Lyoto Machida appears to be taking his upcoming title bout with Jon Jones very seriously.
The former light heavyweight champion has implemented a different strategy to prepare for the 24-year-old champion, who will make his second title defense this year at UFC 140.
Brazilian website, Univision.com, caught up with Machida training in Brazil and took an in-depth look inside of his training camp.
Machida has hired a team of physiologists and physiotherapists to help him mentally prepare for the bout, along with installing three cameras to analyze and correct any mistakes the Brazilian comes across during his training sessions
“The Dragon” also looks to have added some muscle to his frame, as the website reports he put on 22 pounds of muscle mass. He is also training in a smaller Octagon, which is 7.5 meters in diameter, as opposed to a regular-sized Octagon that is nine meters. The concept of training in a smaller Octagon is to help improve Machida’s speed and movement in a smaller space, forcing him to be even more elusive.
Machida is coming off a knockout victory over Randy Couture at UFC 129 that saw him snap a two-fight losing streak and re-position himself back into the light heavyweight title picture.
Based on his new training regimen, Machida looks to possess all the tools, while acquiring some new ones, which could see him walk away with the title around his waist come December 10.
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com