UFC 98: Machida vs. Evans In-Arena Commentary
We are live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, NV. Dave will have a full match-by-match report here I’m going to be adding a few notes here and there from what’s going on inside of the arena.
The feeling I've gotten since arriving in Las Vegas this week is that some people are very into this UFC, but most of the town has other things on their minds. At MGM Grand, it's all UFC. Plenty of signage, plenty of jacked up guys and plenty of buxom women. At Mirage, Monte Carlo, Mandalay Bay etc., my sense is that it's more of a typical Memorial Day crowd concerned with gambling, drinking and sitting poolside.
Inside the arena, it is less than half full as the fights start up, with the pricier seats being a lot more empty than the upper section. This is a pretty subdued crowd compared to some, but it is your typical MMA-educated UFC crowd. They pop for jiu jitsu positioning, ooh-and-ahh for big strikes and generally seem to be concentrating pretty hard on the show.
George Roop vs Dave Kaplan was the opener. Roop won an odd split decision (two 30-27s and a 28-29 for his opponent). The fight was competitive and all, but perhaps just as interesting was Kaplan entering to Tina Turner's "We Don't Need Another Hero" and wearing wrestling trunks (Speedo style). Perhaps it was a tribute to Shonie Carter.
Yoshiyuki Yoshida vs. Brandon Wolff is up second. Wolff really has a great look. Good looking guy with a creatively tatted upper body. To only minor problem I see is that he got waxed by Yoshida in short order with a guillotine. In fact, Wolff did the ol' Ric-Flair-in-WCW special of two jobs in one night. He tapped to the guillotine, the ref missed it and then he fought for another few seconds before tapping again. Yoshida even held it in for an extra moment to make sure the second time around.
Andre Gusmao vs. Krzysztof Soszynski. Gusmao is really gonna tick me off. He's entering to Rick Ross' "Hustlin'", which Melvin Guillard entered to during the Hughes vs. Gracie card in May, 2006. YOU DON"T APE ANOTHER FIGHTER'S MUSIC. Or at least you ask first. And I don't think Melvin speaks Portuguese.
You'd think UFC would have some quality control here. Luckily Guillard isn't a legend, otherwise we could have a Mariano Rivera/Billy Wagner situation brewing.
While I wait for a nut shot delay, I should mention that we saw B.J. Penn entering as we were waiting for our media credentials. The funny thing to me was that a guy in his entourage was calling him "B". You're telling me that two letters is too much? And isn't BJ (Baby Jay) already a nickname? I guess I shouldn't be mad because I'm a fan of DeWayne Carter (b.k.a Lil' Wayne, a.k.a Junior, a.k.a J.R., a.k.a. Weezy). Oooh. While I was typing the Polish War Cannon annihilated Gusmao with a number of big punches. Just no head movement from Gusmao. If there's one area that MMA fighters seem to struggle with when they learn boxing, it's got to be that. Well, that and getting bashed in the face.
The first of my three Best Bets is up next. Nover vs. Bradley. While we wait for entrances (Bradley: Korn, Nover: Diddy), I must note that the curtain jerker comic from Joe Rogan's show last night is sitting on the floor in about the fourth row. That's got to be a comp. Absolutely has to.
Also, a quick trivia question. Nover's entrance music was "Victory". What pro wrestling group used that song (non-radio safe version) for a video package back in the 90's?
Wow, by the time I finished typing the question, the fight was over. The crowd is pretty darned mad. They thought the stoppage was bad. When I initially watched the finish, I thought that Nover went limp after being punched while desperately trying to grab for a leg after being knocked down. Then Nover got right back into a defensive position while Yves Levigne waived it off. Upon seeing the replay, I saw what Joe Silva is explaining right now to a few members of the press. In the replay it looked like Nover merely lost his balance and fell on his face after the punch while trying to crawl for the leg, thereby looking limp while not actually being out. In a way I can't blame Levigne because I'm guessing there's a directive from the NSAC to err on the side of caution, but it was a fast stoppage.
Perhaps more importantly, this is the second straight heartbreaking sports wager for me. I had under 188.5 in the Cavs game last night when LeBron hit that shot to beat me, and now I get an MMA loss on a fast stoppage. This is why you have to manage your risk when gambling.
The arena is filling up, but there are still more empties in the lower level than in the upper level. The upper level aso appears to have a good Canadian contingent. It's not St. Pierre level or even Cote level, but Tim Hague is the second straight Canadian fighter (after K.S.) to get a nice pop from the cheap seats. His fight with Pat Berry is up now. It's the second to last undercard fight. It's the only heavyweight match on the card. That's just one of the reasons I see a lower buyrate coming from this show.
While I wait for the intros I have to comment on the grappling match between Peach Machine and Alvarez. I think Alvarez should feel like the winner because he came in looking about 30 pounds lighter and he managed to last three 3-minute rounds. In sports when you're the bigger athlete, it's your job to press the action and get a decisive victory.
Another first round victory and another Canadian victory. Tim Hague got hit by a big punch, but he eventually got a takedown when Barry missed a haymaker. Hague worked into a guillotine on the ground and that was that.
Man, does Hague ever sound like Lance Storm when he's on the stick. That didn't work for WWE but the UFC crowd here is loving him. I guess if WWE would've booked Storm right they could've had something. Step 1) Get beaten nearly to the point of finishing, Step 2) Try a desperation move that hits, Step 3) Win with a cool finisher and give a self-deprecating promo where you mention your wife, your kids and cold beer. Sounds good to me.
Time for Brock Larson vs. Mike Pyle. Pyle, who is white, has an all black corner. I can't recall seeing that. He's in a tough spot for other reasons. He's a very late replacement and Larson is a big welterweight. I live Larson because he brings back fond memories of great WEC shows at the Hard Rock, he entered to Johnny Cash and he is from Brainerd, MN. You all know what great 90's movie took place in and around Brainerd, right?
By the way, on the previous trivia question, a hint is that the group that used "Victory" was from a non-U.S. promotion and the group was copied from a well-known heel group in the U.S. at the time. (Larson physically dominated the match and won with an arm triangle, by the way.
Alright, I'm going to give you all some time to think about great non-U.S. heel groups of the 90's and movies from the 90's that were set in Brainerd, MN. In the meantime I'm going to stretch my legs and be back online about ten minutes before the start of the main card.
Baba O'Riley! Oh man, do I love that video. I'm pretty sure Kobe Bryant must have seen it at some point because this season the Lakers started using it for their intros. UFC better never chance that intro music. They can switch up some of the clips, but they have to keep the core (Hughes/Trigg, Loiseau's kick, St. Pierre begging, Bonnar/Griffin etc.).
Intro video time. Contrary to the weigh-ins, Hughes got a positive reaction. And it is pretty clear that Lyoto is going to be gigantic if he pulls this off tonight. The crowd has really filled in nicely. The upper level is packed and the lower level is about 90% full. Edgar vs. Sherk will open the show.
Boxing fans: How many pro boxers do you know with a body like Sean Sherk? Somebody please text Sean Sherk with the answer. This guy has just fallen in love with his boxing. Yeah, his wrestling is good enough that he can keep fights standing, but he's got short arms and he doesn't slip punches.
This match was a great example of that old axiom that you have to wow them with the finish. Edgar got over big time with this crowd. He controlled the fight and all, but the big thing was locking in a guillotine with just a few seconds left and getting that pop for the finish. Too bad he can't promo.
Interesting side notes: Frequent ESPN MMA contributor Franklin McNeil was downright giddy slapping hands with fellow Jersey guy Frankie Edgar after the win. Also, Mike Tyson is ringside sitting next to Rampage.
They just showed the guys in the main and semi-main entering the building. Biggest pop was for Machida and Evans was booed. I know it's been over two years since the famous L.A. Times article citing the fact that crowds tend to boo Asian and black fighters, but it may be more than a coincidence that the two biggest black stars in UFC (Rampage and Evans) have been booed heartily in Championship defenses this Memorial Day weekend and last Fourth of July weekend.
Miller (no relation) vs. Sonnen is next. Yves Lavigne has formally turned heel to this crowd.
Gosh darn. For the second round in a row Sonnen gets a takedown and gets guillotine'd in the process. But for the second round in a row it's not in tight enough and Sonnen gets on top of Miller for ground and pound. Either Sonnen's takedowns are loose or Miller doesn't know how to give up on the guillotine attempt when being taken down. Or both.
This fight has gotten repetitive and the crowd has turned. Time to turn my attention elsewhere. Specifically, I want to talk about the Almeida vs. Cote fight from the Jackson vs. Griffin show last year. Everyone crapped on that fight as a boring fight, but it wasn't. This Chonnen fight was a boring fight. To me, if you have one guy dominating without taking chances to finish, that's boring. Cote vs. Almeida was a tactical fight where one guy wanted to bang, the other guy wanted to roll and they spent the night trying to find the slightest opening so that they could control the fight. It was engrossing to me in the way that a 1-0 soccer match can sometimes be engrossing.
Finally, it's over and we can move on to McFedries and Professor X. McFedries is a guy who could have big things in store for him. He looked superb at the end of 2006 but then he seemed to understandably lose concentration when his mother (an Iowa prostitute) was murdered. Enough time has passed that he might be ready to make waves. Let's see.
Big pop for "Nuthin' But a G Thang" as McFedries entrance music. Too must bass, though. And while we're on this topic, can I tell you how excited I am for the return of "Country Boy Can Survive"? Still my choice for best entrance in MMA.
I don't want to say I told you so, but...
Wow, McFedries is now seriously over, at least with this crowd. That was awesome. And before you ask, I have absolutely no reason why I chose Nover, Hughes and Evans as best bets instead of McFedries. That's how you know you're instincts are off when gambling.
"Oh yes they did" remix of the night from the UFC DJ: Drowning Pool and Dropkick Murphy's.
Looks like we have another break before this next fight. Go watch the end of the Lakers game or something.
Lakers win and (coincidentally?) the in-arena action is starting back up. Serra vs. Hughes. The crowd is into it. The promos are great. Let's see what happens.
Oh, no. "Gonna Fly Now" from James Last ("Rocky" theme) is Serra's music and the crowd loves it. I find that Philly people hate it when non-Philly people use this song, but I'm guessing that Philly people hate Matt Hughes even more.
By the way, the Brainerd movie is "Fargo". I'll post the other answer at the end of the report.
Big, big pop for "Country Boy Can Survive" by Hank Williams, Jr. Serra is occupying his time doing the RVD splits in the cage. If I see that in the fight, Serra will be my new man-crush.
When the Fertitta's are standing (in Mike Tyson's view, no less), you know it's a big fight.
Mixed reactions for both fighters, but mostly cheers for Hughes and more boos than cheers for Serra. I'm guessing the crowd will go either way depending on how the fight goes.
The crowd is superb for this one. Dueling chants... booing for both... cheering for both. Great first round, too. Read Dave's report for the details.
Serra definitely seems to be turning into the bigger babyface here. He really needs to stay off his back this round, though.
The proper result, in my opinion, is a draw. It was a good fight both ways and neither man showed dominance. It's just too bad that draws aren't considered a good result in MMA. Or maybe we just need an extra round, K-1 style.
1-1 on Best Bets, but a very unimpressive 1-1. One loss in a minute and another skin-of-the-teeth decision. Crowd seemed to pop for the Hughes victory announcement. People in the media area nearby seemed to think Serra won. I'm sure that'll be a topic of discussion at the post-show press conference.
CRAP!!! Evans has been bet down to +170 here at MGM, but Scotty is holding at +196 at Pinnacle and Bookmaker has it at +190. Casino money is usually mark money. All of the sharps tend to bet offshore. That disparity in line movement tells me that Pinnacle and Bookmaker are happy as clams to take in Evans money. I know we journalists like to think that we can predict MMA, but the bookies are the ones with their money on the line. If I hadn't already picked Rashad I'd be betting Machida if you can get odds like that -200 that's here at MGM.
Perhaps it's an homage to Iron Mike at ringside, but Evans is entering to "Time 4 Sum Aksion". Tyson entered to that when he returned from his prison stint to thrash tomato can Peter McNeely. By the way, I was told that Tyson is riveting. I want to see it but I have to wait until Chioma gets back from New York.
Machida is over as a babyface and he loves it. Enjoy it while you can, Lyoto. All it takes is one bad fight...
Maybe I'm wrong. This round had no contact until two minutes in, several periods where the crowd booed and yet because he got a nice knockdown and threw some cool kicks, Machida got cheered after the round. Maybe this guy does have something.
Wow! What a finish. Evans has a hard freakin' head because Machida hit him with about a dozen clean shots to the dome before Evans went out.
Machida is emotional in the ring and the crowd loves it. And you have to give Dana White credit. When all of us journalists used to question what to do with Machida because he appeared to be a boring fighter, White would say to anyone who would listen that Machida was great and that he just needed to get acclimated to the octagon. And he can promo! "If you have a dream... Go get it... It is possible!" It was broken English, but it worked like crazy.
A final word before I wrap it up and head to the press conference. With a performance like this, it seems to me that a lot of people are going to start proclaiming this the beginning of an era of dominance in the Light Heavyweight division not since since Chuck Liddell's run in the middle of this decade. Just as Penn has controlled the lightweights, St. Pierre the welterweights and Silva the middleweights, so too will people expect that Machida will control the light heavyweights. It's understandable. He's undefeated, he has yet to be put into serious trouble and he has set the pace for all of his fights. But I say not so fast. The last three light heavyweight champions have a grand total of zero successful championship defenses between them, and on the horizon sits Quinton Jackson. Jackson brings the same power, wrestling background and toughness that I thought would deliver Evans the victory. I was wrong this time, but let's at least wait for that match before we crown Machida king of the sport's marquee weight division.
Trivia answer: nWo Japan, featuring Masahiro Chono, used "Victory" in a video.
Best Bets: 1-2, -$160
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