Hit the Mat 5.25.09: Questions and Answers

Posted by Matt McEwen on 05.25.2009

UFC 98 is in the books, Lyoto Machida is the new champ and a whole bucket full of questions and answers are on the table. Mixed metaphors aside, Matt McEwen looks at some of the issues arising from the aftermath.

Well, that was eye opening...

UFC 98 is in the books, we have a new light heavyweight champion (again), we have a new challenger in the lightweight division and we got some surprising performances. It was an interesting night of fights to say the least, but it was a night that answered several questions, but begs that a few more be asked.

A: Yes, Lyoto Machida IS that good.

I am on record as a big supporter of Machida, but I did not expect that. Hell, I even put him on the top of my pound for pound list (don't think I'll be alone in that anymore), and I still didn't expect THAT.

First, I am not sure if he is actually faster than Rashad, or if just his impeccable timing made it seem that way, but functionally, it doesn't matter. Rashad, who is as fast and athletic as they come at 205lbs, couldn't touch Machida. He looked slow and totally outclassed as he flung wild overhand shots in answer to the pin point kicks and punches Machida was landing fairly easily. When I broke down the fight in my mind, I thought it would be the speed of Evans that would pose the greatest threat to Machida, but he never came close.

The second threat was the power that Evans undeniably has and the fact that questions about Machida's chin remained. Well, I'd say they are answered now. Lost in the dynamic finish is the fact that in a couple of exchanges, Evans actually did land a few right hands...and the did not phase Machida in the least. They may not have been his big KO punches, but usually if Evans clocks someone, they at least get some respect for their power. Machida just kept coming forward.

And finally, any questions at all about Machida's power have been definitively answered. Even after the domination of Thiago Silva, some still thought Machida didn't have the power in his fists to take out someone with a solid chin like Evans. Well, after putting Evans to sleep, Machida can KO anyone in the division. You can also never say the guy is boring anymore as he is taking greater and greater advantage of the openings he invariably finds to inflict maximum damage and finish fights.

A: Giving up on a style that let you go undefeated in your weight class just to be exciting is a really bad idea.

Sean Sherk, I'm looking at you. You are one of the best wrestlers in the sport, strong enough to hang with Matt Hughes for five rounds at the peak of his welterweight domination, you dominated the guy who is about to challenge for the lightweight title when you won said belt, and you had never lost at 155lbs. Until you gave up on wrestling and decided you would become an OK kickboxer.

Look at his last three fights - he tried to stand with BJ Penn in his title shot, which led to getting hammered into his first lightweight defeat. Then, he did win a Fight of the Night in a kickboxing affair with Tyson Griffin...but Griffin is also a strong wrestler with just OK kickboxing at this level. Going to a close decision might have been a clue that boxing with some of the better boxers in the division would be a bad idea.

So, your next fight is with Frankie Edgar, whose only loss was to Gray Maynard, you took a page out of the Sean Sherk manual and dominated the smaller man on the ground. So, instead of ground and pounding your way into an almost undeniable title shot, you stick to a one dimensional striking attack for three rounds even though after the first it was pretty clear you were going to lose that?

It's not a good idea for a short armed, very muscular fighter with no KO power to become a pure boxer. Saturday night made that clear for Sherk, just as Josh Koscheck and others have discovered in recent months.

A: The Answer might be a title factor

Only one lightweight prior to Saturday night had ever handed Sean Sherk a loss. Now that Frankie Edgar has doubled that number, it is hard to see how he did not just put himself a single fight away from a title shot.

Not too many fighters have really managed to stand out from the pack at 155 lately, and once Florian gets his shot, only Edgar and the winner of Sanchez/Guida (and maybe Gray Maynoard) have much momentum behind them at this point. For a guy who by all rights should be vying with Urijah Faber and Mike Brown for 145lb dominance, Edgar is certainly making a good showing for himself at 155.

Q: Does anyone want to see either Matt fight anymore?

The grudge fight between Matt's Hughes and Serra was a slow event, possibly due to the headbutt that nearly KO'd Hughes early on, and it really left the question of whether either guy has any business in the Octagon anymore.

First, Hughes. Look at how easily GSP was able to pass Serra's guard and inflict BRUTAL punishment en route to taking the welterweight title back. Then look at Hughes' near inability to do ANYTHING at all inside of Serra's half guard. Or even when he had his back. Hughes still hasn't looked good in a fight since he beat an outmatched Royce Gracie three years ago. Judging from his comments post fight, he himself is clear that his not long for the MMA world, but did suggest one more fight in the Midwest to cap his career. He deserves to go out on his own terms, but here is hoping he doesn't get embarrassed in the process.

As for Serra, if Hughes is as non-threatening as I just suggested, what does that say about "Tha Terra"? He's undersized for the division at just 5'6, and if not for the power in his right hand would not have a shot against just about anyone at 170. But that is all he has....a puncher's chance of landing an overhand right. For all the talk of his vaunted ground game, it is not one that seems to translate very well to his MMA game. If he could make the cut to 155lbs - and given his current musculature, that's a big if - he might be a factor as his punching power would still be present and his strength against smaller opponents would make his jiu jitsu more effective, but at 170lbs, he's a mid level fighter at best. I really don't see who he'd fight next.

Q: How good is Krzysztof Soszynski at 205lbs?

He hasn't lost since dropping down from heavyweight (not counting TUF), is on a six fight winning streak, is 3-0 in the UFC and has two nice submissions and a beautiful KO to his credit. Obviously not against the elite of the division, but Soszynski has looked very good and well rounded since coming off of his season of TUF, where he competed with a bad thumb injury. While he's certainly not a title threat to Machida at this point, it will be interesting to see how he deals with continued steps up in competition over the coming months.

Q: Can Machida stabilize the division now that he is the champion?

There hasn't been a successful defense of the light heavyweight title since Rampage Jackson beat Dan Henderson in September 2007. Jackson lost to Griffin, who lost his first defense to Evans, who just lost his first defense to Machida.

Early money says "Yes."

I'm not sure who at 205lbs - which is probably the deepest weight class in the sport - has a chance to beat Machida. Jackson is likely going to be the first challenger - probably after coaching against Machida on the next season of TUF - and I don't see him being the man to solve the Machida puzzle.

Jackson can be looked at as a more technical Evans with tighter punches, but he still generates a lot of his offense - and most of his KO's - from counter punching. That looks to be a failing equation against Machida. If Rampage decides to remember how to wrestle though...well, except for Tito Ortiz, no one has really tried to wrestle Machida in a while.


After Rampage, the immediate contenders - if they keep winning - look to be former champ Forrest Griffin, which would be an interesting fight, Keith Jardine is always floating around, Shogun Rua if he wins another fight might be in line, Rich Franklin would have an outside shot and a fight with Dan Henderson would certainly be interesting.

But does a single name on that list stand out as having a really good chance against Machida.

Q: Speaking of Ortiz, where does he stand right now?

Machida is now ready to be mentioned in the the GSP, Silva, Fedor group as the pound for pound best. If he had won, Evans would have been near that category and is still one of the best in the sport. So where does that leave Tito Ortiz in the big scheme?

He drew with Evans after having a point taken off for holding the cage, and it was a tough fight. He was outclassed by Machida, but came closer to finishing him off than anyone else has with a tight, dangerous late triangle attempt. Conventional wisdom for a while has been that Ortiz is shot as a fighter - a perception likely helped by Dana White's great distaste for the bleach blonde - but judging from those two performances, there may yet be some gas left in his tank.

Q: Will Evans stay at 205lbs?

Joe Rogan mentioned it Saturday night, and just looking at his size, it seems that Evans could quite possibly drop down to 185lbs. Obviously he's been very successful at 205, but could he be a dominant force at middleweight?

Most, if not all, of his power would likely stay in tact, making immediately the biggest puncher not named Silva in the division. Instead of being slightly undersized against most opponents - not that it's mattered much - Evans would be much larger than just about everyone in the division. If he were to mix more of his wrestling game back in, I can't think of too many 185lbers who would be able to deal with him.



Saturday night got a hot summer season in MMA off to a flying start, and just might historically end up being known as the beginning of the "Era of Machida" as they tried so hard to put it over as. Time will hopefully answer that and the other above questions, but the answers we got Saturday night are pretty interesting as well.