Saturday May 8th, Bell Centre
What Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida Has To Do To Win @ UFC 113:
Machida knows that when he made his attacks in the last fight he never finished any of them. He always stopped half way during every attack. Now I just saw the prefight video and you can see that Machida is doing one to two steps beyond what he did against Shogun. You might think I’m crazy for saying that, but watch, Machida is training to attack more – I can see it. Machida also did not circle, instead moved straight back and allowed Shogun to catch him with leg kicks as he moved backwards into kicking range. I know Machida and his camp must know this. He didn’t check Shogun’s thundering leg kicks very well either.
What Mauricio “Shogun” Rua Has to Do to Win @ UFC 113
Combinations, ground game, leg kicks.
When the range gets close, Shogun probably is the better striker, where he can throw his hand combinations and finish with leg kicks. Shogun needs to be close and whereas Machida is probably better at kicking range. People will argue though that Shogun got the better of Machida in the kicking range. However, that is Machida’s strongest spot.
The Way I See This Fight Going
I see the fight going similarly as last time, but Machida will finish his attacks and press a little bit more. Machida should be able to win this fight based on his striking prowess and not act as a punching bag. When Machida evades more and attacks with 3 combinations, instead of 1 or 2, he will win more decisively.
Even though Rua looked like the fighter with slightly better cardio, the fact that Machida was taken to the brink in their first fight that I think Machida will perform better in the rematch.
I like Machida in this fight to win.
Intertops shows Machida @ -200 and Rua @ +150
Sportsbook.com shows Machida @ -185 and Rua @ +155
Bodog shows Machida @ -200 and Rua @ +160
Paddy Power shows Machida @ 8/13 and Rua @ 6/5
Betsson shows Machida @ 1.5 and Rua @ 2.48