UFC 98 came live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on May 23, 2009. The main event featured a highly anticipated clash between Light Heavyweight Champion Rashad Evans and Lyoto Machida.
Beyond that, there was also the grudge match of all grudge matches between the Matts.
Main Event: Lyoto Machida vs. Rashad Evans
“This fight’s about one thing, me becoming UFC champion,” said Lyoto Machida coming into his UFC Light Heavyweight Championship shot against Rashad Evans. On the other hand, Evans likely would’ve noted that this fight was about him keeping the belt.
At first glance this appears to be an extremely evenly matched, if not crowd pleasing, title fight. It has been one of the most talked about fights around the internet since it was announced because of the allure of the fighters. We have the ghost that cannot be touched against the perennial underdog who has never lost.
The light heavyweight title has now changed hands four times in the last five title bouts.
Lyoto Machida defeated Rashad Evans by knockout at 3:57 of the second round to become UFC light heavyweight champion at UFC 98 on Saturday night. Machida (15-0) landed a barrage of punches that sent Evans reeling up against the cage and finished him off with a left hand that folded Evans (18-1-1) backward onto the canvas. “I’ve tried all my life to become a champion and I am very, very happy,” a jubilant Machida said.
Early on, there wasn’t a lot of action. But about two minutes in, Machida partially connected with a high kick. About a minute later, Machida landed a nice body kick and punch to the face. A momentary clinch saw Evans connect with a knee to the body. Then about another minute later, Machida landed a hard body kick and then a left hand that dropped Evans. He followed him to the ground with some more hard striking before Evans recovered and got up. Soon after, came the bell.
Machida clearly won the round. His quick striking ability is amazing.
Early on, Machida landed a couple of decent kicks. Then came a hard body kick by Machida followed by a takedown attempt that nearly bore fruit (would’ve had the cage not been there). Moments later, the two traded a flurry of punches when Machida came forward aggressively. Machida’s throwing a lot of kicks, connecting with many. Later, Evans landed a good body kick.
Then came the big one. Machida connected with a hard left hand that stunned Evans and then a right-left combination that floored him. Evans got back up but Machida didn’t let him breathe, eventually hitting home with a left hand that left him slumped on the canvas.
Lyoto Machida is simply amazing. He’s the kind of guy that makes you believe in karate all over again, when it’s done right.
Lyoto Machida wins via KO at 3:57 of round two.
☆ Lyoto "the Dragon" Machida || Highlights / Knockouts ☆
Fighter Statistics
- Evans vs. Rashad Evans is 29.
- Lyoto Machida is 30.
- Rashad Evans has 14 professional fights.
- Lyoto Machida has 14 professional fights.
- Rashad Evans is undefeated.
- Lyoto Machida is undefeated.
- Neither man is beloved by casual fans.
Machida's UFC Record
- Since joining the UFC, Lyoto Machida is 6-0 with two stoppages.
- He has victories against Rich Franklin (a TKO in Bom-Ba-Ye in 2003), Thiago Silva (a KO this year) and Tito Ortiz (a UD last year).
Evans' UFC Record
- Rashad Evans has a record of 8-0-1 in the UFC (not counting his wins in the TUF house) with four stoppages.
- Of those four stoppages, he was behind on my scorecard in three of them when the stoppages occurred (I had him losing the first round to Sean Salmon and Chuck Liddell, and the first two rounds to Forrest Griffin).
- Rashad has also never had a unanimous decision in the UFC.
- He has three Split Decisions and a rare Majority Decision.
- Evans also had a very rare Unanimous Draw to Tito Ortiz due to Tito getting a point deducted for holding the cage.
For me, the most interesting part of this match up is on the feet. This is where Rashad Evans has improved dramatically over the last several years. This is where Lyoto Machida is at his most confusing for opponents. Both men are very patient here, perhaps two of the most patient strikers in MMA. Neither generally put themselves into danger by getting sloppy. Both have great footwork and hand speed. Both have displayed some power in the past, but I expect Evans to have the power advantage.
Lyoto Machida is harder to hit than Rashad Evans, but we know Rashad's chin is solid - Machida's is more of a question mark. Machida got hit with a glancing right by Sokoudjou in the first round of their fight and he reacted like he did not like getting hit, so that could be a concern.
At first glance Rashad Evans should have a large edge here because of his collegiate wrestling pedigree. However, I feel that Rashad's wrestling has always been a little overrated. He has trouble taking people down in the middle of the cage, and Tito was generally able to control the wrestling against Evans in their fight. On the other hand Ortiz was not able to do much at all against Machida, and even resorted to pulling guard when he could not get him down.
While I don't mean to say that this shows that Machida has superior wrestling, but I do think that Evans will have a very steep uphill battle if he expects to take Machida down with a shot. Another factor is that if Evans does get him to the ground, he is hard to hold down. Against Sokoudjou, Machida was taken down twice in the first round. Once he immediately swept to top, and once he immediately got back to his feet.
Both Rashad Evans and Lyoto Machida were in the biggest trouble they have been in while in the UFC during their matches with Tito Ortiz. Rashad was saved by the bell from a Guillotine at the end of Round 2, and Lyoto had to fight out of what appeared to be a very tight triangle in Round 3. This not only shows that Tito is underrated by hardcore fans (which he is in my opinion), but also that a great submission game may the best way to stop one of these men.
Rashad generally does not go for submissions, preferring to use ground and pound when on top. Lyoto on the other hand will go for submissions if given the opportunity, but I don't see him finishing Rashad by submission unless he is already hurt.
Rashad has the superior ground and pound of the two fighters, but I don't see him finishing Machida on the ground either unless Machida is already hurt.
The one thing that has me very curious is to see what kind of a game plan Greg Jackson puts together for Rashad Evans. Greg Jackson is the best game planner in MMA, and I want to see what he tries to do to beat Machida. As Shogun recently said, Machida is a hard person to spar for, because there is no one with his style. Everyone seems to think that Rashad needs to use takedowns and top control to win this fight, but I do not think Rashad will consistently be able to take Machida down.
Meanwhile Michael Rome said that he believes the clinch is Rashad's key to success. However, I don't think the clinch is Rashad's sweet spot either (I have never seen him be very effective there - Randy Couture he isn't), and I only think Nakamura was effective in the third round of that bout because Machida was exhausted.
I expect Rashad to fight a similar game plan as he did against Forrest. Keep it on the feet, but if an opportunity presents itself, to take it to the ground. In the Forrest fight Rashad got it to the ground not through a takedown, but by catching a body kick. Lyoto's favorite weapon on the feet is a body kick.
The truth is that Rashad loses rounds all the time, while Lyoto has only lost a single round on a single scorecard since joining the UFC. Simply looking at that, and the fact that Machida's style is very judge friendly (hard to lose a round if you don't get hit), it will be very hard for Rashad Evans to win three rounds by enough for the judges to give them to him. However, I have already stated that there are some questions about Machida's chin, and we know that Rashad can crack, both on the feet and on the ground.
If Rashad catches him clean (easier said than done) the night could end early for Lyoto. At the end of the day I think this is a bout where if it goes to decision, that likely means that Lyoto Machida won, while if it ends early, that probably means that Rashad Evans won.
Right now Lyoto is approximately a 2:1 favorite, and that sounds about right to me. If I was forced to choose a side at Lyoto -200 Rashad +160, I would probably still take Lyoto Machida, but the line is too close to what I believe it should be for me to want to make a bet.
Co-Main Event: Matt Hughes vs. Matt Serra
Matt Hughes (44-7) won a unanimous decision against Matt Serra (16-6) in a matchup of former welterweight champions. Serra took the advantage early on, flooring Hughes with strikes in the first round. Hughes was able to fight back utilizing his superior wrestling ability and controlled the final two rounds with all three judges scoring the fight 29-28. The two embraced after the fight and seemed to put the bad blood behind them.
“Matt Serra is running his mouth enough to where all I want to do is hit it now,” said Matt Hughes, coming into his fight against Matt Serra. Of course, Serra believed that he would be the guy to expose Hughes once and for all. And the hatred the two felt for one another coming in is what promised to make this fight special.
Hughes came out in a left handed stance, likely indicating that he wanted to shoot. Not much happened early on. Then came an incidental headbutt that hurt Hughes followed by a flurry of punches that further dizzied him. But somehow Hughes survived to force the clinch where he was able to recover. After a separation, Hughes took Serra down hard into side control. After some nice ground and pound, Hughes took his back. From there came some nice ground and pound. But Serra got up. Hughes hit home with a nice left from there. Serra hit home with a side kick. Then came the bell.
That was a close round. If you eliminate the headbutt, it was Hughes’s. But since the headbutt wasn’t called.. It could’ve been Serra’s. Close.
In the second, Serra caught his opponent with a hard punch. Then came a nice knee by Hughes, followed by a clinch and then takedown. Hughes moved to Serra’s half guard. Some mild ground and pound, mostly to the body, followed from there until near the one minute mark when Hughes connected with some bigger punches to the face. Serra did a good job of defending against Hughes’s attempts at improving his position. Then at the 13 second mark, the referee stood them up. Serra came after Hughes hard at the end of the round before the bell.
That round goes to Hughes. It’s either 1-1 or 2-0 Hughes going into the final stanza.
A Hughes knee connected early in the final stanza. Then came two nice punches by him followed by a clinch. From there, Hughes took him down. However, Serra tried to secure an omoplata attempt on two separate occasions. Both times Hughes got out. Serra then looked for a brief triangle that failed. Hughes moved to half guard. But a lack of action caused the referee to stand them up again.
The two traded hard rights. Later, the two clinched. But this time Serra took Hughes down hard. From there came some hard ground and pound by Serra. Hughes nearly turned things over on his opponent before the bell.
Both the first and third rounds in this one were hard to call. However, chances are that at least one of those questionable stanzas went to Hughes. And the judges clearly agreed.
Matt Hughes wins via unanimous decision.
The fighters developed a heated rivalry while coaching opposing teams on “The Ultimate Fighter” reality show and were scheduled to meet at UFC 79 in December 2007 when Serra pulled out of the bout due to injury.
The two embraced after the fight and seemed to put the bad blood behind them. When asked what his plans for the future were, Hughes said,” I’m still motivated to compete so we’ll see what happens.
Undercard Highlights
On the undercard, Drew McFedries made quick work of Xavier Foupa-Pokam, getting the TKO just 37 seconds in. Also, Chael Sonnen beat Dan Miller by unanimous decision and Frank Edgar looked impressive, earning a unanimous decision victory over former lightweight champion Sean Sherk.
Drew McFedries vs. Xavier Foupa-Pokam
Next up was a match between Xavier Foupa Pokam and Drew McFedries in what promised to be a striking match that would end in a knockout. Not much else to say. Let’s get things going.
McFedries connected with a hard left hand that sent his opponent backwards and then a right hand that dropped him hard. Despite following with a torrent of punches on the ground, Foupa Pokam managed to fight his way to his feet. However, another McFedries flurry of strikes dropped him again, causing the referee to stop the fight.
Drew McFedries wins via TKO at 37 seconds of round one. This was a fast, yet exciting encounter.
Chael Sonnen vs. Dan Miller
"I don't get taken down in fights," said Chael Sonnen in reference to Dan Miller's ability to utilize his well thought of submission skills in their UFC 98 match up. Would Miller be able to make Sonnen eat his words and add another win for the New Jersey (Frank Edgar) fighters?
Early on, Miller landed a nice right hand and then the two exchanged low kicks. Then Sonnen went for the takedown. Though he achieved it, he was almost stopped by a guillotine choke for his efforts. But Sonnen then started in with some significant ground and pound. Some big elbows and punches by Sonnen were landing. Miller came close to transitioning to a kneebar, but when it failed he ended up in Sonnen’s side control for a few moments. For the rest of the round, Miller was punished on the ground.
Great stanza for Sonnen.
Early in the second, Sonnen went for a takedown that failed and got hit with some knees and a punch. But when the two clinched up again, Miller was put on his back. Another guillotine choke by him failed. Then the ground and pound started up again. In the midsts of it all, Miller almost pulled off an armbar, but Sonnen’s posture was perfect, eliminating the threat. For the rest of the stanza, Sonnen implemented his ground and pound gameplan, albeit with less ferocity than the first round.
Miller needs a stoppage in order to win in the final round.
Miller landed a big flurry early in the final round. But then Sonnen took him down easily. From there, things looked like the first two rounds until the bell.
Chael Sonnen wins impressively by unanimous decision.
Frank Edgar vs. Sean Sherk
Before his fight against Sean Sherk, Frankie Edgar said, "I feel a win over him will put me into possible title contention." True. But winning would be the hard part, no?
Early, on, both fighters were busy from a distance. However, Sherk landed the first nice shot, a left. Eventually, the two clinched, with Sherk pushing his opponent into the canvas for a moment before separation. A lot of strikes were thrown from there by both fighters, but few actually connected until the three minute mark when Edgar did hit home with a flurry. Then Edgar did the same with another flurry. Sherk answered with a nice left. From there, the two traded shots. Eventually, Edgar went for a single leg takedown that failed. In the clinch, Sherk connected with a knee and later hit home with a solid left hook. But then when he tried a leg kick, it led to a takedown by Edgar. From there, he held a strong headlock for a period of time before Sherk disposed of the move. Edgar is just moving in and out wih the better striking. Then the bell.