This Saturday in Las Vegas, Nevada, at UFC 84: Ill Will, we will witness the return of one of the most well known fighters in MMA. Sean Sherk steps back into the Octagon to attempt to regain the lightweight title he never lost, well he did, but not because of losing a fight. Last year Sherk was stripped of his title after testing positive for steroids, a test that he tried to contest but to no avail. Because of that, the title was left vacant. In January the title was put on the line in a battle between BJ Penn and Joe Stevenson. Penn would submit Stevenson in the second round in one of the bloodiest fights I've personally ever seen. That win set up the fight Saturday night between Penn and Sherk for the title.

In addition to the Sherk/Penn fight there are two other fights of interest this weekend. The first of which will see Keith Jardine hook up with Wanderlei Silva. This fight could have big implications toward a shot at the light heavyweight title, currently held by Quinton Jackson. The last fight both Jardine and Silva had was against the game guy, Chuck Liddell. Jardine won his match, Silva wasn't so fortunate. Should Silva beat Jardine this weekend, the LHW title picture could become very fuzzy.

The other intriguing fight of the night will see "The Huntington Beach Bad Boy" Tito Ortiz take on Lyoto Machida. Ortiz hasn't stepped inside the Octagon in almost a year. His last fight was in July of last year when he fought to a draw with Rashad Evans. Machida comes into this weekend an undefeated fighter with a record of 12-0. He last fought in December when he beat Rameau Sokoudjou by submission in the second round. Machida will face his first true test in the UFC this weekend and should he come out with a win, he could make the LHW title picture even more hazy. For Ortiz, he has made it known that this will be his last fight in the UFC as he and management could not come together on a contract extension. He had one last fight on his contract and this will be it. There have been a few different places that Ortiz has been rumored to be going to including the new DREAM promotion, but last I heard, he may be starting his MMA organization.

OK, enough of the intro, lets get to the predictions for the PPV card this weekend.

BJ Penn vs. Sean Sherk (for the lightweight title)
As I said in the intro, this is Sherk's chance to regain his title. He's going to have a tough go of it facing one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in MMA in Penn. Sherk has only lost two fights in his career (to Matt Hughes and Georges St-Pierre) so his track record speaks well for him. Because of his suspension he hasn't fought in almost a year (last fight was in July 07 when he beat Hermes Franca). Because Sherk has been the around the block many times, I don't think the time off will affect him much, if at all. This fight against Penn should be interesting as both are good on the ground, Sherk more so with his wrestling while Penn is a great submission artist. Penn is good with the stand up as well but Sherk maybe the strongest fighter he's ever run up against. Sherk is coming into this fight with a lot to prove and with the chance to clear his name. He's going to have a tough time doing so against Penn though.
Prediction: Penn by submission in the third round

Keith Jardine vs. Wanderlei Silva
Two powerful fighters hook up here, one with a lot to prove in Silva after his loss to Liddell. Jardine has a very unorthodox style where he bounces around, always moving, which has created problems for some fighters. Silva is a world-class fighter though and if he decides to take the fight to Jardine unlike how Liddell did in their fight, he could end up walking away with a victory, and like I said before, make the LHW title picture a mess. Jardine has had a couple of big wins in his last few fights beating Liddell and Forrest Griffin. He did lose to upstart Houston Alexander in between those two fights when Alexander took the fight to him and completely dominated him. That's exactly what Silva needs to do if he expects to win against the herky-jerky fighter.
Prediction: Silva by TKO in the second round

Wilson Gouveia vs. Goran Reljic
Gouveia comes into Saturday night with a four game winning streak, his last loss was to Jardine in June of 2006. He's a striker and a black belt in Brazilian Ju-Jitsu, a good combination for any fighter. He'll step into the Octagon to take on Reljic who is undefeated in his MMA career. This will be Reljic's first fight in the UFC. His "welcome to the UFC" moment could be worse, but he definitely doesn't have it easy this weekend against Gouveia.
Prediction: Gouveia by TKO in the second round

Lyoto Machida vs. Tito Ortiz
Machida's undefeated record is on the line, as is his shot at the LHW title. Ortiz's reputation is on the line as him leaving the UFC with a win and by putting on a great show could help him with his new organization that he's wanting to start up, if in fact that is the way he goes. Should Machida win it should put him in line to take on the winner of the Forrest Griffin/Quinton Jackson fight that takes place in a couple months for the LHW title. Machida has come into the UFC and shot right up the ladder, taking on all comers, including one of the UFC icons this weekend. Ortiz has been one of the biggest names in the UFC for years and has been one of those fighters that the fans either loved or hated with a passion. Can he pull out another big win on his way out the door? Or will Machida spoil his party?
Prediction: Machida by decision

Thiago Silva vs. Antonio Mendes
Silva, like Machida, comes into this weekend with an undefeated record. His last fight was a surprising TKO victory over Houston Alexander back in November. He's an aggressive fighter, winning his three fights in the UFC by TKO. This will be Mendes' first fight in the UFC. How he adjusts to fighting inside the Octagon could make a difference in how he performs. In the end, its going to be difficult for Mendes to beat someone like Silva who is so aggressive and always looking for the knockout.
Prediction: Silva by TKO in the first round

BONUS
Kazuhiro Nakamura vs. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou
Nakamura came into the UFC back in December and lost by unanimous decision to Lyoto Machida. Like Nakamura, Sokoudjou's last fight ended in a loss to Machida. Both fighters came into the UFC with a lot of promise and so far neither has a victory. Somebody has to win here, and it should be a good fight. Nakamura will probably try to take the fight to the ground, but if Sokoudjou can keep it standing and get into the clinch he could control the fight. It should be an interesting fight and its one that I hope makes it onto the PPV if time permits at the end.
Prediction: Sokoudjou by TKO in the third round

Record: 57-36

UFC ufc 84, bj penn, sean sherk, keith jardine, wanderlei silva, wilson gouveia, goran reljic, lyoto machida, tito ortiz, thiago silva, antonio mendes, kazuhiro nakamura, rameau sokoudjou