Lyoto "The Dragon" Machida claimed his first MMA title with a second round knockout of Rashad "Suga" Evans Saturday night in the UFC 98 main event.

Machida sent Evans down with a straight left in the second round with 1:30 left, which Evans tried to shake off. A ferocious overhand right followed by a left hook finally sent Evans back to the canvass with referee Mario Yamasaki stopping the fight at 3:57.

Machida, the new UFC light heavyweight champion, told Ufc.com, "If you have a dream, go hard, it’s possible."

“I tried all my life to be champion and I am very, very happy,” he said. “Now I want to keep this belt for a long time.”

The victory improved Machida's record to 15 wins and zero losses while Evans absorbed his first loss in 20 fights. “This is my first time on the other side,” Evans said of his first loss in his career. “You got to take it how you give it. Maybe next time I’ll do better.”

In the other main event at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, Matt Hughes defeated Matt Serra after scoring a unanimous decision on the judges scorecards.

The former welterweight champions slugged it out in the Octagon for 15 minutes. In the end, the scores were 29-28 across the board for Hughes.

Hughes now has a record of 44-7 while Serra is at 16-6.