Ill Will

UFC 84: Ill Will, which airs on Pay-Per-View at 7 pm PST, boasts a helluva card, with a dramatic title fight, and a main card full of exciting bouts with major implications.

The headline fight, for the lightweight belt, is between BJ "The Prodigy" Penn and Sean "The Muscle Shark Sherk." Penn captured the title in January by defeating Joe "Daddy" Stevenson. Sherk used to hold the title, but it was stripped from him when he tested positive for steroids. For Sherk, this is a shot at redemption and an attempt to reclaim the title he feels was stolen for him. For Penn, this an opportunity to claim he holds the title legitimately and to put to rest, perhaps for good, the recurring storyline that he is a lazy fighter. There has been lots of bad blood between these two fighters.

Sherk is a relentless wrestler. Penn is a jiu-jitsu marvel. This will be a fun fight. I'll hoping for a Penn victory.

The second hottest fight of the night is Tito "Huntington Beach Bad Boy" Ortiz versus Brazilian Lyoto Machida.

This will be Ortiz's last fight in the UFC, whose feud with UFC president (and his former manager) Dana White has all the drama and pettiness of a two soap opera divas. The latest installment in the long-running feud: at yesterday's weigh-in, Ortiz wore a t-shirt that said "Dana is my Bitch!" This came a few days after Dana trashed him on a conference call as the "dumbest human being" he has ever met.

Ortiz has gone all Hollywood, dating a former porn star and appearing on Donald Trump's "The Apprentice. " He has been a great fighter, but he is now more showman and ego than fighter. The contrast could not be sharper with Machida, a disciplined, smart, talenter fighter of both Japanese and Brazilian heritage. I'm rooting for Machida.

The third major fight is Keith Jardine versus Wanderlei Silva. They are both impressive fighters - although Jardine has an odd stance that makes him look a cartoon character. Silva, the former champion in the Pride league, has been on a losing streak lately. Jardine's last fight was a stunning split decison victory last fall against Chuck Liddel.