UFC on Fox 4 is beginning to take shape with an intriguing light heavyweight match between Lyoto Machida and Ryan Bader on the main card.
Both fighters had illustrious starts to their UFC careers but have since stuttered in the division.
After recording an undefeated 16-0 record as a pro, Machida lost his championship title to Mauricio Rua in 2010 and then was defeated again by Quinton Jackson in a closely fought split decision. After finding winning form again with a front-kick knockout victory over Randy Couture, Machida was submitted for the first time in his career by Jon Jones in a title fight.
This has left Machida in limbo, unsure of his place in the division. With three losses in his last four matches, he will need to secure several victories before he earns another title shot.
He could do worse than a victory over Bader, who put in two solid performances against Jason Brilz and Jackson in his last two outings. Still, he had two back-to-back losses to Jones and Tito Ortiz before that, which means that Bader himself is some way off title contention. But the momentum is with him, and a win over Machida could catapult him into the top tier of the light heavyweight division.
Both fighters are circling outside championship contention at the moment, but victories for either one of them could set off a solid title run.
UFC on Fox 4 is to take place on 4 August at Los Angeles’ Staples Center.
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