and what I'll take away from it, more than anything else, is the sound. Punches land to faces with thuds. Kicks land to sides with thwacks. The Octagon itself turns into a drum when a fighter is slammed to the canvas.

I'll also remember the sheer noise of it all: The fighters' entrance music, the music played between fights, the introductions and the post-fight interviews were all pumped into the MGM Grand Garden Arena at earsplitting decibels. At 31, I must be older than the target UFC demographic, because I spent much of the night thinking the music was too loud. The guy next to me in press row wore earplugs.

My own reactions to the sounds aside, UFC 84 was terrific night of fights. A few other thoughts are below.

UFC 84 Video: Jenna Jameson on Tito Ortiz

Notes on a trip to Las Vegas.

After her boyfriend, Tito Ortiz, lost in UFC 84, Jenna Jameson talked to me about her thoughts on the fight:

Video link / Watch on YouTube

Jameson said she was pleased that the fans supported Ortiz, that she thinks Ortiz will be the star of another MMA organization now that he's leaving UFC, and that she feels both scared and proud when she watches him fight.

UFC 84: B.J. Penn Destroys Sean Sherk


Notes on a trip to Las Vegas.

UFC lightweight championB.J. Penn defended his title with a dominant third-round TKO Saturday night, leaving challenger Sean Sherk bloody, bruised, and hurting at the conclusion of UFC 84.

That picture above is of Sherk at his post-fight press conference, during which he claimed he felt OK and would be back in the Octagon soon. But he looked like a very different fighter than he was when we last saw him, 10 months ago. Sherk isn't a champion anymore.

Penn is. He simply dominated Sherk from start to finish. This was a great performance.

Also on FanHouse:
UFC 84 Video: Jenna Jameson on Tito Ortiz
UFC 84 Live Blog
UFC Gets Undercards Right
At UFC 84, a Pass Out but Not a Tap Out

UFC 84 Live Blog


It's Saturday night of Memorial Day Weekend. Plenty of people are out partying while I'm here at home in front of the TV. Upset about it? Not at all. I'm looking forward to a night filled with high-quality fighting at UFC 84 from Las Vegas.

I hope you are too because it promises to be a helluva night. The main event, B.J. Penn defending his lightweight title against the former holder Sean Sherk, is well worth the price of admission. Luckily, we get more bang for our buck with Tito Ortiz vs. Lyoto Machida (and Dana White) in Ortiz's final match as a UFC fighter. Yesterday's weigh-in stoked an already raging fire and tonight all could bubble over again. I'm hoping for an Ortiz win, just because the interview would be an absolute classic.

FanHouse's Michael David Smith is at the event, 10 feet from the Octagon he tells me, and reports that it's a wild scene. So kick back, grab a cool one (I'm drinking Imperial, the national beer of Costa Rica!) and join us after the jump.

At UFC 84, a Pass Out but Not a Tap Out


Notes on a trip to Las Vegas.


Note: People planning to watch UFC 84 who don't want to know the results of the pre-taped undercard might want to skip this post.

UFC Bettors Crowd the Vegas Sports Books

Notes on a trip to Las Vegas.

Although you can't shoot video inside a Nevada sports book, I got as close as I could:

Video link

With just a few hours to go before UFC 84, people are lining up outside the MGM Grand sports book to place their bets. Most of the money is going toward lightweight championB.J. Penn, who is now better than a 2-1 favorite over challenger Sean Sherk.
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