At UFC 98, two undefeated fighters met in the Octagon to battle for a title, but it was the challenger, Lyoto Machida, who kept his undefeated record intact after he captured the UFC light heavyweight title via second-round knockout over former champion Rashad Evans. The fight was a chess match for as long as it lasted, with Machida controlling the distance behind his quick leg kicks. His unorthodox style was confusing for Evans, who spent most of the fight bouncing up and down on the outside trying to figure out a way to close the distance without getting hit.
Unfortunately for Evans, when he did throw caution to the wind and tried to get close, Machida landed a devastating left hand that rocked and dropped the former champion. Evans made it back to his feet, but he was clearly buzzed. Machida jumped all over him and landed a series of lefts and right against the cage until a final left hand dropped Evans and put him to sleep. The official time of the knockout was 3:57 of round two. "I tried all my life to be champion and I am very, very, very happy. I want to say thank you for my fans. Thank you for coming...Now I'm going to keep this belt for a long time...Now The Dragon is the Champion," stated an emotional Machida in celebration during the post-fight interview.
Also in action, former UFC welterweight champion Matt Hughes silenced the critics, as well as his opponent, when he defeated Matt Serra via unanimous decision in a long-awaited clash between two guys who generally disliked each other. Although Hughes was rocked and dropped by a headbutt early in the first round, he was able to regroup and control most of the action on the ground for the majority of an uneventful fight. All three judges scored the bout 29-28.
Other results:
- Drew McFedries def. Xavier Foupas-Pokam via TKO at :37 of Round 1
- Chael Sonnen def. Dan Miller via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Frank Edgar def. Sean Sherk via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Brock Larson def. Mike Pyle via Submission (arm triangle choke) at 3:06 of Round 1
- Tim Hague def. Pat Barry via Submission (guillotine choke) at 1:42 of Round 1
- Kyle Bradley def. Phillipe Nover via TKO at 1:03 of Round 1
- Krystof Soszynski def. Andre Gusmao via TKO at 3:17 of Round 1
- Yoshiyuki Yoshida def. Bradon Wolff via Submission (guillotine choke) at 2:24 of Round 1
- George Roop def. David Kaplan vis Split Decision (29-28 Kaplan, 30-27 Roop, 30-27 Roop)
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