If you’re not extremely excited for Jon Jones versus Lyoto Machida at UFC 140, you’re either wildly confused or you’re new to the sport of MMA.
Jones and Machida are both very successful fighters. With Jones’ highly unpredictable striking and Machida’s unique defensive fighting style, it’ll be an interesting tactical battle.
Many people will have Machida as the underdog going into this fight, but he actually stands a very good chance of winning.
Many of us MMA fans can suffer from having very short-term memory. Not long ago, Machida was an undefeated light heavyweight champion and we were all caught up, and warned to be in a prolonged “Machida Era.”
Machida needs to come out strong against Jones; doing so will give him a very good chance of throwing Jones off of his game plan.
Everyone expects Machida to use his speed and karate to fight a defensive battle against Jones. That’s the way Machida fights, and it’s been mostly successful.
However, one of Jones’ biggest strengths as a fighter is his ability to create a game plan for each of his opponents and stick to it. If Machida comes out and does the unexpected, it’ll be something Jones isn’t expecting.
Machida has the skills to fight an aggressive battle in this bout. It wouldn’t be the first time a fighter has come out and fought the fight no one expected.
No matter what happens in their title match at UFC 140, us fans will win. But if “The Dragon” comes out looking for the kill, he stands a great chance of upsetting Jones.
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