Ever since my exams ended, I decided to take a nice little vacation and do nothing at all. And now I am sitting here...still doing nothing at all, and am bringing you my predictions for the main events of UFC 98!
UFC Light-Heavyweight Championship: Rashad Evans vs. Lyoto Machida
Allow me to go on record and say that this title shot for Machida is LONG overdue, and it's about time he received his shot. This is being billed as yet another "battle of the undefeateds," with Machida and Evans boasting 14-0 and 18-0-1 records, respectively.
Machida, a Karate specialist, is coming fresh off of his knockout victory of (formerly undefeated) Thiago Silva. Before his fight with Silva, many had Silva touted as a top contender, and Machida defeated him convincingly.
Evans, after his draw with Tito Ortiz, rang off three straight wins over Michael Bisping, Chuck Liddell, and Forrest Griffin, and is now the current top dog in the Light-Heavyweight division.
So we have a situation of collegiate wrestler vs. Karate specialist. Machida is one of the few Karate specialists (if not, the only one) in the UFC. If you watch Machida's fights, he is RARELY taken down. HE can brush off any take down attempts that come his way. No doubt Evans will be the aggressor in this fight, but I don't think that his wrestling skills will be able to match Machida's defense. This fight will simply come down to who will get the knockout blow first. People are already touting an Evans/Rampage title match after their recent altercation.
Will we see Evans/Jackson? Obviously. Will it be for the title? No. I believe Machida will defeat Evans and become the next champ. WAR MACHIDA!
Winner: Lyoto Machida - Knockout 2nd round
Matt Hughes vs. Matt Serra
Oh my, what a grudge match. Former coaches of "The Ultimate Fighter" were supposed to face off at the season six finale (UFC 79), but Serra succumbed to injury. Instead, Hughes faced Georges St. Pierre for the interim Light Heavyweight title and lost. After that fight, Serra faced St. Pierre for the undisputed strap and lost as well.
After his fight with St. Pierre, Hughes faced off against "The Pitbull" Thiago Alves at UFC 85, losing by knockout. Serra has had no other fights between his title loss and this upcoming PPV.
Here we have a situation of two fighters with a ground game as their primary fighting style. Serra has his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, while Hughes has his wrestling game. Both men have been known to go the distance in past fights, and I have a feeling that a decision victory for either of these two men is likely. However, this fight will launch one of these fighters back into possible contention for the Welterweight title down the road. And especially for Hughes, this seems to be his make-or-break fight.
I do think Hughes could pull off the decision win through repeated takedowns and staying on top of Serra (which could also happen because Serra is more comfortable on his back). We have already had one "retirement" take place in Chuck Liddell. Hughes looks like he could be the next. I expect a flash knockout or submission to put Serra back into contention.
Winner: Matt Serra - TKO/Submission
So that's all for now. Expect me to start posting here more often.
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