At UFC 140 next month, former titleholder Lyoto Machida will have his chance to reclaim what was once his.
The Brazilian first earned light heavyweight gold in May of 2009 when he bested then champion Rashad Evans, knocking out the season two winner of The Ultimate Fighter inside of the second round, handing the New Yorker the only loss of his career.
Machida would go on to defend his title once in a contentious decision victory to fellow countryman Mauricio Rua before “Shogun” dethroned the Karate specialist with a first round knockout in their rematch.
Continuing to move back up the 205-pound ladder, Machida would go on to lose a close decision to former champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson before making an emphatic return to the top in his “Knockout of the Night” performance against UFC Hall of Famer, Randy Couture, this April.
The victory helped secure Machida a shot at current light heavyweight kingpin Jon Jones, who has looked every bit the dominant force he is since being crowned the best in his class. Since earning the belt in a third-round TKO win over the aforementioned “Shogun”, Jones later defended his title with a fourth-round submission victory over Jackson—who had yet to be finished inside the Octagon.
Machida is hailed for his Karate base, though he has since rounded out his game with a developed Jiu-Jitsu arsenal, which his black belt in BJJ would indicate. His background in Sumo is also credited to his awesome takedown defense, though in Jones, Machida meets perhaps his most adept wrestler to date.
The duo meet on December 10 at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Canada where the two will serve as the main event of the evening.
Though Machida represents one of the more difficult challenges of Jones’ career, many have already pegged “Bones” as the consummate favorite and for good reason.
His long range and unorthodox striking have baffled many opponent in the past, though it’s his underrated grappling skills that have caused the most problems, which Matt Hamill, Brandon Vera, Vladimir Matyushenko and Jackson can all attest to.
In the end, Machida will be another name to add to the impressive list of victims that Jones as accumulated throughout his career. So long as the Greg Jackson product reigns king, and it looks to be a long time, Machida will never again put gold around his waist.
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