COULD LYOTO VS. RASHAD BE ONE FOR THE AGES?

There are very few times in mixed martial arts today where fights are truly groundbreaking and affect the history of the sport as we know it.

Anderson Silva has cemented his own legacy, setting a new precedent with his last bout at UFC 97, breaking the all time UFC record of consecutive wins, now standing at a total of nine, and tying the record of successful title defenses with five, alongside Matt Hughes and Tito Ortiz. However, one fight in particular has flown under the radar and undeservedly so.

How often in our sport can we see two fighters in their prime, both undefeated, challenging for the UFC's most coveted title? “I don’t think well ever witness this sort of fight again,” said Ed Soares regarding the main event of UFC 98, headlined by challenger Lyoto Machida and light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans.

Though neither Evans nor Machida have garnered the sort of star power of a Chuck Liddell or Randy Couture, Soares feels as though this is a bout that will impact the sport's history in a way that will possibly never be seen again on the big stage. “I think this may the first and only time we see something of this magnitude in the type of show that the UFC is. Yeah, you might see two people undefeated in the smaller shows, but for a UFC light heavyweight title, an undefeated champion versus an undefeated challenger, when are we ever going to see that again?”

Some would look towards past performances from the two and analyze this bout to be expectedly lackluster. As both Evans and Machida's first few fights went to decision within the UFC, people should look at they’re last commanding performances to be an indication of big things on the horizon and an inevitably exciting fight. “People are saying it’s going to be a boring fight. I don’t think this fight is going to go the distance. Its not going to go the distance, someone is going to lose before the end of the bell. I guarantee it because neither one of these guys are going to want to come and just squeak out a win.”

Both fighters having earned a larger fan base with their most recent performances and the marketing machine that is the UFC, this fight will be one that is heavily emphasized as a fight that may very well be once in a lifetime. Evans having garnered the role as underdog for nearly his entire UFC career against big name opposition will have his sternest test to date, trying to prove the critics wrong yet again, and having the unenviable task of finding a chink in the otherwise unblemished armor of “The Dragon.” Undefeated records, the title, and pride, all at stake to create a night of magic.

“I don’t think it’s going to go to a decision; I don’t think it's going to go to the score cards," proclaims Soares. "I think this is one of those specialty fights that people should get interested in because this fight, technically, should be one of the biggest fights ever in UFC history.”