"Probably after my fight with Tito Ortiz. After that fight I really believed I could make it. That was when I thought: 'These guys aren’t that much better than me. I can fight these guys, and I can beat these guys.' [Lyoto is] a very strategic fighter, just as I am. It will surely be a tough fight. I think if we fight, the winner will be the one with the better strategy. Machida is a really tough and disciplined fighter. He doesn’t get emotionally shaken in his fights, for being so disciplined. When this fight happens, I’m go to make him frustrated and bothered in the octagon. It will be a tough fight, for sure."

UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Rashad Evans talks to GracieMag.com about the chess match against challenger Lyoto Machida at UFC 98 when the two put their undefeated records on the line from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on May 23. Will "Sugar" somehow find a way to solve the enigma that is Lyoto Machida? Or will "The Dragon" -- who is currently the favorite among sportsbooks -- flambe the hard-hitting TUF grad? We'll know in less than a month...