In a fight that was destined to give the 205-pound division a top contender, both Lyoto Machida and Phil Davis clearly knew the ramifications of their co-main event bout at UFC 163. In the end, Davis was handed a surprising victory via a hard-earned decision Saturday night at HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Both men had a lot to lose, and so maybe it should have been no surprise each man started out tentative. Still, a large majority of the match was left to dancing about and punching air. After the opening round, each man picked up the pace and made stronger connections with varying strikes.
There was was a fair amount of action given how dangerous each fighter posed to his opponent.
With the victory, Davis has a likely rematch with Jon Jones. Machida was left miffed by the decision and will have to reconsider his strategy in order to ascend once again to a title shot.
What We Learned about Davis
If there was one thing we learned about Davis from the UFC 163 bout, it is that he is willing to take the fight to anyone.
Everyone knows Machida is a counterstriker; yet, Davis was willing to move forward and engage after the first round of dancing. The aggression, along with two successful takedowns, practically won Davis the match. Little else put Davis over his Brazilian opponent.
Davis, 28, did not show much new in his game as compared to his recent bouts against Wagner Prado and Vinny Magalhaes. Davis is still letting up his quality, albeit rudimentary striking game. He still uses his size and power to control his opponents, and he still has trouble finishing fights against top-level competition.
What We Learned about Machida
First and foremost, we all learned that the Brazilian still has trouble instigating the action. That fact likely cost him the match. It is clearly no longer “The Machida Era,” and he must find a way to change up his game enough to impress the often-inconsistent MMA judges.
We also learned that Machida, 35, is not afraid to say when he feels cheated by the judges.
Some fighters will say it is their fault for leaving it up to the judges. But the Brazilian pointed to the reaction of the crowd as his proof that he won. There are plenty of fans who will agree with Machida.
The fight honestly did not give us much to learn about Machida. His next fight will tell us more about whether he still has the fire to compete or if the frustrating loss took what was left of his desire to compete for the title.
What Is Next for Davis
Next would almost certainly be a title shot for the now 12-1 contender. If for some reason an injury should befall the winner of Jon Jones vs. Alexander Gustafsson, then a possible contender bout against Shogun (should he beat Chael Sonnen) could be next for Davis.
The latter hypothetical is highly unlikely, however, as the once endlessly deep 205-pound division is now in need of a true contender. Davis, controversial or not, is the best the division has to offer.
What Is Next for Machida
After such a frustrating loss, it is hard to say Machida (19-4) is far away from a contender fight. A bout against Mauricio Rua may be the best bet for the Brazilian. Both Rua and Machida are loved in Brazil, and a trilogy fight could easily be a headliner or co-main event.
Machida won’t want a feeder bout, and so if he does not receive an immediate contender fight, anything high profile and noteworthy will do.
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com