Lyoto Machida finally has his next matchup.
In his first fight since a UFC light-heavyweight championship defeat at the hands of Jon Jones, the Brazilian karate master will face Ryan Bader. The bout will take place at UFC on FOX 4. It was first reported by Brazilian news outlet Esporte and confirmed by the UFC.
Once thought to be an unsolvable opponent, Machida has lost three of his last four, though one of those, a split decision loss to Quinton Jackson, was controversial. His only win since the start of 2010 was a knockout of Randy Couture at April 2011’s UFC 129.
Machida most recently lost to Jones by second-round submission last December, and has been awaiting an opponent since. He is 17-3 overall.
Bader, meanwhile, will hope to take into the fight the momentum of consecutive wins. His most recent, a unanimous decision victory over Jackson, marked his most significant victory to date. Prior to that, he knocked out Jason Brilz. With the two-fight win streak, he is now 14-2.
UFC on FOX 4 is penciled in for August 4, emanating from Los Angeles’ Staples Center.