Evans, Machida Weighed In for UFC 98
Sherdog.com Staff May 23, 2009
UFC light heavyweight champion Rashad
Evans and Lyoto
Machida will meet next in the Octagon, as both cleared weight
Friday at UFC 98 “Evans vs. Machida” at the MGM Grand Garden Arena
in Las Vegas.
Machida (14-0), who bowed in respect to Evans as they met at the end of the stage for their staredown, weighed 202 pounds. Receiving an even mix of cheers and boos as he entered, Evans was 205 pounds.
“I am very calm,” the Karate-centric Machida told the crowd. “I
don’t worry about his technique. I just worry with my technique.
Please cheer for me tomorrow night.”
Machida, whose calculated, counter-attack style has befuddled the likes of Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou, Thiago Silva and former champ Tito Ortiz en route to his bid for the title, certainly has the masses on his side.
“It don’t drive me nuts, man. It’s what I was born into,” Evans told the press Thursday. “I don’t care so much what others say about whether I’m going to win or not. If I did, I wouldn’t be where I am right now. It’s never hurt me before –- it’s only seemed to help me.
The staredown between former UFC champions Matt Hughes and Matt Serra was as genuinely tense as you’d expect from rivals that truly don’t have a sympathetic bone in their bodies for one another.
Originally slated to meet in December 2007 to culminate their psychological warring as coaches for “The Ultimate Fighter 6,” only injuries –- a back ailment for Serra and knee complications for Hughes –- have kept the venomous pair apart for this long.
Future UFC Hall of Famer Hughes (43-7), who has been hinted for retirement, weighed in at 170 pounds. Loud-mouth Long Islander Serra (16-5) was a svelte 171 pounds.
In a lightweight bout to lead off the pay-per-view portion, former titleholder Sean Sherk hit the scale at 156 pounds, while his young, upstart challenger, Frankie Edgar, came in at 155 pounds.
Also on the main card, Xavier Foupa-Pokam will look to erase an underwhelming Octagon debut at UFC 97, as he (and the audience) hopes to trade striking tips with fellow scrapper Drew McFedries. Foupa-Pokam weighed in at 186 pounds, while McFedries was 185 pounds.
On the undercard, Canadian import Tim Hague tipped the scale at 263 pounds. Kickboxing opponent Pat Barry weighed in at a noticeably lighter 237 pounds.
In a last-minute shake-up, IFL veteran Mike Pyle will replace Chris Wilson, who didn’t complete his medical paperwork in time, in a 170-pound bout against former WEC stud Brock Larson. Larson weighed in at 171 pounds. Pyle, who was greenlit by the NSAC Friday morning as the replacement, weighed in directly after the weigh-ins at 173 pounds. Larson agreed to the weight allowance and Pyle's purse was not penalized, said Pyle's agent Ken Pavia.
UFC 98 Weigh-in Results:
Rashad Evans (205) vs. Lyoto Machida (204)
Matt Hughes (170) vs. Matt Serra (171)
Dan Miller (185) vs. Chael Sonnen (186)
Sean Sherk (156) vs. Frankie Edgar (155)
Drew McFedries (185) vs. Xavier Foupa-Pokam (186)
Mike Pyle (173) vs. Brock Larson (171)
Patrick Barry (237) vs. Tim Hague (263)
Phillipe Nover (156) vs. Kyle Bradley (156)
Andre Gusmao (206) vs. Krzysztof Soszynski (206)
Yoshiyuki Yoshida (171) vs. Brandon Wolff (170)
David Kaplan (156) vs. George Roop (154)
Machida (14-0), who bowed in respect to Evans as they met at the end of the stage for their staredown, weighed 202 pounds. Receiving an even mix of cheers and boos as he entered, Evans was 205 pounds.
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Machida, whose calculated, counter-attack style has befuddled the likes of Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou, Thiago Silva and former champ Tito Ortiz en route to his bid for the title, certainly has the masses on his side.
As of Friday, the half-Brazilian, half-Japanese fighter is the
solid favorite across virtually all the betting lines, leaving
Evans (18-0-1) the underdog once again marching into Saturday.
“It don’t drive me nuts, man. It’s what I was born into,” Evans told the press Thursday. “I don’t care so much what others say about whether I’m going to win or not. If I did, I wouldn’t be where I am right now. It’s never hurt me before –- it’s only seemed to help me.
The staredown between former UFC champions Matt Hughes and Matt Serra was as genuinely tense as you’d expect from rivals that truly don’t have a sympathetic bone in their bodies for one another.
Originally slated to meet in December 2007 to culminate their psychological warring as coaches for “The Ultimate Fighter 6,” only injuries –- a back ailment for Serra and knee complications for Hughes –- have kept the venomous pair apart for this long.
Future UFC Hall of Famer Hughes (43-7), who has been hinted for retirement, weighed in at 170 pounds. Loud-mouth Long Islander Serra (16-5) was a svelte 171 pounds.
In a lightweight bout to lead off the pay-per-view portion, former titleholder Sean Sherk hit the scale at 156 pounds, while his young, upstart challenger, Frankie Edgar, came in at 155 pounds.
Also on the main card, Xavier Foupa-Pokam will look to erase an underwhelming Octagon debut at UFC 97, as he (and the audience) hopes to trade striking tips with fellow scrapper Drew McFedries. Foupa-Pokam weighed in at 186 pounds, while McFedries was 185 pounds.
On the undercard, Canadian import Tim Hague tipped the scale at 263 pounds. Kickboxing opponent Pat Barry weighed in at a noticeably lighter 237 pounds.
In a last-minute shake-up, IFL veteran Mike Pyle will replace Chris Wilson, who didn’t complete his medical paperwork in time, in a 170-pound bout against former WEC stud Brock Larson. Larson weighed in at 171 pounds. Pyle, who was greenlit by the NSAC Friday morning as the replacement, weighed in directly after the weigh-ins at 173 pounds. Larson agreed to the weight allowance and Pyle's purse was not penalized, said Pyle's agent Ken Pavia.
UFC 98 Weigh-in Results:
Rashad Evans (205) vs. Lyoto Machida (204)
Matt Hughes (170) vs. Matt Serra (171)
Dan Miller (185) vs. Chael Sonnen (186)
Sean Sherk (156) vs. Frankie Edgar (155)
Drew McFedries (185) vs. Xavier Foupa-Pokam (186)
Mike Pyle (173) vs. Brock Larson (171)
Patrick Barry (237) vs. Tim Hague (263)
Phillipe Nover (156) vs. Kyle Bradley (156)
Andre Gusmao (206) vs. Krzysztof Soszynski (206)
Yoshiyuki Yoshida (171) vs. Brandon Wolff (170)
David Kaplan (156) vs. George Roop (154)
