The main event of UFC 140 is a battle between two men who are extremely contrasted in how they have grown up and the styles they represent, but also are the same in the fact that both are victims of hype.
That isn’t to say either fighter is terrible, but that many fans have bestowed accolades and predictions on them that they have yet to earn. It’s part of how being a fight fan works, and whenever a young fighter looks dominant as Machida and Jones both have, it is bound to happen.
Later in the week an article will be written about how Machida can use Shotokan Karate to beat Jones’ unpredictable style, but this one has more to do with how Machida can use the hype surrounding Jones to not only rebuild his fan base, but restart the Machida era.
It seems strange that in the middle of 2009 Machida was being trumpeted as the future of the division while Jones beat Jake O’ Brian in relative obscurity. Now everything has changed in just two-and-a-half years.
Jones is hyped as the champion who will reign over the division, and Machida is the challenger who will easily be beaten.
But fans are fickle. Most seem to only remember up to a fighter’s last win or loss. Machida was seen as done until he knocked out Randy Couture, and was seen as unstoppable before Shogun Rua knocked him out.
If Machida can use his elusive style to defeat Jones, which is a better possibility then most believe, then fans just might return to the Machida bandwagon.
If most fans don’t give Machida much of a chance, it isn’t surprising. Jones almost seems to have gained a superhero status among fans, especially after stopping a robber the same day he beat Shogun Rua for the title.
But fans were quick to make Machida special too by connecting him to the moniker “The Karate Kid.” Unlike trains in reality, those in MMA can stop on a dime and can immediately transfer from one fighter to another in the blink of an eye. Fans have seen it throughout the years, and even if it looks like Jones is unstoppable it’s easy to look through MMA’s history and see that it might end Saturday.
Though Machida may have lost his undefeated record, he still has the nickname and a contingent of fans who believe in him.
And if he wins on Saturday he just might be able to get a bunch of Jones fans to join them.
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