In just over two weeks, former UFC light heavyweight champ Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida (16-2) will step into the octagon in Toronto, Canada in the hopes of making his way back to the top of the UFC’s 205 pound division.
The Brazilian meets UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture on the pay-per-view card of UFC 129, and will look for his first victory following two straight losses. He was knocked out by Mauricio “Shogun” Rua at UFC 113 and lost a controversial split decision to Quinton “Rampage” Jackson at UFC 123.
It’s the loss to Jackson that seems to stick out in Machida’s mind. In a recent interview with FightersOnlyMagazine.co.uk, “The Dragon” noted that it makes sense to him that a win over Couture should lead him back to a rematch with Jackson.
“That fight was not conclusive (with Jackson). It would be a great fight and nothing would be more fair than a revenge (rematch) because even Rampage himself recognized the loss at the end… but that’s it, I can’t stay bothered because I have to move ahead.
“I was sad about the loss because I would have been the next in line after Rashad Evans, who got injured and couldn’t dispute the belt. Then it would have been me fighting Shogun and not Jon Jones – but that’s okay, I think now I have got to look for what belongs to me …”
“The revenge with Rampage would be the fight I would choose after defeating Couture. It makes all the sense.”