Tag: Lyoto Machida

MMA News: UFC Middleweight Contender Chael Sonnen Calls out Lyoto Machida

According to his post on Twitter, UFC middleweight title contender, Chael Sonnen has officially called out Brazilian UFC light heavyweight title contender, Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida. “Hey Anderson, stick to what your country doe…

According to his post on Twitter, UFC middleweight title contender, Chael Sonnen has officially called out Brazilian UFC light heavyweight title contender, Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida.

“Hey Anderson, stick to what your country does best; like soccer or harboring infectious disease. Oh, and tell Lyoto that I’M CALLING HIM OUT,” said Sonnen via his Twitter account.

With legal issues preventing the sanctioning of Sonnen by the California State Athletic Commission, time will only tell when he will be seen back in action.

Should Sonnen get his wish to face Machida, UFC fans will no doubt be excited for this potential matchup.

Sonnen is known for his outspoken and downright hilarious commentary outside of the cage, along with his brutal, non-stop blend of wrestling, boxing and sheer dominance inside the cage.

With a professional record of 25 wins and 11 losses, Sonnen is the only man to beat UFC middleweight champion, Anderson “The Spider” Silva for all five championship rounds on all three judges’ scorecards, until he got caught in a triangle choke at the end of Round Five and was forced to tap.

He also is the only fighter to drop Silva to the canvas, if even for a moment.

Sonnen by definition is a true fighter through and through and is notorious for being willing to fight anyone at any time, as he’s thrown verbal hand jabs at just about every UFC champion in every weight class above lightweight.

Regardless of whether he will get his wish to face Machida or not, you can be sure that whoever he fights next will be in for the fight of their life.

You can follow Sonnen on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/#!/sonnench

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Awesome Video of the Day: How to Beat Anderson Silva

(Video courtesy of YouTube/Videosemgeral1)

Here we thought that it was going to take a guy with a solid wrestling base who could put Anderson on his back to grind out a decision win over “The Spider.” Apparently all it takes to beat Silva is a solid Hadouken.


(Video courtesy of YouTube/Videosemgeral1)

Here we thought that it was going to take a guy with a solid wrestling base who could put Anderson on his back to grind out a decision win over “The Spider.” Apparently all it takes to beat Silva is a solid Hadouken.

Maybe that’s why he and Machida have a pact that they’ll never fight each other.

Props to reader Danny Nishida from Brazil for the find.

Jon Jones: Is There Anyone Out There Who Can Challenge Him?

UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones has been on a tear since his debut, and he hasn’t missed a step since. The 23-year-old phenom stormed onto the scene collecting his first three wins in dominating fashion, and despite losing to Matt Hamill via d…

UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones has been on a tear since his debut, and he hasn’t missed a step since. The 23-year-old phenom stormed onto the scene collecting his first three wins in dominating fashion, and despite losing to Matt Hamill via disqualification, many fans and pundits would agree he technically won that bout as well. 

However, it was his win over light heavyweight Brandon Vera that intrigued and fascinated fans, generating a lot of support as he began to challenge for the light heavyweight title. A couple more wins would follow, and Jones was granted the opportunity to challenge for the title and he was successful. 

Now at the young age of 23, Jones sits atop of the light heavyweight division, and it appears that he will reign for quite some time. After disposing such skilled fighters as Ryan Bader, Stephan Bonnar and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, one begs the question if anyone is superior to Jones. 

In this slideshow, we’ll take a look at the potential fighters who pose a threat to the champion and could potentially defeat him.

Begin Slideshow

Brock Lesnar, Nick Diaz, 10 Most Overrated MMA Fighters

The simple definition of overrated is: To overestimate the merits of, rate too highly.
As easy as that sounds, I thought I would target the most notable competitors who always seem to linger at the top of the rankings. This list is ma…

The simple definition of overrated is: To overestimate the merits of, rate too highly.

As easy as that sounds, I thought I would target the most notable competitors who always seem to linger at the top of the rankings. This list is made up of fighters who are not affected by lack of competition, poor performances, questionable decision wins or flat-out losing.

I also want to state I think all the fighters on this list are exceptional, but I believe they are undeserving of where they are either ranked or positioned in their respective divisions.

Begin Slideshow

Jon Jones vs. Rampage Jackson: Who Will Be Lyoto Machida’s Next Opponent?

It’s looking more and more as the days go by as though the next fight for the light heavyweight title will be between healing champion Jon “Bones” Jones and top contender Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. Jones himself announced this in an interview…

It’s looking more and more as the days go by as though the next fight for the light heavyweight title will be between healing champion Jon “Bones” Jones and top contender Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. Jones himself announced this in an interview with MMAJunkie.com on Thursday. While no contract has been signed and no date has been set, it seems to me that when it comes directly from the champion’s mouth, it should be a pretty reliable source.

We all know the history of Jones’ first title defense. First it was going to be Rashad Evans, but then Jones’ injury came along, forcing Evans to  instead fight Phil Davis this August. That left a vacancy in the challenger spot, and speculation has been non-stop as to who would get the first shot at Bones’ title.

All the recent buzz was surrounding two men: Rampage or Lyoto Machida? With the announcement this week that Rampage and Jones are set to go, where does that leave Machida? Who will “The Dragon” fight next?

Some quick deductive logic in terms of timing and fan excitement sees a scenario where four or possibly five top light heavyweights could be the next to face a crane kick to the teeth.

In early August, Evans will fight “Mr. Wonderful” Phil Davis in UFC 133, and I can see the winner of that match being next for Machida. I’m sure “Suga” would welcome a rematch if he wins, as the knockout loss to Machida put an end to his own brief title run. But if Davis wins, he will simply be looking  up toward the next rung on the the ladder, and Machida is it.

At the end of August in Brazil, for UFC 134, the man who lost the belt to Jones—Mauricio “Shogun” Rua—will fight popular contender Forrest Griffin, who is coming off a long layoff outside the cage. I see the winner of this fight also being in line for a fight with Machida. Machida and Rua have fought twice, with each winning once. Even though some people feel that Rua has two wins over Machida, a rubber match would surely draw interest.

Griffin has never faced Machida, but the two are currently in the same neighborhood in several world rankings, and this match-up would be very intriguing.

Aside from the winners of these two bouts there is one more man in the mix to fight Machida and, in my opinion, that is Ryan Bader. If Bader absolutely dominates Tito Ortiz in July as he should, I believe the timing would be perfect for a Machida-vs.-Bader match-up. The Dragon has some nice momentum and buzz right now from his KO of Couture at the end of April, and UFC may not want to wait for the August winners to recover, maybe instead pushing for Bader.

So there are the possibilities. And what does my crystal ball say? It says that Rashad beats Davis in early August, and has a rematch against Machida on the same card as Jones vs. Rampage late this year.

 

Dwight Wakabayashi is a correspondent for Bleacher Report MMA (also for MMACanada.net).

Catch him on Twitter @wakafightermma

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