MMA Betting – Machida, Hughes tipped for UFC 98 glory

May 20, 2009

Indy 500 odds and French Open betting are the minds of those who are betting sports this weekend, but you shouldn’t forget about the exciting matches lined up for UFC 98, which will be held this Saturday in Las Vegas. In the main event, Lyoto Machida will challenge Rashad Evans for the light-heavyweight championship in a meeting of undefeated fighters, while a legend will be making his curtain call as Matt Hughes takes on Matt Serra.

Evans vs Machida odds (Machida -200)

Machida (14-0) is known as one of the most technical fighters in the UFC, but he showed a new skill when he knocked out Thiago Silva in the first round of their meeting in UFC 94. Even before he got to UFC, Machida was beating fighters like Rich Franklin, Stephen Bonnar and B.J. Penn. The next scalp on his list is Evans (13-0-1), who was supposed to fight “Rampage” Jackson, who needed jaw surgery from an injury suffered in a training camp. Evans was actually being dominated by Forrest Griffin before catching him with a knee that turned the tables, and he came away with the belt. He’ll need a much better performance against Machida, who is rather conservative, but he doesn’t make many mistakes and hopes that his opponents will grow impatient, which will lead them to a mistake. This is Evans’ chance to show he belongs up there with the big names of the UFC. Too bad it’ll end badly. (MMA betting pick: Machida)

Hughes vs Serra odds (Hughes -300)

There’s no love lost between these two fighters, who were the coaches for season No.6 of the “Ultimate Fighter”, and they’ve had a couple of fights already cancelled due to injuries. Hughes (43-7) has been a welterweight champion twice and is considered the best fighter ever at that weight class, but with three losses in his last four fights, he sees the end of the road is near. Serra (9-5) hasn’t fought since he was routed by Georges St. Pierre at UFC 83. There was a year-long hiatus for Serra before that fight, as he had beaten GSP for the belt at UFC 69, and this could end the same way. Hughes will be focused to go out on top, especially because of the bad blood between he and Serra. (MMA betting pick: Hughes)

Written by Dirty · Filed Under Boxing and MMA