UFC 98: Evans vs. Machida Predictions

Written May 18, 2009 by Jason Lowry

ufc-98 This Saturday the MGM Grand Garden Arena will be packed for the highly anticipated UFC 98: Evans vs. Machida. It will be the first time in UFC history that two undefeated fighters step into the octagon for the light heavyweight belt. Rashad “Suga” Evans comes in 18-0-1, fresh off his win over Forrest Griffin at UFC 92 where he won the title. Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida is a perfect 14-0, including a perfect 6-0 start in the UFC. Machida earned this shot after his very impressive win over Thiago Silva at UFC 94, and is now just one step away from being the new 205 lb champion. The other big fight at UFC 98 has two former UFC welterweight champions squaring off, in Matt Hughes and Matt “The Terror” Serra. With UFC 98 less than a week away, here is a quick look at the the two big fights this weekend, plus my predictions on who comes out on top.

Lyoto Machida -205 vs. Rashad Evans +165: Some might find it surprising that Machida actually comes in against the champion as the favorite, but he has been so impressive with his Karate style that few can figure him out. I think that Evans is a much better fighter than he is giving credit for, and I would not be surprised one bit if he came in and defended his belt this weekend. Evans is coming off three very impressive wins that includes a split decision win over Michael Bisping, a knock out of Chuck Liddell, and the TKO of Forrest Griffin. Machida earned his first knock out in the UFC in his last fight against Silva, and it was the first time that he ended a fight in the first round. Machida has had 4 of his 6 fights go the distance, but he has won all of those fights by unanimous decision. This fight has all the makings of a great one, and if you are going to watch this event at all, I strongly recommend making sure you are tuned in for this one. My Prediction: Evans -205.

Matt Hughes -325 vs. Matt Serra +250: If you are looking for two fighters that just want to beat the crap out of each other, I have a very good feeling this is the fight you are looking for. On top of all that, these two guys simply just don’t like each other, and would love nothing more than to punish the other guy for 3 straight rounds. Both of Serra’s last two fights have been against George St-Pierre, where he first upset the champion, then was unable to have anywhere near the same luck in his rematch. Hughes also has a loss against St-Pierre during that stretch, as he was unable to win the rubber match between the two fighters. Both fighters have only fought once in the last year, and a big reason for that is these two guys are getting up there in age. It will be interesting to see if Hughes can control this fight, or if Serra can land one of his devastating blows to take control of the fight. My Prediction: Hughes -325.

Other UFC 98 Fight Odds & Predictions

Sean Sherk -340 vs. Frank Edgar +260

Phillipe Nover -365 vs. Kle Bradley +285

Yoshiyuki Yoshida -525 vs. Brandon Wolff +325

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