Although he fell short at regaining the UFC light heavyweight title, Lyoto Machida‘s performance against Jon Jones has the Brazilian confident about a rematch in the future.
Machida utilized footwork and his angles to get inside of the champion and catch him a few occasions to win the first round. However, the second round saw Jones use his wrestling skills to take down and control his opponent, before applying a standing guillotine to earn the submission victory.
While speaking to FightersOnly.co.uk, “The Dragon” said the loss is a little disappointing, but he intends on focusing on his next fight in order to reach his goal of becoming a UFC champion once again.
“I lost but I still have three more fights at UFC and now my main goal is to be the champion of the weight class and bring the belt back to Para,” Machida said.
The recent loss has some fans suggesting the idea that Machida transitions to the middleweight division due to being undersized at 205 pounds. The Brazilian entered the bout looking more muscular and stronger than in his previous bouts, as he added 20 pounds of muscle while preparing for the 24-year-old Jones during training camp.
However, Machida intends to remain competing in the light heavyweight division for the time being, but he did not rule out the possibility of moving to 185 pounds.
“Now, I don’t want to change—but if I am not the light-heavyweight champion it really could happen.”
The loss has also gained Machida a bigger fan base because of the overwhelming support he received following the bout. He was grateful and appreciative towards their support.
“I wanted to thank the fans for the support. I know we gave our best and I know we did our best,” he said. “I am a professional and it is part of my career: to win or to lose. I hope the next time we can celebrate together!”
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