UFC 98: Evans Vs. Machida Light Heavyweight Title Fight Preview

The Ultimate Fighting Championship 98 is set to take place May 23, 2009 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The main event scheduled for the evening is the much anticipated match-up between "Sugar" Rashad Evans and Lyoto "The Dragon" Machida. They will be fighting for the Light Heavyweight Championship Title. Another high profile bout takes place that evening in the form of a welterweight match-up of UFC veteran Matt Hughes and Matt Serra.

Rashad Evans-the current light heavyweight champion- holds a spectacular record of 18-0 with one draw. While his opponent, Lyoto Machida, has an equally impressive record of 14-0. The pressure is on for these top level fighters as they prepare to do battle with eachother. Not only will they be competing for the highly sought after Light Heavyweight Championship belt but each man will also be trying desperately to maintain his perfect no loss record. The fact that neither fighter has sustained a loss in their professional mixed martial arts careers has put fan anticipation for this fight at record levels. If judging by the numbers it is nearly impossible to predict the outcome of this fight. The fighters are very closely matched. With wins over such opponents as Forrest Griffin and Chuck Liddell, Rashad Evans is certainly no joke. You don't earn the most coveted title in all of mixed martial arts by being a pushover. However, I think I have to give the winning odds to Lyoto Machida in this match-up. After taking out players like Tito Ortiz and Thiago Silva, Machida has, in my opinion, proven himself to be one of the best- if not the best- light heavyweight in the world today. According to the light hevyweight rankings from MMAWeekly.com Lyoto Machida currently stands in the number two spot, right under Rashad Evans. Not to take anything away from Evans' abilities as a fighter but I think Machida and his flawless record deserve the number one spot as well as the light heavyweight title. After Saturday, May 23 I believe he will have both. We'll see if he can't put the first notch in the loss column of Rashad Evans and take his rightful place in the UFC.

Matt Hughes and Matt "The Terror" Serra are scheduled to meet in a much anticipated welterweight grudge match at UFC 98. Both men were coaches on season six of The Ultimate Fighter television series and are former UFC welterweight champions. The hype for this fight as well as the reported motivation for the fighters has come from the extreme dislike the two men share for one another. There has been much public friction between the two since the coached on The Ultimate Fighter. As far as who the better fighter is today, it's hard to say. Matt Hughes is a very experienced fighter with an extensive record filled with some of the biggest names in UFC history. Although some think he might be a bit past his prime and not quite the opponent he once was. At the same time Matt Serra isn't much younger than Hughes and has a fairly extensive record as well. One of the most noted bouts was his win over Georges St. Pierre at UFC 69. Having St. Pierre in your win column is an impressive accomplishment for any fighter. However, I agree with the countless others who feel that win was a fluke and Serra fought a sub-par St. Pierre that night. This was later proved to be true with his loss to St. Pierre in their rematch at UFC 83. Taking this into account, when it comes to experience and all around skill I have to give the edge to Matt Hughes. Conversely, Matt Serra has an edge in strength with his dangerously strong stiking power. But in this case I think experience will prevail over strength. So, UFC 98: Matt Hughes vs. Matt Serra- I say Matt Hughes makes his fans proud one more time and takes another win back home to Illinois.

A lightweight match-up is on the UFC 98 event card featuring the former lightweight champion Sean "The Muscle Shark" Sherk vs. Frankie "The Answer" Edgar. This promises to be an energetic fast paced fight. I am a fan of Frankie Edgar, he is a very skilled 155 pound fighter. Despite my being a fan of Edgar I would like to see Sherk pull of the win. Ever since the steroid scandal that surrounded Sean Sherk for a while I have been eager to see him shake it off and continue to dominate his weight class. I'm quite sure this will be a perfect opportunity for him to showcase his abilities as a tough competitor. Sherk certainly has far more experience that Edgar. His record of 37-3 with one draw outweighs Edgar's 9-1 record more than four to one. This experience combined with an intense training regiment has made "The Muscle Shark" one formidable opponent. I definitely think Sherk has this fight wrapped up. Frankie Edgar might be a little over-matched this time.

The other bouts scheduled for the main televised fight card include Dan Miller vs. Chael Sonnen and Drew McFredries vs. Xavier Foupa-Pokam. Five more under-card fights are also scheduled for the event but will not be televised. I wish the best to all the fighters taking part in the event and hope everyone enjoys the show. UFC 98 promises to be an action packed memorable event. Check with your local cable/satellite provider for information on how to order the Pay-Per-View event.

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