Two unbeaten fighters, two completely different styles and an intriguing UFC light-heavyweight title defence for Rashad Evans (13-0-1) against Lyoto Machida (14-0) at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas at UFC 98.
Can Evans find a way of unlocking the brilliance, balance and unique style of Machida, to hold on to his crown? Machida has waited patiently for his title shot, never losing a round in the UFC and enjoying dominance in six straight victories inside the Octagon, arguably the most impressive at UFC 94 where he dumped Thiago Silva in round one for his first resultant knockout denouement. It proved Machida had the makings of a future champion.
Evans, however, has the intelligence, patience and capacity to come from behind in a fight, and improves with each performance. He enacted a thunderous KO of the legend Chuck Liddell, a ground and pound finish of Forrest Griffin, and if Evans can unseat Machida by getting inside, it could be lights out, with his dangerous, fast, heavy hands.
No one has yet managed to line Machida up, and his command of range is staggeringly accurate. He wastes little. There is an argument that with his karate posture, he holds his chin out. The counter argument is that the chin held out acts as a ruse for 'The Dragon' to counter-strike.
This is a tough contest to call, yet if Machida gets ahead in the first two rounds with his clinical strikes, it could be a tough one to claw back for Evans. Machida by decision is my prediction, and, if he wins, it could be a long reign for the man who no-one has yet worked out. Not even for a round in his UFC career. That’s some record, and it is not by accident.
The title fight at UFC 98 is preceded by a welterweight grudge match between Matt Hughes and Matt Serra. Country boy versus City geezer; wrestler versus jiu jitsu expert; layers of dislike, and a fight which could go down on either side as licking a finger into the wind. For Serra, victory will create a legacy. For Hughes, already a near legend in the UFC, an opponent he openly dislikes put down.
Hughes made the welterweight division his own at one point. But he is fading. Wonderful wrestler. Yet Serra has heavy hands, as he showed in demolishing GSP, and may have the nous with his jiu jitsu to nullify Hughes if the wrestler gets him to the ground.
It could be a hard, angry fight. I believe Hughes is past his prime, and Serra will lay hands on him in this fight. Heavy hands. Yet Hughes could control the fight and smother Hughes. It will be a tough one for both men, but Serra’s night in my book, by TKO, or KO.
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