Once thought to be a weak, lackluster division serving as little more than an arena for the greatest fighter of all time to showcase his superiority, the UFC’s middleweight class is suddenly deep and intriguing.
It hasn’t just gone from “below-av…
Once thought to be a weak, lackluster division serving as little more than an arena for the greatest fighter of all time to showcase his superiority, the UFC’s middleweight class is suddenly deep and intriguing.
It hasn’t just gone from “below-average” to “acceptable;” it’s exceptional now.
After current champion Chris Weidman knocked out longtime king Anderson “The Spider” Silva at UFC 162, the division opened up, receiving new life and unleashing a stable of new contenders ready to work toward their shot at UFC gold.
While Weidman has defended his belt twice already (once in a rematch against Silva and once against Lyoto Machida at UFC 175), the division is loaded with contenders, each possessing a unique skill or style that could give the champ troubles.
Right now, the division is stacked, and No. 5-ranked middleweight Luke Rockhold posted a whimsical (but accurate) image to his Instagram page earlier today, summarizing the race to the top of the UFC’s 185-pound mountain.
The image follows the UFC’s official rankings to a certain degree: No. 2-ranked Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza leads the pack with No. 3 Machida, No. 5 Rockhold and No. 6 Yoel Romero trailing just behind him.
The No. 1 ranked middleweight (behind Weidman, of course), Silva, is characterized as Spider-Man as he fights through a rough-and-tough cartoon version of Nick Diaz.
Silva and Diaz will fight January 31 in the main event at UFC 183, and Silva has been promised another shot at the middleweight crown should he emerge victorious.
Absent from the image is No. 4-ranked Vitor “The Phenom” Belfort, who will face Weidman for the title at UFC 184 on February 28 in Los Angeles.
Souza and Romero will also fight on that card, while Rockhold and Machida are slated to scrap April 18 at UFC on Fox 15 in Newark, New Jersey.
Who do you see standing atop the middleweight class by the end of 2015? How many times will the title change hands?
Sound off, and we’ll discuss this ever-evolving division.
Machida is fresh off his 62-second squashing of CB Dollaway at UFC Fight Night 58 in December, which was the Dragon’s first Octagon appearance since his unsuccessful (but fantastic) title challenge against Chris Weidman last July. Rockhold is coming off a 3-0 run in 2014, where he scored stoppage wins over Costa Philippou, Tim Boetsch, and Michael Bisping.
After months of politelysuggesting the matchup, Lyoto Machida finally has the opponent he wants, and we’re psyched about it. No other bouts have been reported for UFC on FOX 15 yet; we’ll let you know when that changes.
(Fun fact: “Lyoto” is Japanese-Brazilian for “Luke.” Crazy, right? And not at all accurate! / Props: FOX Sports/Getty)
Machida is fresh off his 62-second squashing of CB Dollaway at UFC Fight Night 58 in December, which was the Dragon’s first Octagon appearance since his unsuccessful (but fantastic) title challenge against Chris Weidman last July. Rockhold is coming off a 3-0 run in 2014, where he scored stoppage wins over Costa Philippou, Tim Boetsch, and Michael Bisping.
After months of politelysuggesting the matchup, Lyoto Machida finally has the opponent he wants, and we’re psyched about it. No other bouts have been reported for UFC on FOX 15 yet; we’ll let you know when that changes.
UFC on Fox 15 likely has its main event picked out, as Ariel Helwani of MMAFighting.com is reporting that a compelling middleweight fight between former UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida and former Strikeforce middleweight champion Luke Rock…
UFC on Fox 15 likely has its main event picked out, as Ariel Helwani of MMAFighting.com is reporting that a compelling middleweight fight between former UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida and former Strikeforce middleweight champion Luke Rockhold is booked for the card. Rockhold has confirmed the bout himself on Instagram.
Both fighters had been hinting that the fight is in the works, with Machida saying he was open to a bout with Rockhold in December, according to John Morgan of MMAJunkie.com, and Rockhold coming just shy of spilling the beans on New Year’s Eve, via Dave Doyle of MMAFighting.com. Even UFC President Dana White got in on the action via Twitter:
Rockhold established himself as one of the top middleweights in MMA during his time in Strikeforce with impressive wins over the likes of Keith Jardine, Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza and Tim Kennedy. While his UFC debut did not go especially well (he was knocked out by Vitor Belfort at UFC on FX 8), he has been lights-out since, scoring stoppage victories over Costas Philippou, Tim Boetsch and Michael Bisping.
Machida is no slouch himself. By dropping to middleweight, The Dragon added legitimate knockout power to his always-tricky striking game. He owns a 3-1 record at 185 pounds, with his most recent fight being a 62-second demolition of CB Dollaway at UFC Fight Night 58.
This fight holds serious title ramifications. Rockhold already has a strong claim to a middleweight title shot, given his UFC dominance and Strikeforce success. However, with Dennis Weidman booked to face the aforementioned Belfort at UFC 184, Rockhold has been forced into a resume-building race with a resurgent Souza as well as fellow Strikeforce alum Yoel Romero. A win over Machida would make it nearly impossible to deny him a title shot.
UFC on Fox 15 is booked for April 18 in Newark, New Jersey. No other bouts have been announced for the card, so keep an eye out on Bleacher Report for more news on the card as it becomes available.
If you want to get technical about it, Lyoto Machida actually threw two kicks Saturday during his main event bout against CB Dollaway.
Really, though, all he needed was the one.
That crushing left to the body—that’s all it took for Machida…
If you want to get technical about it, LyotoMachida actually threw two kicks Saturday during his main event bout against CB Dollaway.
Really, though, all he needed was the one.
That crushing left to the body—that’s all it took for Machida to dispatch the overmatched Dollaway just one minute and two seconds into the first round at UFC Fight Night 58 and prove he’s still among the best fighters in whichever weight class he chooses to compete.
“CB is a very tough fighter,” the soft-spoken karate master told UFC play-by-play announcer Jon Anik in the cage after it was over. “But the kick landed and I saw that he felt it and I went in for the finish.”
After a bounce-back 2014 for Machida, you could categorize that assessment as one of the year’s biggest understatements.
As for how far back up the ladder the former light heavyweight champion can climb now that he’s making his home at middleweight? That’s going to take a little more time to figure out.
Despite a 3-1 record this year, Machida continues to lug significant baggage with him each time he makes the walk to the Octagon. Heading into this bout, he was just 5-5 in his last 10 Octagon appearances. His 349-day run with 205-pound title back in 2009-10 failed to live up to sky-high expectations. After dropping to 185 pounds earlier this year, he also lost a championship thriller against Chris Weidman in July.
It’s likely too strong to call Machida damaged goods, but at 36 years old, the clock is ticking, and he still has considerable work to do if he means to claw his way back to the top. The middleweight division is flush with fresh title challengers at the moment. For him to once again lay claim to No. 1 contender status, he’d likely need Weidman to drop the strap or else keeping winning so impressively that it becomes impossible for UFC brass to ignore him.
Regarding the latter option, performances like this sure won’t hurt.
Machida was as much as a 6-1 favorite over Dollaway, but there was still some interest to see how the underdog fighter would respond to the step up in competition in his first UFC main event. Including a controversial split-decision loss to Tim Boetsch in Oct. 2013, Dollaway was on a roll (four wins and one loss) during the last two and a half years. A victory over Machida would’ve made his bones as an A-lister.
If the point of this matchup was to find out which of these fighters belonged in the top tier of the 185-pound division, though, The Dragon answered that question with an emphatic walk-off grand slam.
And he came out first-pitch swinging.
From the opening bell, Dollaway—who embraced his black-hat role fighting in Brazil, entering to Toby Keith’s “Made in America” and carrying the stars and stripes on his shoulder—looked to pressure Machida with a rapid-fire jab. Again and again he slapped the former champion’s lead right hand away as the two circled each other at the center of the cage.
Machida looked patient as ever, but during the fight’s first 20 seconds he feinted with a left body kick and Dollaway visibly flinched from it. Perhaps that was all the more experienced fighter needed to see. Machida threw one inside leg kick, which Dollaway immediately answered, first with a chopping low kick of his own and then one aimed at the head.
Less then 20 seconds later, though, Machida suddenly uncorked his thudding second kick, which found a home just under Dollaway’s right elbow. Dollaway froze, a stricken look on his face, and Machida followed with punches as he slumped to the canvas near the fence. It took just a few more seconds for the referee to call things off.
“I’ll wait for the boss, Dana White, to choose who’s next,” Machida told Anik a few minutes later. “My main objective is always the belt.”
Actually, he may not have to wait at all. White may have already decided.
In the immediate aftermath of the bout, fellow middleweight contender Luke Rockhold tweeted a challenge to the UFC president, and White appeared to give his blessing.
Exactly when that fight might happen isn’t yet known, though there was some instant speculation that matchmakers could scramble to get it on Feb.’s UFC 184 card. That event already features Weidman’s long-awaited title defense against VitorBelfort and a presumed No. 1 contender bout between JacareSouza and Yoel Romero.
It would amount to a quick turnaround, but given Machida’s brief night of work this weekend and Rockhold’s apparent good health after a one-sided win over Michael Bisping last month, perhaps not an impossible one.
Slating all those fights on the same card would make a 185-pound showcase out of the UFC’s third pay-per-view of 2015. It would give this division some momentum after Weidman spent the second half of 2014 on the shelf with a broken hand.
After a strange—and ultimately lopsided—pairing with Dollaway, it would also get Machida back where he belongs.
Machida ran through Dollaway like Grant took Richmond. Seriously, the fight was reminiscent of Machida’s 2012 performance against Ryan Bader but even more devastating and one-sided. After being hit with a body kick from Machida, Dollaway recoiled back to the cage and turtled. Machida followed up with vicious strikes. Dollaway crumpled to the mat. The fight was over before it started.
See Renan Barao choke out Mitch Gagnon after the jump.
Sick of watching the same NOS and Metro PCS commercials 4,000 times just to watch one or two good fights on a Fox Sports 1 card?
Machida ran through Dollaway like Grant took Richmond. Seriously, the fight was reminiscent of Machida’s 2012 performance against Ryan Bader but even more devastating and one-sided. After being hit with a body kick from Machida, Dollaway recoiled back to the cage and turtled. Machida followed up with vicious strikes. Dollaway crumpled to the mat. The fight was over before it started.
Mitch Gagnon fought more competitively against Renan Barao despite losing. Barao seemed sluggish in the first round and a half, not steamrolling over Gagnon like many (including us) expected. However, Barao’s fighting acumen snowballed as the contest dragged on, culminating in a third-round submission victory via arm-triangle choke. A good win, but Barao will need to show up about 20x better if he’s going to avenge his loss to bantamweight champ TJ Dillashaw.
Oh, and by the way, the UFC announced they resigned Quinton “Rampage” Jackson during the fight card. We’re not kidding, though we wish we were. Read more here.
The fight card’s complete results are below:
Main Card
Lyoto Machida def. C.B. Dollaway via TKO (kick and punches) (1st, 1:02).
Renan Barao def. Mitch Gagnon via submission (arm triangle) (3rd, 3:53).
Patrick Cummins def. Antonio Carlos Junior via unanimous decision (30-27 x3).
Rashid Magomedov def. Elias Silverio via TKO (punches) (3rd, 4:57).
Erick Silva def. Mike Rhodes via submission (arm triangle) (1st, 1:15).
Daniel Sarafian def. Antonio dos Santos Jr. via TKO (finger injury) (2nd, 1:01).
Preliminary Card
Marcos Rogerio de Lima def. Igor Pokrajac via TKO (punches) (1st, 1:59).
Renato Carneiro def. Tom Niinimaki via submission (rear-naked choke) (2nd, 3:30).
Hacran Dias def. Darren Elkins via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27).
Leandro Issa def. Yuta Sasaki via submission (neck crank) (2nd, 4:13).
Tim Means def. Marcio Alexandre via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Vitor Miranda def. Jake Collier via knockout (head kick and punches), (1st, 4:55)
Did anybody catch him?
Who?
I’m referring to the guy who shot CB Dollaway in the ribs Saturday night, obviously. All you heard was the crack, and Dollaway went down in a heap; what else could it be? All the signs were there. He didn’t even get a …
Did anybody catch him?
Who?
I’m referring to the guy who shot CB Dollaway in the ribs Saturday night, obviously. All you heard was the crack, and Dollaway went down in a heap; what else could it be? All the signs were there. He didn’t even get a chance to fight LyotoMachida; it was taken away from him by some deranged gunman who clearly got away unscathed.
Except maybe that’s not true at all.
Upon reviewing the tape of the UFC Fight Night 58 main event, there is no weaponry evident beyond Machida’s left leg moving at the speed of light and planting firmly into Dollaway’s side, doubling him over and ending the bout in seconds.
MMA will continue to wait on its own Lone Gunman theory a while longer, it appears.
It was another signature showing for Machida from start to finish: the graceful movement, the quickness and lethality of the strike, the veteran killer instinct. Even the sound of the kick landing was different than when other guys land the same kick; it just popped.
At a time when many were wondering, particularly coming off of a title shot that didn’t turn out so hot for him, whether or not the Machida era might finally be coming to an end, the 36-year-old proved such naysaying to be for naught.
He looked as good as ever in demolishing Dollaway and could surely stake a claim to a second chance at Chris Weidman with another win over a top contender early in 2015. He’s got a championship pedigree, a likely Hall of Fame legacy and the ability to provide the most unique thrills in the sport when the cage door closes. What’s not to like about that?
Machida’s drop to middleweight couldn’t have come at a better time, as it gave his career a shot in the arm at a time when it was desperately needed. He was floundering at light heavyweight, a former champion in his mid-30s with no obvious path after a very contentious loss to Phil Davis at UFC 163.
No one knew what his next move was, so like many before him, he decided to simply get a little smaller and see what came of it.
Fast-forward 18 months, and he’s crushed capable 185’ers across the board with ruthless efficiency, so much so that he’d have to be the favorite against anyone in the weight class outside of the champion, a man whom Machida already pushed further than anyone else has to this stage in his career.
In terms of things that came of it, that’s a pretty sweet turnout. Becoming the third man in UFC history to hold gold in two weight classes would be even sweeter.
MMA is a volatile game, and nothing is guaranteed to anyone, so there’s no way to map out Machida’s path from here. He’ll likely see another top contender, perhaps in a bout that serves as a title eliminator or keeps the winner within striking distance. For a little while longer, Machida‘s title dream will be alive.
One thing that is guaranteed, though? Machida is going to show up and give you something spectacular, just as he has since he began his UFC journey almost eight years ago.
The Karate Kid ain’t going anywhere, folks. He’s proven that much.
Once thought to be a weak, lackluster division serving as little more than an arena for the greatest fighter of all time to showcase his superiority, the UFC’s middleweight class is suddenly deep and intriguing. 