UFC 98 Preview: Evans v. Machida
Written May 7, 2009 by Jack Jones
It’s still a few weeks away, but we are pretty excited for the UFC 98: Evans v. Machida card so we thought we would prepare this early preview. The event will take place on Saturday, May 23rd and will have a quality main event and a co-main event that we are anxiously awaiting. I’m going to focus on these two big fights in this preview, so let’s dive into the matchups.
Rashad “Sugar Evans v. Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida – Originally Evans was supposed to get a shot at former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson but Jackson had to have arthroscopic surgery to repair a torn jaw ligament he suffered while training for the fight. Instead it will be the undefeated Machida in the Octagon with the winner of this fight taking on Jackson at a later date. Bookmaker has Machida listed as the -205 favorite to win this one.
Just because Machida is a fill-in doesn’t mean he isn’t capable and he shouldn’t be overlooked by bettors. The sharps and odds makers sure aren’t as Machida is a decided favorite in this fight, even though Evans is the champion. Machida is a staggerring 14-0 in MMA action, while Evans isn’t a slouch himself with a 18-0-1 record. Only one thing is certain here, and that is how one of them will go home with their first defeat. Evans is the underdog getting +180 at 5 Dimes.
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Matt Hughes v. Matt “The Terror” Serra – The other fight we are excited about is the grudge match between Hughes and Serra, both of who were coaches with the Ultimate Fight 6. Hughes is 43-7 in his MMA career, but has lost three of his last four fights. His wrestling background has been his biggest strength as he won a lot of fights by being able to take down his opponents and he cuts weight so well he’s normally a lot stronger than opponents. Hughes is currently a -250 favorite at BetUS.
Serra has less experience at 16-5 but also had a top notch ground game and does great at getting submissions. He has lost two of his last four fights, but his last defeat came to Georges St. Pierre, who has dominated almost everyone he’s fought recently. Both of these fighters want to climb back to the top of the mountain, but are probably past their prime. This still should be a fight worth watching as both guys are tough and love to bang it out. Serra is a +210 underdog at 5 Dimes.
If you liked this article, you may also be interested in:
- UFC 98: Evans vs. Machida Predictions
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- UFC 94: St-Pierre vs. Penn 2 Preview & Odds
- Wanderlei Silva vs. Quinton Jackson UFC 92 Odds & Predictions
- UFC 94: St-Pierre vs. Penn 2 Picks & Predictions
One Response to “UFC 98 Preview: Evans v. Machida”
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Looks to be pretty interesting. But then again, Pacquiao-Hatton looked to be competitive and it ended up as a blowout.
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