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Lyoto Machida is not focused on his 2013 controversial loss to Phil Davis ahead of their rematch at Bellator 245.
Former UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida might surprise many fans with his newest revelation.
Paired up against Phil Davis for a rematch seven years in the making at Bellator 245’s main event, the Brazilian will try to even the score after ‘Mr. Wonderful’ defeated him via a controversial unanimous decision back in 2013. Despite the result being a very disputed one among pundits at the time, the ‘Dragon’ tells Ag Fight he does not hold a grudge against his opponent.
“I’ve never had a vengeful feeling in my life. It’s all water under the bridge. There’s no need to focus on that. My mind is free of that and I had the opportunity to have the rematch because Bellator offered it to me. It’s a good fight for me.”
In the first fight, Davis’ takedowns ended up being the decisive factor for him to get the nod over Machida. Seven years later, Lyoto does not think Phil’s gameplan will change too much, while feeling the fight could still be much different, given how much time has passed since their first encounter.
“Of course he will try to take me down because he likes to score points. He likes to control the fight, but that’s my job. My job is to not let him have it his way.” Lyoto said. “Even though we fought seven years ago, this is a completely different fight, because we are different fighters in many ways. You can change or style a little bit, but when you’re talking about fighters or people, a lot changes, so you have to consider that.”
In his last outing, Machida (26-9) dropped a split decision in a rematch against Gegard Mousasi, back in September 2019. Before that, the 42-year-old was on a four-fight winning streak, with victories over Eryk Anders, Vitor Belfort, Rafael Carvalho and Chael Sonnen.
Now, Machida is expected to meet former Bellator light heavyweight champion Davis at Bellator 245’s main event, on September 11, in Uncasville, Connecticut. In the co-main event, ex-UFC female bantamweight title challenger Cat Zingano is scheduled to have her promotional debut against Gabby Holloway.