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Lyoto Machida: Still a Mystery, Always a Contender

Lyoto Machida’s fighting style mirrors his quest for championship gold in the sense that he’s never truly out of striking distance.
Inside the Octagon, “The Dragon” has proven he possesses one of the most complex striking games ever put on display unde…

Lyoto Machida‘s fighting style mirrors his quest for championship gold in the sense that he’s never truly out of striking distance.

Inside the Octagon, “The Dragon” has proven he possesses one of the most complex striking games ever put on display under the UFC banner, and that versatile approach has yielded impressive results.

Over the past seven years, the 36-year-old Brazilian karate master has entered the cage as both champion and challenger, but regardless of what side of the equation he’s on, there always seem to be high stakes hovering in the balance.

Those particular circumstances were elevated immediately upon his arrival in the middleweight division, as the former light heavyweight champion was figured to be a major player in the 185-pound title race.

Machida has validated that notion to the fullest, winning all but one of his four showings as a middleweight, with his lone setback coming in a five-round war with current champion Chris Weidman at UFC 175 last July.

Despite coming out on the losing end of his bout with Weidman, the Shotokan karate fighter is eager to get back to another championship opportunity.

With that in mind, he made quick work out of C.B. Dollaway when they met at Fight Night 58 back in December. Machida folded “The Doberman” with a vicious body kick in the first round of the bout. The victory over Dollaway put him back on track and moving toward the top of the division once again.

He’s now in line for another high-stakes affair.

The Team Black House fighter will square off with Luke Rockhold this Saturday at UFC on Fox 15 in Newark, New Jersey, in a fight that has the potential to earn him another shot at the middleweight strap.

Therefore, Machida has once again put his goal within range, and the next step—as it has always been—will be about closing the distance between himself and the ultimate goal.

He knows what will be on the line when the cage door closes at the Prudential Center on Saturday night and is confident he’ll have what it takes to topple the former Strikeforce champion in impressive fashion at UFC on Fox 15.

“I am hungry for the title and to become champion,” Machida told Bleacher Report. “Every day when I wake up, I think about being a champion again. It’s my greatest motivation and is always my goal to get the belt.

“Every fight is going to be a big fight for me, but I always try to bring some different motivation for every one of them. For this fight, to fight a guy like Luke—who is a tall guy with good stand-up—is going to be a good challenge for me. I like to challenge myself. This fight is going to be on the feet. Sometimes you can go to the ground, but I think this fight is going to take place standing.”

In addition to a constant presence in the realm of high-profile fights, Machida has doggedly pursued a mastery of his craft as a mixed martial artist.

Where that determination drove him to the highest levels of karate and then to become a UFC champion, the Brazilian striking phenom has used to same mindset to push his MMA skill set to become an art form as well.

For Machida, it’s not just about being successful in MMA—it’s about refining his craft to a place of excellence. He believes experience has played a huge role in this effort, and that time and diligence has finally allowed him to arrive at a place where everything has fallen into place.

While his complex presentation inside the Octagon has baffled the majority of his opponents and made fans latch onto his unique style, Machida sees these things as proof that his hard work is paying off.

“I think it all has to do with my maturity,” Machida said. “I’ve become a more mature fighter. I’m 36 years old and I’m more confident in my skills. I can now show everyone all my technique. Back in the day, I was too young. I wasn’t able to do everything. Sometimes you have some block in your mind that stops you, but that is gone and I’m able to do everything I want to do.

“I cannot see things better, but I can feel it. I’m more calm and I can feel all the energy in there. I can use all of my skills because I’m at ease in an uncomfortable place. I can keep my distance very well. I can control my opponent because I came from karate. It is my strong point because it doesn’t matter if my opponent has 1,000 kilos of power in their hands. If you don’t touch me, it doesn’t matter.

“It feels great that everyone gets excited to watch me fight,” he added. “It shows that I have a lot of fans and everyone is always so curious about my style. If I change something and bring something new for every fight, people always pay attention to it. I’m a mystery to a lot of people and I enjoy that.”

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

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UFC on Fox 15: Bleacher Report Main Card Staff Predictions

The UFC’s strong start to 2015 has, almost inevitably, lost some of its steam recently. However, this weekend’s UFC on Fox 15 is one of the few upcoming cards to inspire any kind of interest. The event might lack name value, but the fights …

Saturday night’s main card features Luke Rockhold vs. Lyoto Machida in a potential middleweight title eliminator, Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza taking on short-notice replacement Chris Camozzi, Cub Swanson vs. Max Holloway and Felice Herrig vs. Paige VanZant.

As ever, Bleacher Report MMA is on hand to guide you through the matchups. Read on for the views of Sean Smith, Scott Harris, Riley Kontek, Craig Amos and yours truly, James MacDonald.

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UFC on Fox 15: Machida vs. Rockhold Fight Card, TV Info, Predictions and More

The UFC on Fox 15 card is really good. It is headlined by No. 2-ranked middleweight and former light heavyweight champion Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida vs. No. 4-ranked Luke Rockhold. The event would have been even better if the beastly Yoel Romero hadn’t had to bow out of the co-featured bout with No. 1-ranked middleweight Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza due to injury.

Romero’s replacement, Chris Camozzi, is a familiar face for UFC fans and Jacare. Camozzi had 13 fights in the UFC from 2010 to 2014, including a technical-submission loss to Jacare in the former’s UFC debut. Because of this, nothing about the fight screams intrigue—at least not on paper.

Nonetheless, the show must go on, and there’s reason to believe this could still be one of the more memorable cards of the year. The winner of Machida vs. Rockhold could be in line for a shot at the winner of the fight between UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman and Vitor Belfort at UFC 187 on May 23.

Needless to say, the stakes are high. The rest of the card is bolstered by a solid main card and interesting preliminary bouts.

The action takes place at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The fights kick off Saturday with UFC Fight Pass exclusive preliminaries at 4:30 p.m. ET. Take a look at the complete viewing information for the entire card with predictions for each fight. Just below the table is a closer look at the biggest main card bouts and what to watch for during the prelims.

Main Card Musings

Machida‘s Speed and Striking Diversity Will Lead to TKO

Few fighters in any weight class bring the stand-up skills that Machida does. His kicks rise and strike quickly and carry a ton of force. Just ask C.B. Dollaway, Mark Munoz, Randy Couture and Rich Franklin. Machida defeated each of them with kicks. A head kick was the telling blow against each one of them except for Dollaway.

Rockhold knows a little bit about eating nasty kicks to the head. The only loss he suffered in the UFC came on a spinning heel kick from Belfort in the former’s debut with the promotion back at UFC on FX 8 in May 2013. Since then, Rockhold has been rock-solid. He’s scored stoppage wins over Costas Philippou, Tim Boetsch and Michael Bisping to set up this important scrap with The Dragon.

Boetsch, Bisping and Philippou are all formidable opponents. Bisping and Philippou are even known for their striking. The differences between them and Machida are speed, variance of attack and the ability to change levels. Machida can go to the body and head and even drop down to secure a takedown if need be—though he probably doesn’t want to be on the ground in this one.

Rockhold is an improved striker, but not one who figures to cause Machida much peril in stand-up exchanges. To win, Rockhold needs to take this fight to the ground, but that’s easier said than done against Machida. He’s adept at staying on his feet. The American knows Machida is skilled but cites his own well-roundedness as the key to his winning.

Rockhold told Dave Meltzer of MMA Fighting: “I’ll fight my fight. I’m going to control the cage, strike with him and make him think about my takedowns. If he’s taken to the ground, he’ll get into trouble, and it’ll open up my striking. The key is MMA, and I’m the most well-rounded fighter in the game. If I put it all together, I don’t have to worry about too much.”

The numbers don’t necessarily support Rockhold‘s claim. Per FightMetric, Machida has thwarted 77 percent of his opponents’ attempts to take him down. As good as Rockhold is at securing submissions, he only has a 20 percent takedown accuracy rate. Unless Machida gives him the opportunity, it’s hard to imagine how Rockhold can control the identity of the bout.

This fight will remain standing, and Machida will have the clear advantage in that type of battle. He will stop Rockhold with a kick and a flurry.

Camozzi Is Going to Get Flattened and Submitted

Who’s giving Camozzi a chance to beat Souza in the co-feature—besides family and friends of the 30-year-old UFC veteran? Oddsmakers certainly aren’t. Per Odds Shark, Camozzi is the biggest underdog on the card at plus-550.

Apparently, an esteemed MMA writer and connoisseur of the sport likes Camozzi to pull the upset.

Fox Sports’ Elias Cepeda not only picked Camozzi to win but also to score a first-round TKO over Jacare: “If Camozzi can get Jacare frustrated and anxious, and make him reach and try too hard because he wants to finish the fight, you just never know. Camozzi can throw a hard kick and a hard punch.”

With all due respect to Cepeda, Camozzi has as much chance to win this fight as Eric “Butterbean” Esch would have in besting Usain Bolt in a foot race. Camozzi is a tough gamer who brings it every time he’s in the Octagon. But let’s not forget that a four-fight losing streak led to him getting cut and having to take this bout to get back into the promotion.

Despite being five years older, Souza is a better athlete, grappler and submissions artist. Camozzi’s only chance is to catch Souza with something wild during the stand-up, but that won’t happen. Souza will beat him up long enough to get the fight to the ground, where he’ll finish him with a submission again.

Favorite for Fight of the Night

As pure striking matchups go, it doesn’t get much better than No. 9-ranked featherweight Max “Blessed” Holloway vs. No. 5-ranked Cub Swanson. Both men are above-average athletes who prefer to stand and trade shots.

Patrick Wyman of Sherdog said this about the bout: “This should be an absolute barnburner. Both fighters like to work on the feet, and neither seems likely to shoot for more than a change-of-pace takedown.”

The 23-year-old Holloway is on fire. He’s won five straight fights and is looking to burst into the Top Five with a win over Swanson. The latter had been on his own roll before being demolished by Frankie Edgar in November 2014. Swanson is now looking to pick up the pieces in a bout against an up-and-coming young lion.

I love Holloway’s activity, solid defense and toughness. He and Swanson’s striking accuracy are similar (44 percent for Swanson and 41 percent for Holloway), but Blessed is far more active. He fires 5.62 strikes per minute compared to 3.13 for Swanson.

Much of this is due to Holloway’s penchant for throwing combinations. This will be the biggest key to his success and why he’ll gut out a tough win over Swanson via unanimous decision.

The Next Strawweight Star Will Emerge

The battle between No. 8-ranked strawweight Felice Herrig and No. 12-ranked Paige VanZant could be a modeling competition just as easy as a fight. Let’s just say both women have the looks of stars. They can also fight.

Herrig fell short in her quest to win The Ultimate Fighter 20 and the strawweight title, but she had a successful official UFC debut. She defeated Lisa Ellis at the TUF 20 finale via submission and would love to mount a two-fight win streak.

VanZant will have none of that. The vicious 21-year-old striker has the edge in explosion and grit. She too won her UFC debut when she stopped Kailin Curran via TKO on the aforementioned Edgar vs. Swanson card.

Look for her to take the fight to Herrig and overwhelm her with strikes early in the fight. Get ready for an impressive and quick finish from VanZant.

What to Watch in the Prelims

OSP vs. Durkin

Two different styles will clash when No. 7-ranked light heavyweight Ovince Saint Preux tangles with Patrick “Durkin” Cummins. OSP likes to strike and finish on his feet, though he has shown off solid submission skills. Cummins is a pure wrestler who hasn’t quite found himself as a striker just yet.

Which style wins out?

In this instance, it’s hard for me to see OSP preventing Cummins from taking him down. Before he battered an over-the-hill Mauricio “Shogun” Rua in his last fight, OSP was dominated by Ryan Bader’s wrestling in August 2014. It seems logical to expect the same thing happens in this one.

Cummins should win this by submission or lopsided decision.

Dariush Is the Real Deal

After Beneil Dariush takes care of respected veteran and No. 12-ranked lightweight Jim Miller, the UFC will have no other choice but to welcome him to the Top 15 lightweight rankings. The 25-year-old Dariush has strung together three straight impressive wins over Tony Martin, Daron Cruickshank and Carlos Diego Ferreira.

If you’re looking for a fighter who transitions from submission to submission with intelligence and proper execution, it’s Dariush. Miller is a tough guy and excellent submission fighter in his own right, but he’s not quick enough in the stand-up, and dare I say, not quite as slick on the ground.

That’s a bold statement considering Miller has 14 submission wins in his career, but that’s just how good Dariush is on the ground. I won’t say Miller gets submitted, but he won’t find an advantage on the ground.

The fight will be contested primarily on the feet, and Dariush is the kicker and better striker. He wins by unanimous decision.

Follow Brian Mazique on Twitter

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UFC on Fox 15 Weigh-in Results: Machida vs. Rockhold Fight Card

UFC on Fox 15 hits New Jersey this weekend for high stakes in the middleweight division.
No. 2-ranked contender Lyoto Machida meets No. 4-ranked Luke Rockhold in the main event, and No. 1-ranked Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza competes in the co-main event agai…

UFC on Fox 15 hits New Jersey this weekend for high stakes in the middleweight division.

No. 2-ranked contender Lyoto Machida meets No. 4-ranked Luke Rockhold in the main event, and No. 1-ranked Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza competes in the co-main event against Chris Camozzi.

Also featured on the main card will be featherweight contenders Cub Swanson and Max Holloway, and strawweight contenders Felice Herrig and Paige VanZant. The main card is stacked, but the undercard is also packed with talent.

Prior to Saturday’s action the 22 fighters on the card must first make weight.

Bleacher Report will have all weigh-in updates for you when the fighters tip the scale at 4 p.m. ET on Friday. Come back for complete coverage.

UFC on Fox 15 Fight Card

Lyoto Machida vs. Luke Rockhold
Ronaldo Souza vs. Chris Camozzi
Cub Swanson vs. Max Holloway
Felice Herrig vs. Paige VanZant
Jim Miller vs. Beneil Dariush
Ovince Saint Preux vs. Patrick Cummins
Corey Anderson vs. Gian Villante
Takeya Mizugaki vs. Aljamain Sterling
George Sullivan vs. Tim Means
Diego Brandao vs. Jimy Hettes
Eddie Gordon vs. Chris Dempsey

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Lyoto Machida vs. Luke Rockhold: A Fun, Necessary Fight That’s Too Close to Call

Perhaps the biggest and best compliment we can pay Lyoto Machida vs. Luke Rockhold is that it feels completely necessary.
In an MMA world now defined by dilution and excess, this is one we must absolutely have. When the two middleweights meet on Saturd…

Perhaps the biggest and best compliment we can pay Lyoto Machida vs. Luke Rockhold is that it feels completely necessary.

In an MMA world now defined by dilution and excess, this is one we must absolutely have. When the two middleweights meet on Saturday in the main event of UFC on Fox 15, theirs will be among the most anticipated non-title fights of the year so far.

It will be steeped in meaningful stakes and will play out on the mainstream stage provided by network television.

Oh yeah, and it also stands to be a whole lot of fun.

In one corner, you’ll have Machida, the 36-year-old former UFC light heavyweight champion. He’s known for his elusiveness—and that includes his ability to escape the grasp of Father Time thus far. Dropping to 185 pounds near the end of 2013 produced a rebirth for him, but last summer he lost to champion Chris Weidman after a whale of a fight.

Even after getting off the schneid with a win over CB Dollaway a few months ago, he needs this. A victory here and Machida turns away arguably the stiffest test from the next generation of middleweight contenders. If he looks good doing it, if he can prove age really ain’t nothing but a number, he’ll force the UFC to consider setting him up with a second shot at the title.

That last bit, of course, will have to wait for the outcome of Weidman’s title defense against Vitor Belfort at UFC 189. If Belfort should somehow unseat Weidman as champion, Machida’s prospects only improve. He would have a fresh matchup waiting for him against Belfort.

If he loses, well, it will no doubt be seen as a sign that Machida has stuck around too long. He won’t fade to black immediately, but it certainly casts the end-game stages of his career in somewhat starker light. It’d be hard for him to put it back together to make another run at the gold in the time he has left.

Rockhold’s path to a championship opportunity is even more direct. Basically, if he wins, he’s in.

The American Kickboxing Academy product ran roughshod over the competition during his four years in Strikeforce, going 9-0 and capturing the organization’s 185-pound title from Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza in September 2011. He came over with the rest of the spoils when the UFC absorbed Strikeforce in early 2013 but lost his debut by dramatic head-kick knockout to Belfort.

That defeat came with an asterisk the size of Belfort’s bulging deltoids, however. The Phenom fought while legally gassed up on testosterone replacement therapy. Nine months later, the controversial treatment was banned from competition.

How Rockhold might have fared against the normal, natural version of Belfort, we might never know.

What we do know is that he put the loss behind him with three straight wins, albeit against decidedly middle-of-the-pack competition. Now he stands on the verge of his first truly elite test. If he beats Machida, there won’t be much else left to do but stamp his passport to a title shot.

Rockhold is going off as the slight favorite, according to Odds Shark, but—like the rest of us—in this case the oddsmakers are just guessing.

Nobody is certain what’s going to happen. MMA is among the cruelest sports, after all. Machida could show up looking like he’s gotten old overnight. Rockhold might prove to be smoke and mirrors, not in the same league with a guy who has been in and around the top for nearly a decade.

Rockhold will enjoy height and reach advantages, and he’s looked mobile and dangerous in his appearances. Machida is one of the sport’s most notoriously difficult riddles, but occasionally he comes out flat. His patient tactics can frustrate his foes, but sometimes they frustrate fans too. When the urgency doesn‘t seem to be there, he’s been known to let a fight or two slip away.

But it’s also been nearly three years since a Rockhold fight went longer than six minutes, and the Brazilian specializes in marathons. If Machida can fluster Rockhold with his awkward counterpunching style, if he can drag him into deep water, it could be anybody’s fight to win.

Honestly, it almost doesn’t matter.

Either way, we’re probably going to get to see a heck of a scrap.

Either way, we’ll all be smarter come Sunday.

Either way, this is the sort of fight that deserves every bit of praise it gets.

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Bold Predictions for UFC on Fox 15: Machida, Rockhold or Jacare? Who’s No. 1?

Even as it limps down the home stretch, UFC on Fox 15 remains the best MMA card of the month.
Yoel Romero is out, owing to a knee injury, but the UFC’s second foray of the year into network television still promises to be a rollicking good time. L…

Even as it limps down the home stretch, UFC on Fox 15 remains the best MMA card of the month.

Yoel Romero is out, owing to a knee injury, but the UFC’s second foray of the year into network television still promises to be a rollicking good time. Luke Rockhold and Lyoto Machida fight for presumed No. 1 contender status in the middleweight division, Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza promises to roll over short-notice replacement Chris Camozzi, and Cub Swanson meets Max Holloway in an interesting featherweight matchup.

With preliminary fights moving from Fox Sports 1 to the network, UFC fans will also be able to cut out any superfluous channel surfing. Just set it and forget it for the full four hours.

As usual in the case of a fight card as good as this one, bold predictions are required. Luckily for all involved, Bleacher Report Lead Writers Chad Dundas (that’s me) and Jonathan Snowden have them to spare.

Read on to find out who wins, who loses and how it all goes down.

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