Some fun fights here: LIVE MATCHES -- Light-Heavyweight Title: Rashad Evans (c) vs. Lyoto Machida -- Matt Hughes vs. Matt Serra -- Xavier Foupa-Pokam vs. Drew McFedries -- Dan Miller vs. Chael Sonnen -- Frank Edgar vs. Sean Sherk TAPED MATCHES -- Brock Larson vs. Chris Wilson -- Pat Barry vs. Tim Hague -- Kyle Bradley vs. Phillipe Nover -- Andre Gusmao vs. Krzysztof Soszynski -- Brandon Wolff vs. Yoshiyuki Yoshida -- David Kaplan vs. George Roop -- I really think that Machida's finish in his last fight was due to his being told in no uncertain terms that he needed to show some excitement to get a title shot. I don't want him anywhere near the belt. Plus, I think Rashad's too smart to fall into his trap. Rashad by TKO in 3. -- We finally get the Hughes/Serra fight. Even though Hughes is done at the top level, he's still good enough to beat Serra, whom I've never really rated. Hughes by tapout in 2. -- Edgar/Sherk could steal the show - I'm really looking forward to this one. Edgar by split decision.
Evans' gnp could be the difference in this epic battle. There are too many fools in the UFC that don't recognize technique. They just want to see a brawl. In this match up you will see two of the most technical fighters in the UFC. I expect a lot of boo's. Man, I just hope DREAM can come on top, so the best fighters don't have to suffer this abuse any longer. What happened in A Silva's fight was straight ridiculous.
As a soccer fan who has had to experience so many idiots calling my favorite sport boring, I'm a huge Machida supporter.
boom by a show of hands, who saw that coming? about the only thing i knew would happen was the drew mcfedries fight, he's got hands of...i tried to come up with something, i can't, i can only hope if im in a bad spot, he's on my side
So who will get the first crack at Machida? He is hard to hit. The Light Heavyweights are filled with top fighters. His reign will be interesting to follow. I expected more from Hughes v Serra. No touching of gloves to start the fight but hugs at the end? Hughes raising Serra's arm??
Machida's growing on me. He used to just counter a strike with one strike, and then get back to dancing. But now - due no doubt to the whole being told that he needs to be more exciting thing - he's more aggresive when he counters, but not until he counters. He could be a tough out for a while. Anyone who fights him is going to have to be willing risk getting knocked out once he commits in order to get a good shot in. Rashard tried to do that, but we see how that worked.... Rampage should be next in line. I'm thinking Shogun might be able to give him a fight as well. -- Sherk/Edgar was fun. Frankie's getting in line for a title shot, I'd think. -- Good work for Sonnen to get out of that guillotine. -- While I have no doubt that McFedries would have continued to beat the crap out of Foupa-Pokam, I think that the fight was stopped a punch or two early. -- Not sure what Serra's game plan was there. I can totally see working from the bottom, but that's not going to impress the judges as much as being on top.
I am thinking 'Page, but Anderson Silva looks to be moving up. Maybe the winner w/ the fight of him & Forest. I thought Rashad was too tentative. I don't if he couldn't use his wrestling skills vs Machida or what. Props to Machida. He found some flaws in Rashad's game & exposed him. The LHW is the best that the UFC has to offer for me.
I would love to see Silva move up, right now no one really wants to fight him at his weight. Have to figure that Griffin should be a fight or 2 away from another shot at the title, Evans should rebound and it will be interesting to see how he fares in his next fight. Would like to see him against Rampage. The LHW has so many good fights that they could fill a whole card.
A. Silva isn't ever going to fight Machida because those two are from the same camp down in brazil and those guys don't fight each other. But there's enough quality in LHW to keep him busy. 'Page Wandy Franklin Forrest Hendo Shogun
why can't ufc take advantage of ufc 100 and have every title on the line, talk about a card, it would reak havoc on the ppv lines, it would likely be the most watched event, its 100 for crissake! griffin/silva almost overtakes penn/florian, that'll be interesting to see which fight white wants to showcase
They also have at least one PPV every month that they need main events for. UFC 100 is still going to do very well.
Per the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Rampage and Rashad will be the coaches on the next season of The Ultimate Fighter. This will lead to a #1 Contender's Fight/Grudge Match (remember that staredown?) between the two in December. So I'm thinking that Shogun's a safe bet for Machida's first defense.
Hmm, a bit annoying to see Rampage and Rashad get tied up for that long. But that is a logical fight at least. I'm not sure if Shogun deserves a shot yet at Machida or if I want him to fight him yet. I'd like Shogun to get at least one more fight in, preferably two, before he takes on Machida. He looked horrible in his win over Coleman and one victory over the current version of Chuck is not enough to make me think he a) deserves a fight win Machida, or b) is ready for Machida. On a separate note - I think it is so exciting to have a champion like Machida. His victory shows how the sport is continuing to evolve and that our old idea of a "complete fighter" might not be nearly as advanced as we thought.
if machida can hold his belt for more than a few matches, unlike his predecessors, i'd interested in seeing where his popularity and form take him, an. silva's popularity has gotten to his head, i'm hoping machida's got the nerve to keep up his fighting style, and not lose his focus