Tag: Lyoto Machida

Yoel Romero’s life in competition has been a decorated one.

The Cuba native garnered heavy acclaim during his years spent on wrestling mats around the globe and built a respectable resume that includes the World Wrestling Championship in 1999 and the silver medal at the Summer Olympics in Sydney one year later.

Romero would continue to rack up accomplishments in the five years after his showing in Sydney, but in 2009, he made the official transition to the world of professional mixed martial arts.

And the Soldier of God’s success has continued.

The American Top Team product has solidified himself as a force in the ranks of the UFC’s middleweight division, as he’s found victory in all five of his showings since coming over from the now-defunct Strikeforce organization in 2013.

His consistent success has put the 38-year-old powerhouse within striking distance of a potential shot at the 185-pound crown, but Romero isn’t willing to look down the road any further than the challenge standing in his immediate path.

He’s set to face former light heavyweight champion and recent middleweight title challenger Lyoto Machida in the main event at Saturday’s Fight Night 70 in Hollywood, Florida, in what is figured to be the biggest challenge of his career inside the cage.

The Dragon has held his status as one of the elite strikers in MMA for the better part of the past decade and brings a unique style that has proven difficult for his opposition to deal with.

“I feel very blessed to have this opportunity to fight Machida,” Romero told Bleacher Report with the assistance of a translator. “I am very excited to figure out his unique style, and it’s a challenge I have prepared for. I am also grateful to be fighting in the main event and that it is in Florida. Not having to travel is nice.”

The talented Brazilian also carries notable clout in the name recognition department, which would serve to bolster Romero’s case for title contention.

Nevertheless, Romero’s focus is locked on solving the puzzle Machida will present on Saturday night, and he’ll let the details of what comes after fall where they may.

“Getting a title shot is not up for me to decide,” he added. “I will leave that in the hands of God.”

The winner of Romero versus Machida will remain a major player in the middleweight title race, but there are additional obstacles that remain on the radar.

UFC President Dana White has deemed Luke Rockhold as the next challenger to Chris Weidman‘s middleweight title, although no official date has been set for the tilt. Meanwhile, Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza is also jockeying for a championship opportunity of his own.

Romero and the former Strikeforce middleweight champion were slated to square off at UFC 184, but the Brazilian grappling ace was forced to withdraw due to illness. The bout was then rescheduled for UFC on Fox 15 in April, but an injured knee suffered by Romero would lead to his removal from the fight.

The Alligator would go on to submit Chris Camozzi in quick fashion to pick up his fifth consecutive victory under the UFC banner.

With the middleweight title currently on hold until Weidman and Rockhold settle their business, it’s quite possible Souza could face the winner of Saturday night’s main event later in 2015.

Yet before any of those matters materialize, Romero needs to find victory over Machida at Fight Night 70.

He’s built the momentum that has carried him to the upper tier of his weight class largely upon his power-based attack and the ability to impose his will inside the cage. That’s precisely what he’ll be looking to do on Saturday night when he finds himself across from one of the most elusive strikers to ever compete in the sport.

Should Romero have the answers to the stylistic riddles Machida will throw his way, the volume of the buzz surrounding him will go up substantially.

 

Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.

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Back in October 2009, I attended UFC 104 in Los Angeles.

After years of covering mixed martial arts from my home in Texas, I was finally beginning to attend UFC events on a regular basis. I believe UFC 104 was my sixth event in a row, though I’d kindly ask that you not hold me to that. The mind starts forgetting things when you reach my age.

But I do remember the electricity in the air. Lyoto Machida was to defend the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship against Mauricio Rua.

Machida, with his unsolvable style, was the hot new thing in the UFC. Months earlier, Joe Rogan had famously welcomed us to The Machida Era after Machida dispatched Rashad Evans to win the championship.

And when I say “dispatched,” you understand that what I really mean is “knocked out Evans and stole his soul.”

The replay of that knockout is still and will forever be a part of Machida‘s highlight package: Evans slowly flopping backwards, knees buckled, eyes rolled back in his head. It was UFC violence at its best, and I remember thinking nobody would solve the Machida puzzle.

The man was damn near unbeatable.

Only, that’s not what happened. One true thing in MMA is this: When we think someone is unbeatable, we usually find out pretty quickly that they are, in fact, beatable.

There are exceptions to this rule, of course. Fedor Emelianenko’s rule of the heavyweight division during his time in Pride. Ronda Rousey’s dominance of the women’s bantamweight division. Jon Jones.

But generally speaking, nobody is unbeatable.

Machida barely edged Rua on that night, and then Rua took the belt in an immediate rematch. Since then, the man I once considered to be unbeatable and unsolvable has gone 6-6 in the UFC.

After a 3-4 run at light heavyweight, he moved down to middleweight and things looked good. He crushed Mark Munoz and then beat Gegard Mousasi to earn a title shot against Chris Weidman. He took Weidman all five rounds in dropping a decision loss. He rebounded and destroyed C.B. Dolloway in just over a minute.

But that’s where things get tricky.

Machida, who has competed at a high level throughout his career even when losing fights, was absolutely wrecked and dominated by Luke Rockhold. He was not competitive. It could be that age finally caught up with him. It’s likelier that he faced a fighter who is just that much better than him. Rockhold is a monster of a man with superb all-around skills.

That was in April, though. It has been just over two months, and Machida is already stepping back in the Octagon. He’ll do so on Saturday night when he faces Cuban comic book figure Yoel Romero, a former Olympic wrestler and contender for best body in the UFC.

Less than two months after the most one-sided loss of his career, Machida is going back in the cage with a man who has been known to maul his opponents.

Machida also had surgery on his hand after the Rockhold fight, as floating bone fragments were removed. He took three weeks off from training, which means he started training for Romero sometime in mid-May.

So Machida, coming out of a fight where he was dominated a little more than two months ago, underwent surgery and recovery before starting his camp. It was a short camp, perhaps five weeks. And he’s facing a monster of a man in Romero.

You’ll have to forgive me for the foreboding feeling I have in the pit of my stomach.

According to Machida, the short turnaround was by design.

“I like to be busy, especially after I lost against Luke Rockhold,” Machida recently said on an episode of The MMA Hour (h/t MMA Fighting). “The best way to recover is to get another fight.”

I get it. It’s the old adage about getting back on the horse. You fall down, so you get back up and try again as quickly as you can. A fast return and win over Romero would go a long way toward making folks forget about the Rockhold loss.

Machida even thinks he’d be back in the fabled “mix” for a title shot:

I think if I beat Romero, I’ll be in the mix. I’ll be in the mix and I can fight for the title anytime. But that’s not my goal now, to think on the title, because Yoel Romero is a tough opponent. I have to think on my next fight, keep my focus on Yoel Romero. But if I have a good victory over him, I’ll be in the mix.

Machida might be right. He’s still ranked fourth in the middleweight division, and he’s behind both Rockhold and Jacare Souza in terms of potential contenders for Weidman‘s title. A win over Romero wouldn’t earn him a title shot, but it would likely put him one more win away.

Still, I can’t help but be a little hesitant at the idea of “The Dragon” returning so quickly. At 37 years old, he is no longer a young man and his body can no longer adapt to the rigors of sport the way it once did.

Selfishly—because Machida has long been one of my favorite fighters to watch—I would have preferred to see him take more time off, heal his body, relax and prepare with a proper camp. Especially for an opponent like Romero.

Getting back on the horse is a great concept if things go Machida‘s way on Saturday.

But if they don’t and this quick turnaround ends up shortening his career even a little bit, I suspect we’ll look back on it as a good idea in concept but a bad idea in execution.

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Lyoto Machida‘s dreams of getting his hands on another UFC title are still very much alive, but he knows the situation he’s facing heading into Fight Night 70.

The former light heavyweight champion turned perennial middleweight contender has been a major player in the 185-pound fold since dropping down to the weight class in 2013.

Having suffered setbacks in two of his past three showings, however, there is little room for error where The Dragon’s future title hopes are concerned.

Granted, both losses came against elite competition.

The 37-year-old Shotokan karate master was edged out by undefeated current champion Chris Weidman in a five-round war at UFC 175. He was then submitted by newly minted No. 1 contender Luke Rockhold in the second round of his most recent outing at UFC on Fox 15 back in April.

Nevertheless, the steadily rising level of competition in the middleweight division’s upper tier has Machida facing a high-stakes situation on Saturday night in Hollywood, Florida.

The former two-divisional title challenger will square off with Olympic silver medalist Yoel Romero in the main event at Fight Night 70. The bout figures to factor into the title race that has served to heat up the 185-pound weight class.

Soldier of God has won all five of his showings inside the Octagon, and Machida will be looking to keep his championship hopes alive by starching the former Olympic wrestler’s momentum.

“I was very happy to get this opportunity to fight Yoel [Romero],” Machida told Bleacher Report through the assistance of a translator. “I’m always training and it’s good for me to get back in there and fight. I believe defeating Yoel is very important for me in order to stay in the mix. And that’s the goal. I need to go out there and win this fight and get right back in the mix for a title shot.”

While the matchup between Machida and Romero is the classic “striker versus wrestler” pairing on paper, the rangy knockout artist sees an additional key element in his path to victory.

Machida‘s success inside the cage has garnered numerous title fights and main events, which has served to give him plenty of experience in five-round bouts—a distance that is uncharted territory for Romero.

Furthermore, the Cuban-born middleweight’s gas tank has shown itself to be suspect in a handful of his past fights, and Machida believes the difference in that particular category will be a determining factor in the tilt.

“This is a good fight for me stylistically,” Machida said. “I believe my cardio is going to make a big difference in the fight.”

Although Machida‘s quest to once again become a UFC champion will require some work on the road ahead, the work he’s done throughout his 12-year career in MMA has already started to craft his legacy. His elusive and dangerous karate-based style has made Machida one of the most highly touted and feared strikers in the current era of the sport, and that’s work he will always take pride in.

And while Machida admits he’s far from finished competing inside the Octagon, the Black House fighter knows how he wants to be viewed when his fighting days are all said and done.

“I would like to be remembered as someone who always respected the sport and was one of the first guys who was able to bring karate to mixed martial arts efficiently,” Machida said. “Also to be remembered as someone who always went out there and fought with all he had and was a good guy in the process.”

 

Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC Fight Night 69 is in the books. The results are as follows, courtesy of the one and only Craig Amos of Bleacher Report:

UFC Fight Night 69 Main Card on UFC Fight Pass

• Joanna Jedrzejczyk def. Jessica Penne, TKO (Round 3, 4:22)
• Tatsuya Kawajiri def. Dennis Siver, unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Peter Sobotta def. Steve Kennedy, submission (Round 1, 2:57)
• Nick Hein def. Lukasz Sajewski, unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Prelims on UFC Fight Pass

• Makwan Amirkhani def. Masio Fullen, submission (Round 1, 1:41)
• Mairbek Taisumov def. Alan Patrick, TKO (Round 2, 1:30)
• Arnold Allen def. Alan Omer, submission (Round 3, 1:41)
• Noad Lahat def. Niklas Backstrom, majority decision (28-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Scott Askham def. Antonio dos Santos Jr., TKO (Round 1, 2:52)
• Magomed Mustafaev def. Piotr Hallmann, TKO (Round 2, 3:24)
• Taylor Lapilus def. Yuta Sasaki, TKO (Round 2, 1:26)

Next up? The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 4 Finale on June 27.

What’s that, you say? Visa issues have absolutely gutted this card? Oh, and both finals from TUF: Brazil 4 have been rescheduled, so now this is just a regular ol’ Fight Night?

Well, then…

Either way, while the event has completely changed over the last few days, it still sports an excellent headliner in Lyoto Machida vs. Yoel Romero. That’s enough all on its own, I say!

So what topics are worth discussing over the coming days? Read on!

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