We are only three hours away from the pay-per view broadcast of UFC 98 and there is a storyline I am sure none of you have heard or read; Matt Serra and Matt Hughes really don't like each other.

Shocking I know.

UFC fans have been inundated with hype for the past two years about how much these two men dislike each other. Of course that vast capital of pre-fight hate-hype was built by TUF 6 for UFC 79 in 2007. But an injury caused Matt Serra to bow out. Both fighters have barely fought since then. Now its time for the 'country boy' to finally face off against the 'city boy', bad blood and all.

So strap in UFC fans and get ready for an already tired storyline to get beaten to death worse than Joe Rogan crushed Carlos Mencia.

At least this means we will have our own equivalent of over blown storylines that will be mentioned over and over again. Baseball and steroids? Irrelevant. 'The Bus' returning to Detroit? That's so pre-recession. Kobe vs. LeBron? Doesn't matter because neither team will make the finals. Instead tonight we got Serra vs. Hughes.

Did I mention that Matt Hughes is c@#k?

WKR's picks are up on MMA Convert, here are the highlights

Rashad Evans vs. Lyoto Machida

One thing is for sure, this will be a chess match. Problem is chess matches are boring to watch. I can't shake this nagging feeling that Evans and Greg Jackson have a trick up their sleeves to win this fight. So I will channel my inner Stephen Colbert and go with my gut. Evans by Split Decision 

Matt Hughes vs. Matt Serra

The grudge match finally occurs, just eighteen months late. Since each fighter has had such a long lay off I will go with my original prediction for UFC 79. Hughes by Unanimous Decision

Check the rest out at. 

Well its time for WKR to give our gambling advice. Real quick disclaimer like the NFL and NCAA gambling is bad, you shouldn't do it and in no way does gambling on sports make the sporting event more exciting. Finally in the words of Casablanca, "I am shocked, shocked to find gambling!"

Light Heavyweight Champion Rashad Evans (+165) over Lyoto Machida (-205)
For every unit bet on Rashad you'll win 1.65 units that fact is making my wallet salivate. Consider for a moment that the underdog has won three of the last four light heavyweight title fights. That is a nice trend to bet on with a +165 odds. Besides you have Greg Jackson in your camp and that has to make you feel good about your chances. 

Brock Larson (-290) over Chris Wilson (+230)    
Ok not the most creative bet, or the best pay off, but this is my safety school (like Arizona State!). Larson is 25-2 with his only losses coming againts Jon Fitch and Carlos Condit. This guy simply doesn't lose and is will be primed to make a run in the UFC welterweight division. For a sure thing (by writing this I may be screwing him over) the odds aren't that bad. 

Dan Miller (-155) over Chael Sonnen (+125)
I was all about Chael Sonnen, then I found out he was 30lbs. overweight. If you are a gambling man placing a bet on a fighter who has to cut that much weight and on short notice is insane. Sorry Chael putting my money down on Dan. 

Xavier Foupa-Pokam (+130) over Drew McFedries (-160)    
This is my sleeper pick. McFedries has a lot of power but no ground game and in MMA you need to a ground game to win. If Xavier survives that intial rush of punches and gets McFedries to the ground then he can easily win.

Last event WKR rebounded with a solid 2-1. 

It is sad fact of life, expectations can determine how much fun or boredom you are going to experience.

Just think about the last movie you saw. If you are pumped to see it, it doesn't matter you are going to enjoy it, but this only holds true if the product is decent. Take X-Men: Last Stand, I was quite excited to see it, then they started killing off characters and ignore the fact that they were dead. High expectations killed that movie.

Take it from the other side. With no expectations what so ever a movie can turn out to be pretty good. When you walk in thinking, 'oh another superhero movie, yawn'. Then that movie turns into Iron Man.

Politicians play the expectation game before every debate or major policy announcement. The political class has it figured out, they are constantly trying to lower expectations. That way when they deliver a policy change, even if it is miniscule and has no effect on the larger picture, it still appears that they are doing a good job. For debates as long as they don't drool on themselves and prove their literate it is seen as a win.

That is why I am imploring the MMA and UFC fan base to collectively lower our expectations to Crank 2 levels. The absolute bare bottom of the barrel. So far down that if we see a fighter successfully enter the Octagon without tripping over their own feet we will think 'hey this isn't so bad' and actually enjoy one of the weaker UFC fight cards.

The same goes for fights. Did anyone have any high expectations going into the TUF 1 Finale? And look what happened, a great three round war that may be the best fight in UFC history. 

So let's just go over the televised bouts one by one and lay out our low expectations. That way when things go well ~crossing fingers~ we will all be pleasantly surprised. 

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Who Is He? (By Genghis Con) from Genghis Con on Vimeo.

We often think of sports as military combat with coaches as generals and athletes as foot soldiers all of which are engaged in righteous warfare on the gridiron or hardwood. The same holds true for mixed martial arts as such imagery can be seen throughout the sport (the UFC's Roman gladiator). If that analogy is true then the we must examine the most important principle of warfare, initiative and keeping the initiative.

This one strategic term will be the determine factor in UFC 98's main event between Rashad Evans and Lyoto Machida.

Initiative allows a combatant to control the fight, forcing one's opponent to react and not dictate the terms of the engagement. This is such an important factor because when one can dictate the terms of combat one can ensure that they hold the advantage.

No fighter in the UFC does this better than Lyoto Machida. Machida's background as a Shotokan karate fighter has made him such an elusive fighter that opponents lurch, lunge and chase while Lyoto picks his shots never in danger of receiving damage. Basically Lyoto Machida resembles a contemporary guerilla warrior, refusing to stay still long enough for the conventional opponent to land a blow.

Unfortunately for Machida Rashad Evans is not a conventional fighter.

Evans should be built in the mold of Tito Ortiz and the other great wrestlers who have come through the UFC before him. But Evans path has been that of a chameleon. In each of Evan's fights he is never the same fighter. He adapts his style to match his opponent, like great poker players, Evans plays his opponent not his hand.

The fact is Machida is preparing to fight Evans in the same manner he prepared to fight Tito Ortiz, Rameau Sokoudjou and Thiago Silva. Where as Rashad Evans is preparing to fight Machida.

How will Evans adapt to face an illusive opponent?

Early indications are that he will refuse to fight on Machida's terms forcing the Brazilian to fight outside of his comfort zone. This simple fact alters the complexion of the fight and wrestles the initiative out of Machida's control.

Ultimately as observers we need to appreciate and watch the subtleties of movement. Never before in any UFC match will Octagon movement hold such an important value as it will this Saturday night.