Tag: Lyoto Machida

UFC Booking Alert: Alistair Overeem vs. Stefan Struve, Lyoto Machida vs. CB Dollaway Added to December Cards


(“Whoooo…whoooo…whoooo wrecked another one of my goddamned parlays?” / Photo via instagram.com/alistairovereem)

With three knockout losses in his last four fights, Alistair Overeem has become almost the biggest bust in UFC history. But he’ll get at least one more chance to salvage his career later this year, when he faces fellow Dutch heavyweight Stefan Struve at UFC on FOX 13 (December 13th, Phoenix). UFC officials confirmed the booking yesterday.

Overeem was most recently spotted enjoying a private performance of Ben Rothwell’s celebratory jig, earlier this month at UFC Fight Night 50. Struve hasn’t competed since his jaw-breakin’ TKO loss to Mark Hunt back in March 2013. Since then, “Skyscraper” has been sidelined due to a heart condition. Struve was slated to face Matt Mitrione at UFC 175 in July, but fainted backstage before his fight and was not allowed to compete.

UFC on FOX 13 will also feature a win-or-get-fired lightweight bout between Jamie Varner and Drew Dober, and will “more than likely” host a heavyweight match between ex-champion Junior Dos Santos and highly regarded contender Stipe Miocic; we’ll let you know when that one is finalized.

In other UFC booking news…


(“Whoooo…whoooo…whoooo wrecked another one of my goddamned parlays?” / Photo via instagram.com/alistairovereem)

With three knockout losses in his last four fights, Alistair Overeem has become almost the biggest bust in UFC history. But he’ll get at least one more chance to salvage his career later this year, when he faces fellow Dutch heavyweight Stefan Struve at UFC on FOX 13 (December 13th, Phoenix). UFC officials confirmed the booking yesterday.

Overeem was most recently spotted enjoying a private performance of Ben Rothwell’s celebratory jig, earlier this month at UFC Fight Night 50. Struve hasn’t competed since his jaw-breakin’ TKO loss to Mark Hunt back in March 2013. Since then, “Skyscraper” has been sidelined due to a heart condition. Struve was slated to face Matt Mitrione at UFC 175 in July, but fainted backstage before his fight and was not allowed to compete.

UFC on FOX 13 will also feature a win-or-get-fired lightweight bout between Jamie Varner and Drew Dober, and will “more than likely” host a heavyweight match between ex-champion Junior Dos Santos and highly regarded contender Stipe Miocic; we’ll let you know when that one is finalized.

In other UFC booking news…

After falling short in his middleweight title challenge against Chris Weidman during their fantastic fight at UFC 175, Lyoto Machida will rebound against CB Dollaway, who has posted back-to-back wins against Cezar “Mutante” Ferreira and Frankie Cars (RIP). The matchup — which was confirmed yesterday by MMA journalist Ronda Rousey — will take place at UFC Fight Night 58, December 20th at the Jose Correa Arena in Barueri, Sao Paulo, Brazil, and is expected to air on FOX Sports 1.

So yes, we think Machida should take this one.

Lyoto Machida vs. C.B. Dollaway in Talks for December Bout

As one of the quickest-growing divisions in the UFC today, the middleweight crop heap just got a little more interesting.
According to a recent Twitter post by UFC Tonight this past Wednesday, former light heavyweight kingpin Lyoto Machida could look t…

As one of the quickest-growing divisions in the UFC today, the middleweight crop heap just got a little more interesting.

According to a recent Twitter post by UFC Tonight this past Wednesday, former light heavyweight kingpin Lyoto Machida could look to avenge a recent title loss to middleweight champion Chris Weidman opposite rising contender C.B. Dollaway in December:

Now nothing is set in stone, but the first step in scheduling any fight is having both sides agree to it. And that seems to be the case when it comes to this potential barn burner.

Fresh off his loss to Weidman, this makes sense for a guy like Machida, who is now forced to regain divisional momentum.

For Dollaway, who has won four of his last five bouts, including a 39-second knockout of top prospect Cezar Ferreira, this is a huge step in the right direction.

But The Ultimate Fighter Season 7 runner-up has never faced somebody with the disciplined striking, strong wrestling defense and overwhelming pressure like The Dragon has.

Sure, the 31-year-old has evolved his punching power and ability to finish over the past few years, but Machida is a different animal.

The 36-year-old Brazilian is widely considered the best counter-striking of all time. His sneaky leap-frogging and strong build at 185 pounds may be too much for a guy like Dollaway, who has been finished by the likes of Mark Munoz and Jared Hamman.

But as an aging veteran who may be on the down slope of an illustrious career, albeit for a worthwhile performance opposite Weidman, fighting a hungry doberman like Dollaway could be a deadly decision.

However, Machida has the utmost confidence and understands that he must now fight back up the middleweight ladder to regain his status as the division’s No. 1 contender.

 

For more UFC news and coverage, follow @DHiergesell.

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Lyoto Machida vs. CB Dollaway Likely For Fight Night Brazil Card in December


(See? We told you.)

Now here’s some interesting matchmaking.

Following back-to-back KO losses at the hands of Mark Munoz and Jared Hamman in 2011, it looked as if the book was about to close on the UFC career of TUF 7 finalist CB Dollaway. “The Doberman” had provided fans with some memorable highlights — most notably, his peruvian necktie finish of fellow TUF 7 alum Jesse Taylor — but the pair of losses had dropped his promotional record to just above .500, and lets just say that nobody was talking about “CB Dollaway: Future Champion” around the water cooler*.

But then, he was booked against Jason Miller in a “loser leaves town” match for both fighters, and whatever pieces of Mayhem’s soul that Michael Bisping *didn’t* steal, Dollaway did. The win kicked off something of a career revitalization for Launchpad Dollaway, who has notched 4 victories alongside just one defeat in the time since, including an impressive first round KO of TUF Brazil winner Cezar Ferreira and a decision over the highly-touted Francis Carmont.

And now, it looks like Dollaway will be getting the big name he deserves, as UFC Tonight tweeted yesterday that he is being considered for a bout with former light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida. The fight would likely serve as the headliner for the UFC’s return to Brazil in December, on a TBD Fight Night card transpiring on the 20th from the Ginásio José Corrêa in Barueri, Brazil.

Machida, as we all know, last battled Chris Weidman in an uncharacteristically gritty performance at UFC 175 that saw him come up short by way of unanimous decision. While the fight against Weidman has yet to be confirmed, we will keep you updated on this matchup as details are made available.

*Unrelated: Lyoto Machida’s water cooler. 

–J. Jones  


(See? We told you.)

Now here’s some interesting matchmaking.

Following back-to-back KO losses at the hands of Mark Munoz and Jared Hamman in 2011, it looked as if the book was about to close on the UFC career of TUF 7 finalist CB Dollaway. “The Doberman” had provided fans with some memorable highlights — most notably, his peruvian necktie finish of fellow TUF 7 alum Jesse Taylor — but the pair of losses had dropped his promotional record to just above .500, and lets just say that nobody was talking about “CB Dollaway: Future Champion” around the water cooler*.

But then, he was booked against Jason Miller in a “loser leaves town” match for both fighters, and whatever pieces of Mayhem’s soul that Michael Bisping *didn’t* steal, Dollaway did. The win kicked off something of a career revitalization for Launchpad Dollaway, who has notched 4 victories alongside just one defeat in the time since, including an impressive first round KO of TUF Brazil winner Cezar Ferreira and a decision over the highly-touted Francis Carmont.

And now, it looks like Dollaway will be getting the big name he deserves, as UFC Tonight tweeted yesterday that he is being considered for a bout with former light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida. The fight would likely serve as the headliner for the UFC’s return to Brazil in December, on a TBD Fight Night card transpiring on the 20th from the Ginásio José Corrêa in Barueri, Brazil.

Machida, as we all know, last battled Chris Weidman in an uncharacteristically gritty performance at UFC 175 that saw him come up short by way of unanimous decision. While the fight against Weidman has yet to be confirmed, we will keep you updated on this matchup as details are made available.

*Unrelated: Lyoto Machida’s water cooler. 

–J. Jones  

Dana White: Luke Rockhold Will Probably Fight Lyoto Machida, Not Michael Bisping

While a grudge match between UFC middleweights Luke Rockhold and Michael Bisping seems ripe for the picking, it looks like the promotion has other plans for the former Strikeforce champion. 
UFC President Dana White told Matt Parrino of UFC.c…

While a grudge match between UFC middleweights Luke Rockhold and Michael Bisping seems ripe for the picking, it looks like the promotion has other plans for the former Strikeforce champion. 

UFC President Dana White told Matt Parrino of UFC.com that Rockhold is poised for a fight with recent middleweight title challenger Lyoto Machida, despite the bad blood brewing between him and Bisping. 

“Anything is possible. Michael Bisping is ranked No. 8 in the world. Rockhold is No. 5,” he said. “They’ll meet each other anyway eventually, but Rockhold has got Machida first.

“We’re looking at Rockhold-Machida in Brazil. That’s what we’re looking at.“

Most recently, The Count called out Rockhold after a decisive TKO win over Cung Le at UFC Fight Night 48 on August 23. 

Rockhold has been adamant about settling their grudge inside the Octagon as well, going as far as to say he would donate his entire fight purse to Bisping if he was unable to finish the Brit in the first round, per MMA Fighting. 

The American Kickboxing Academy product has looking impressive in his past two matchups, scoring first-round finishes over Costas Philippou and Tim Boetsch. 

While Bisping has alternated wins and losses since January 2012 (posting a 3-3 record), he remains a Top 10 middleweight on the UFC roster. 

As for Machida, the former UFC light heavyweight titleholder is 2-1 since cutting down to 185 pounds. He lost a five-round classic to champ Chris Weidman at UFC 175 last month. 

According to the UFC’s official rankings, Machida is still the No. 2 middleweight in the world. 

Given the current list of middleweight contenders on the UFC roster, does Rockhold vs. Bisping or Rockhold vs. Machida make more sense in the near future?

 

John Heinis is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA editor for eDraft.com.

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Benson Henderson and the 5 Best Fighters Fans Love to Hate

Being one of the best mixed martial artists on the face of the planet probably gets you a ticket into the UFC. 
Being one of the best mixed martial artists on the face of the planet doesn’t make you an automatic qualifier as a fan favorite, though…

Being one of the best mixed martial artists on the face of the planet probably gets you a ticket into the UFC. 

Being one of the best mixed martial artists on the face of the planet doesn’t make you an automatic qualifier as a fan favorite, though. 

If Brock Lesnar and Tito Ortiz proved anything in their illustrious fighting careers, it was that no matter how dominant they could possibly be, they always managed to rub a good portion of the MMA community the wrong way. Lesnar was hated because of his confidence. Ortiz was hated for his refusal to face the best.

They were champions, and they were woefully disliked. 

But if history tells us anything, even being respectful and willing to challenge the best available opponents still doesn’t grant you access into fans’ hearts.

Scroll on through the rest of the slideshow to see what top fighters fans love to hate. To limit the amount of fighters featured on the list, only those within the top five of their respective divisions will be considered. 

 

Begin Slideshow

Lyoto Machida vs. Luke Rockhold May Be in the Works

A major fight in the UFC middleweight division is reportedly under discussion. 
Luke Rockhold, who has won two straight and has long requested a big-time opponent, may face Lyoto Machida, the former light heavyweight champion who just lost a five-…

A major fight in the UFC middleweight division is reportedly under discussion. 

Luke Rockhold, who has won two straight and has long requested a big-time opponent, may face Lyoto Machida, the former light heavyweight champion who just lost a five-round decision to middleweight champion Chris Weidman.

That’s according to Rockhold‘s training teammate and current UFC light heavyweight Daniel Cormier, who holds a side job as a commentator on the TV program UFC Tonight and announced the discussions on that program Wednesday night (h/t MMA Fighting).

Rockhold (12-2) was the Strikeforce middleweight champion when that promotion folded. Riding a nine-fight win streak that included victories over current UFC standouts like Jacare Souza and Tim Kennedy, Rockhold made his Octagon debut in May 2013 against Vitor Belfort. However, Belfort stopped the Rockhold hype in its tracks with a first-round head-kick knockout. 

Since the loss, Rockhold has notched first-round stoppage wins over Costas Philippou and Tim Boetsch. However, the 29-year-old has been spoiling to avenge the Belfort loss, repeatedly taking Belfort to task for his use of TRT and calling him a “dirty” athlete.

Rockhold may get closer to his desired rematch—or even a middleweight title shot—if he can get past Machida. 

Machida (21-5) has been impressive since dropping down to middleweight. He’s 2-1 in the UFC at 185 pounds, with wins over Mark Munoz and Gegard Mousasi before earning the shot at Weidman, which he lost despite a solid performance.

If it does indeed take place, the matchup between the two could be an interesting contrast of styles. Rockhold is a grappler first and foremost. He won two world jiu-jitsu titles in 2007, around the time he made his pro MMA debut. The BJJ black belt now trains alongside Cormier, UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez and a slew of other standouts at American Kickboxing Academy in California.

Machida is renowned for bringing an unabashed karate style to the cage. The quick, elusive light heavyweight is often criticized for a perceived lack of action, but he is admired among hardcore devotees for his finely tuned offensive and defensive skills. Machida, also a BJJ black belt, works with Anderson Silva and the luminaries of the Black House gym.

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