Arguably UFC’s best main event of 2014—Chris Weidman vs. Lyoto Machida—is perhaps the one fans will most likely skip over.
But this is what happens when Dana White and his establishment go all out to make sure the Fourth of July weekend car…
Arguably UFC’s best main event of 2014—Chris Weidman vs. LyotoMachida—is perhaps the one fans will most likely skip over.
But this is what happens when Dana White and his establishment go all out to make sure the Fourth of July weekend card is a memorable one.
Call it mission accomplished.
Stefan Struve is on the comeback trail after a heart condition nearly ended his career. Uriah Hall is in a controversial slot and on the hunt to prove he isn’t a bust. Marcus Brimage is back to slugging away on his feet after a scary Achilles tendon injury. There’s even Ronda Rousey in the co-main event.
So no, the promotional aspect of the title bout has done little to garner hype. But Weidman and Machida are two elite fighters set to put on a show, and fans should be there every step of the way—and get a little cash out of it, too.
The Situation
Outside of the stellar card, the two men actually partaking in the main event are certainly part of the issue.
Machida is now 36 years old. He remains one of the best strikers on the planet, but there is a certain aura about his age, far removed from the days where he was considered the best in the world. His dropping a weight class to make this fight doesn’t help, either.
Then there is Weidman, he of overcoming Anderson Silva twice fame—once by knockout with the champ in full-on taunt mode and a second time by a fluky kick check that shattered the challenger’s leg.
Based on their track records, albeit Weidman‘s is much shorter and pristine, the champ will need to close the gap and get Machida on the mat to win. One too many direct shots from a striker like the experienced Brazilian, and his title reign will prove a short one indeed.
For Machida, the approach will probably be one that irritates the casual crowd as he avoids confrontation, instead opting to pick and choose his spots in order to not get taken to the mat.
As the promotion surely wanted, it’s a fight that can go all five rounds, or end in quick fashion.
The Odds
As the lines have continued to show, UFC has done well with its war-of-contrasting-styles main event, with oddsmakers not feeling relatively safe with either fighter.
Jon Anik of Fox Sports 1 provided a look at the updated, day-of odds:
There are simply too many unknowns for bettors to sway the line in either way by a drastic manner. We know plenty about Machida, but at the same time, we don’t know how his body is aging or how it will necessarily react to the new class.
Weidman is preparing like it will be the same old Machida, regardless. Per Fox Sports’ Damon Martin, Weidman said:
Stylistically, (Machida) is going to be the same as he was at 205. Going down might make him feel a little quicker, a little stronger and maybe give him more confidence. I’m expecting a very confident LyotoMachida, but I’m going to break his will.
It’s a smart approach for a relatively new champ, who brings plenty of questions himself to the betting equation. It has yet to be revealed just how great his chin is, even if he has never been knocked out. The sample size is too small, his reliance on takedowns and submissions too great and his victories over Silva not exactly reassuring.
The Verdict
Let’s talk about where it matters the most—the wallet (or any other money-carrying apparatus).
With coin in mind, the safest option is to roll with the champ, even if the payout is rather low for such a marquee event.
For all that is unknown about Weidman, he is the guy who has spent the time leading up to his last two fights preparing for Silva. He clearly performs well against patient southpaws, so the war of attrition on Saturday night will eventually lead to his getting things on the mat.
From there, it’s all over. Plus, Weidman has shown vast improvements in his strikes and kickboxing early on in his career, meaning he isn’t just some slouch on his feet if forced to stay there. As journalist Josh Gross details, his noticeable size advantage will come into play in all facets, too:
As an added bonus, Weidman is younger and quicker. Pinning Machida into a corner of the Octagon at some point is a given, and he has the cage IQ to understand that violent counters are coming his way when that happens.
Taking it all into account, the only smart play is Weidman. Fresher, quietly ring-savvy and desperate to prove doubters wrong and begin his era in full, the American will wind up on top Saturday night one way or another.
Just one day before the one-year anniversary of Chris Weidman becoming the UFC middleweight champion, he is set for another middleweight bout with Lyoto Machida on Saturday night at UFC 175.
Despite earning the win outright and defeating Anderson …
Just one day before the one-year anniversary of Chris Weidman becoming the UFC middleweight champion, he is set for another middleweight bout with Lyoto Machida on Saturday night at UFC 175.
Despite earning the win outright and defeating Anderson Silva yet again just months later—albeit after an unfortunate injury for The Spider—Weidman has unfairly drawn tremendous criticism. Even fellow fighter Junior dos Santos chimed in with his two cents on the matter, per MMAFighting.com’s Guilherme Cruz:
Then there was Weidman getting bashed by Vitor Belfort, of all people. The Brazilian attempted to lessen the Fighter of the Year award that Weidman received, per Jared Jones of Fox Sports.
“Not that it should be me, but he wins because of just one fight? It was shameful,” Belfort said. “He won one fight. The other he haven’t won, it was an accident. The ceremony in Las Vegas was pretty cool, but the votes are from the fans, not always they are right.”
Standing at 11-0 and fighting his way up the ladder, Weidman more than deserves to be seen as the champion he is at this point. As for Machida, this will be his first attempt at challenging for a UFC title since losing to Jon “Bones” Jones after trying to regain the light heavyweight title in December 2011
While this may be Weidman’s first true title defense after Silva’s injury during the December bout, he has a chance to prove why he’s the champion on Saturday night.
“One thing I’ve kind of realized is no matter how many times I win, stay undefeated or who I beat, I’m always going to have critics and doubters out there,” Weidman said. “So my ultimate motivating factor can’t be to prove those guys wrong because they’ll never end.”
That brings us to Weidman’s fight at UFC 175 against Machida. Going against yet another strong Brazilian fighter, Weidman will have to use all the tricks in the bag yet again.
Machida’s strong defensive style will make it difficult for Weidman to earn a takedown, but he likely won’t be able to do the same to Weidman. Though he carries a 21-4 record into the match, Machida has gone 5-4 in his last nine bouts.
With his strength and attacking style, Weidman will find ways around Machida’s tactics to impose his will. As for the weaknesses of Machida, Weidman’s trainer Ray Longo provides his thoughts, via Dave Doyle of MMAFighting.com:
I think he’s got a real weak chin, I think that’s his biggest hole. Weidman hits his guy, he’ll hurt him bad. [Machida] likes to control the pace of the fight, I don’t think he likes to be pushed.
… He’s going to get in that ring, he’s going to go forward, and he’s going to impose his will on Machida and he’s going to make Machida fight his game, and he’s probably just going to end up crushing the guy.
The 36-year-old has been much more susceptible recently to being worn down and losing a decision, which happened against Phil Davis last August. But with a deadly kicking arsenal that earned him Knockout of the Night against Mark Munoz, the former UFC light heavyweight champion is still deadly in the Octagon.
Weidman might not be as exciting as the former champion or quite as dominant—at this point—as Silva, but Saturday night can change all of that. A win against Machida might not take away all of the murmurs about a fluke title defense, but a decisive victory would certainly help.
Though fans are reluctant to celebrate Weidman’s success thus far, another clear-cut win against a fighter like Machida would silence some of those critics. Weidman might never reach the same level of stardom as Silva, but his rise is legit, and he’ll prove it on Saturday night.
For Chris Weidman, the UFC 175 main event against Lyoto Machida presents an opportunity to begin his era.
It wasn’t enough for Weidman to win the title while remaining undefeated; he had to enter a second bout with Anderson Silva as the underdog champ….
For Chris Weidman, the UFC 175 main event against LyotoMachida presents an opportunity to begin his era.
It wasn’t enough for Weidman to win the title while remaining undefeated; he had to enter a second bout with Anderson Silva as the underdog champ.
Weidman is still undefeated and can finally emerge from Silva’s shadow into the spotlight. On Saturday night, he meets one of the sport’s most dangerous strikers in Machida, a man on a mission to become just the third fighter in history to win a title in two different weight classes.
When the two step into the Octagon as the headline act for UFC’s Fourth of July festivities, two rather contrasting styles will give fans all they can handle to finish off the night. That goes ditto for the fighters, who will have to strictly adhere to specific strategies to win.
Chris Weidman: Shrink the Octagon, Take it to the Mat
At first glance, Weidman is going to struggle with Machida‘s style. Weidman is extremely mobile in the cage and vicious in close, but we are talking about a champ who has spent his time preparing for two bouts with a fighter like Silva.
Weidman is arguably at his best on the ground, so that’s the obvious strategy for the champ. He’s never been knocked down or out, and his superior stature is obvious from the jump, as journalist Josh Gross notes:
To be fair, Weidman has shown off some improved striking in his last two fights, but it’s still not good enough to do away with what works against someone who specializes in that approach.
That someone is a 36-year-old Brazilian who expertly picks and chooses his spots like Silva, sans the ego, and has struck down the likes of Rashad Evans and Randy Couture. Weidman has never encountered such a fighter, so a cautious approach rather than a straight charge ahead is a must to survive.
“Stylistically, (Machida) is going to be the same as he was at 205. Going down might make him feel a little quicker, a little stronger and maybe give him more confidence. I’m expecting a very confident LyotoMachida, but I’m going to break his will,” Weidman said, per Fox Sports’ Damon Martin.
Confidence is great, but again, Weidman can’t go charging around recklessly, or he’ll get dropped. His best bet is to slowly attempt to pin Machida before going for the takedown. Once on the ground, the fluidity of his movements, brutality of his ground-and-pound and downright effectiveness of his submissions will make it rather easy to finish off his opponent.
LyotoMachida: Keep at a Distance
Patience. Patience. Patience.
A savvy veteran who has danced with many elite fighters, Machida understands that his approach for a victory on Saturday night will most certainly not be a crowd-pleaser.
He enters knowing that if this thing goes to the mat, there is a 95 percent chance it’ll be over early. But it’s also quite apparent that Weidman is a bit of an unknown, meaning if the champ leaves himself vulnerable going for a takedown or simply drops his hands, we don’t really know how his chin will react to a strike.
In fact, those strikes that slip through as Weidman advances are inevitable, so Machida has to keep that cat-and-mouse pursuit going as long as possible to pepper the champ with his legendary strikes.
Or not, as his striking coach Rafael Cordeiro makes it sound like Machida will be the aggressor, as captured by Yahoo Sports’ Elias Cepeda:
Machida has developed a reputation for being a patient and sometimes cautious fighter but his coach says that “The Dragon” will go for the kill against Weidman Saturday night. “If Chris thinks he’s going there with that little hand and that he’ll simply take him down and lay and pray, he’s dead wrong,” he predicted.
If Machida is lucky, that’s his coach trying to make his upcoming strategy harder to discern. The Dragon may have more experience by a wide margin, but charging in on the attack is not a good way to approach Weidman, given the potential for a takedown.
As a former champ who has tangled with the best in the business and has been considered as such at one point, Machida has the recipe for a title triumph on Saturday night, should he stick to the plan.
CP staff writers Jared Jones and Seth Falvo have a few bones to pick with this weekend’s UFC 175: Weidman vs. Machida card. Mainly, its non-existent advertising, lack of good underdog bets, and blatant bait-and-switch tactics regarding its FS1 prelims. Read along to understand what it’s like to watch two grown-ass men slowly march down the path of insanity.
Al Bundy gifs will reign.
Despite being just one day out from the biggest UFC event of the summer, the hype surrounding this card seems non-existent. Have you even seen an advertisement for this event that didn’t take place during a lesser UFC card? The UFC can’t possibly believe that this is adequate advertising…can they?
SF: Buddy, I haven’t seen a single advertisement for this card, period. What, did you really think I’d be one of the nine people who watched UFC Ultimate Step to This Never Back Down: Live from New Zealand?
As for whether or not this is adequate advertising, you’re missing the point entirely. The public isn’t burnt out from a lack of advertising efforts, they’re burnt out from constant exposure to generic cards composed of completely meaningless fights.
JJ: I already touched on the complete lack of advertising for this card in my UFC 175 fight hype article on Wednesday, so I’ll (try to) be brief. While I’d personally rather see no advertising at all for a UFC event than be repeatedly subjected to the music of Linkin Park, I must admit that the UFC’s decision to not advertise a card with two title fights (two!) is a bit puzzling. I mean, sure, one of them is a Japanese freak show-level squash match, but still, UFC 175 has a lot more to offer from a marketing standpoint than several cards prior.
Honestly, I’m starting to thinking Dana’s barely beneath the surface hatred for MMA fans with discernable taste is starting to affect his business decisions. He’s gone from trying to convince us that every fight is of the same quality, no matter how blatant a lie he must craft, to simply trolling us with his “Fuck You, Take It” understanding of how to advertise his product. “You say no one cares about little flyweights? Beat them over the head with ads. A double title fight card? PULL ALL SPONSORS.”
My point is, the UFC no longer cares about advertising, because they no longer care about the quality of the cards they expect us to pay $60 for. They’re just going to keep doing their thing while reiterating that business is in fact “booming” and barely pausing to consider that their customers might actually be right every now and again. It’s a brilliant business strategy if you’ve never learned a thing about how a business is run.
CP staff writers Jared Jones and Seth Falvo have a few bones to pick with this weekend’s UFC 175: Weidman vs. Machida card. Mainly, its non-existent advertising, lack of good underdog bets, and blatant bait-and-switch tactics regarding its FS1 prelims. Read along to understand what it’s like to watch two grown-ass men slowly march down the path of insanity.
Al Bundy gifs will reign.
Despite being just one day out from the biggest UFC event of the summer, the hype surrounding this card seems non-existent. Have you even seen an advertisement for this event that didn’t take place during a lesser UFC card? The UFC can’t possibly believe that this is adequate advertising…can they?
SF: Buddy, I haven’t seen a single advertisement for this card, period. What, did you really think I’d be one of the nine people who watched UFC Ultimate Step to This Never Back Down: Live from New Zealand?
As for whether or not this is adequate advertising, you’re missing the point entirely. The public isn’t burnt out from a lack of advertising efforts, they’re burnt out from constant exposure to generic cards composed of completely meaningless fights.
JJ: I already touched on the complete lack of advertising for this card in my UFC 175 fight hype article on Wednesday, so I’ll (try to) be brief. While I’d personally rather see no advertising at all for a UFC event than be repeatedly subjected to the music of Linkin Park, I must admit that the UFC’s decision to not advertise a card with two title fights (two!) is a bit puzzling. I mean, sure, one of them is a Japanese freak show-level squash match, but still, UFC 175 has a lot more to offer from a marketing standpoint than several cards prior.
Honestly, I’m starting to thinking Dana’s barely beneath the surface hatred for MMA fans with discernable taste is starting to affect his business decisions. He’s gone from trying to convince us that every fight is of the same quality, no matter how blatant a lie he must craft, to simply trolling us with his “Fuck You, Take It” understanding of how to advertise his product. “You say no one cares about little flyweights? Beat them over the head with ads. A double title fight card? PULL ALL SPONSORS.”
My point is, the UFC no longer cares about advertising, because they no longer care about the quality of the cards they expect us to pay $60 for. They’re just going to keep doing their thing while reiterating that business is in fact “booming” and barely pausing to consider that their customers might actually be right every now and again. It’s a brilliant business strategy if you’ve never learned a thing about how a business is run.
This has gotten off to a depressing start.
Lyoto Machida presents a very interesting matchup for Chris Weidman. If you’re looking to gamble on an underdog this weekend, is he your smartest option?
SF: A bet on Machida definitely isn’t the worst way to spend a few bucks, that’s for sure. But how about we look over the rest of the card before we call a (+155) underdog the smartest option. Let’s see…Alexis Davis and Alex Caceres are strictly “never gonna happen $5 for shiggles” picks, so they’re both out. I’m keeping my money as far away from Struve vs. Mitrione as possible, so Mitrione is out. Doane vs. Brimage is currently at pick ‘em odds, and I’ve never even heard of most of these undercard fighters. However, Urijah Hall (-450) vs. Thiago Santos (+325) is exactly the kind of underdog odds that I like, so I’m going to say that Santos is the slightly-smarter option.
Maybe the $80 I made off of Santos when he stepped into the cage as a +800 underdog against an overrated Ronny Markes in March is clouding my judgment, but I really don’t see why “Anderson Silva 3.0 (LOL)” is such a heavy favorite here. Are the oddsmakers really that impressed by the fact that the Uriah Hall who was fighting for his job after an 0-2 UFC run managed to defeat the unmotivated, fading Chris Leben who retired immediately after the fight? “Bro, Hall defeated a DISINTERESTED FADING LEGEND! Do you even know how hard that is? HE IS READY TO FACE! THE PAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNN!” No thanks. I’ll gladly throw another $10 down on Santos, which will return over twice as much money as a bet on Machida would.
JJ: Bro, Chris Leben is a *BEAST* with a granite chin and K1-level striking, bro! Seriously, bro?! BRO!!
………….
I’m sorry, I think I just had a mini aneurysm. But as far as underdogs go, I’m running into the same issue as you, in that I don’t know who enough of these guys are to place bets on them. Machida doesn’t present a good enough cashback option to warrant a bet on him, and there’s no way I’m betting on Davis or the likelihood of Stefan Struve’s heart *not* imploding (too soon?). Fuck it, I’ll go with a 20 spot on the debuting Rob Font. He’s paired up against one of the most consistently inconsistent fighters of them all in George Roop, and a quick look over his record shows that he does possess the kind of KO power to finish the always KO-able Roop.
I’d also be tempted to throw a few bills at returning TUF 17 vet Kevin Casey, who is fresh off a first round blistering of Andrew Sanchez at RFA 15 to capture the promotion’s middleweight title. Then again, the guy he’s fighting is named Bubba Bush, so yeah, he’s probably f*cked.
JJ: Uh…it could do 500k buys if it…uh…ah screw it. Keep on dancing, Al!
Urijah Faber headlining the FS1 prelims behind Brimage vs. Doane on the card we’re supposed to pay money for is quite possibly the most blatant bait-and-switch the UFC has ever pulled. Does the UFC really lack as much respect for its fans as it seems to?
SF: I’m not sure I’d call this a bait-and-switch. I see what they’re trying to do, I just don’t think it’s going to work. By putting Urijah Faber on the preliminary card, they’re encouraging the casual fans who would otherwise skip the prelims to tune in. This boosts their dreadful FS1 ratings – by the way, I’m willing to bet Faber on Fox was more Fox’s decision than the UFC’s decision – and because the go-home show before a pay-per-view is extremely influential on buy rates, this may also encourage the dudebro tuning in for a free Faber fight to purchase the pay-per-view.
Of course, this line of thinking really falls apart once you begin to question it. For starters, how many fans do they actually think are going to tune in for the preliminaries just because Uriah Faber is fighting on the preliminaries? Call me crazy, but I firmly believe that if you actually care about preliminary fights, you aren’t a casual fan, and one recognizable name isn’t going to change this. As for the idea that the fans tuning in for Faber are now more likely to buy the pay-per-view, who exactly is going to watch a Urijah Faber fight that wasn’t already planning on watching Weidman, Machida, and Ronda Rousey? And even if these fans actually exist, does anyone think those fans are going to pay for fights that they don’t care about, simply because they just watched a fight that they do care about for free? Do they actually believe their own “All it takes is just one fight to turn a person into a hardcore fan” insanity?
Or maybe they’re somehow lacing the Faber fight with black tar heroin, in which case, yeah, that’s pretty disrespectful to get me addicted to drugs unknowingly, UFC.
JJ: I’m sure that Yahoo reporter/UFC shill Kevin Iole would tell you that placing Faber on the prelims makes perfect sense, before supporting his argument with a line of reasoning so backwards and illogical you’d think it had been dreamed up by David Lynch. And I get it, placing Faber on the prelims to boost FS1 ratings could work, but at what cost, Seth? AT WHAT COST.
Urijah Faber is a main card fighter. Russell Doane is not. Case closed.
JJ: BJ PENN CAME OUT OF RETIREMENT?!!! WHEN DID THIS HAPPEN?!!!!
SF: …that’s a real event?
One final *final* question: Is the #WeekofDanga destined to go down as one of the greatest, most creative endeavors in CagePotato history?
SF: No question! #WeekofDanga #DangaArmy #NOLA
JJ: You’re right, Seth, it *isn’t* an actual question. I just added threw it in (and wrote your response) after you were finished drafting up your answers. Thanks for the kind words, though! #WeekofDanga #FarrahAbrahamforPresident
Chris Weidman knocked Anderson Silva out at UFC 162. He stopped him again in their rematch at UFC 168 after Silva snapped his leg on a checked kick.
He defeated the greatest fighter on the face of the planet twice, successfully calling the middle…
Chris Weidman knocked Anderson Silva out at UFC 162. He stopped him again in their rematch at UFC 168 after Silva snapped his leg on a checked kick.
He defeated the greatest fighter on the face of the planet twice, successfully calling the middleweight throne his own in the process. Even after doing all of that, some people still feel the newly crowned champ lacks the sort of credibility his predecessor had.
He’ll be stepping into the Octagon against Lyoto Machida on Saturday, July 5 at UFC 175 to do just that—prove he’s deserving of the middleweight crown.
Machida has always been a difficult puzzle for most fighters to solve, but Weidman has never been defeated in his professional mixed martial arts career.
With both fighters set to have their hands full, here are the keys to victory for both Weidman and Machida.
Lyoto Machida: Keep the Distance and Embrace the Boos
Machida is an elusive but remarkably patient counterstriker who can frustrate and evade the most talented fighters who are looking to simply march forward and strike—something Weidman has always been fond of.
The Dragon is agile enough to prevent even the most talented MMA wrestlers from taking him down and scoring points—again, a pivotal aspect of Weidman’s game.
Machida is not new to the fight game, though. He’s privy to what fans want to see him do: knock the other dude senseless. But, as painstakingly boring as it is for the average MMA fan to endure, that’s only going to happen if his opponent is willing to engage first.
He’s welcomed the boos in previous fights, such as his bout with Dan Henderson at UFC 157, and should definitely welcome them here—he has to stay out of Weidman’s range in order to win this fight.
On paper, this shouldn’t be too difficult of a task for The Dragon to accomplish—he’s faster and far more skilled on foot than the champion is.
Unless Weidman plans to supplement his critics’ arguments with a barrage of boos during his first title defense against somebody other than Silva, Machida just needs to sit and wait for the champion to grow tired of not engaging.
Chris Weidman: Cut Off the Cage and Get the Fight to the Ground
It’s really no secret—Weidman probably needs to get this fight to the ground in order to retain his belt against his striking savant of an opponent.
Sure, Weidman was able to show his improved striking skills against Silva in both of his title bouts, but it’s highly unlikely Machida leaves his hands down and verbally calls at the champion to touch his chin. Knowing Machida and his tactical capabilities, it’s improbable he fires leg kicks in high volume in this fight, too—so go ahead and eliminate any freak-accident leg-snapping incidents from this equation.
Weidman can’t just move forward the way he did against Silva; he needs to be more patient and slowly close off the cage. The champion has to be as careful as ever—even the smallest mistake can stop him from taking the strap as a carry-on on his way back to the Serra-Longo Fight Team.
Closing the distance and maintaining some sort of constant contact with Machida is the only way Weidman takes this fight to the ground. There, and only there, can the champion begin to paint his ground-and-pound and submission-filled canvas en route to securing his title and eliminating all hopes of the second-coming of “The Machida Era.”
Kristian Ibarra is a Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report. He also serves as the sports editor at San Diego State University’s student-run newspaper, The Daily Aztec. Follow him on Twitter at @Kristian_Ibarra for all things MMA.
UFC 175 is the first fight card of the weekend, and the 11-fight card features two championship fights.
Chris Weidman defends his UFC middleweight title against No. 3-ranked contender Lyoto Machida in the night’s main event, and Ronda Rousey returns to…
UFC 175 is the first fight card of the weekend, and the 11-fight card features two championship fights.
Chris Weidman defends his UFC middleweight title against No. 3-ranked contender Lyoto Machida in the night’s main event, and Ronda Rousey returns to defend her bantamweight championship against No. 2-ranked Alexis Davis in the co-main event.
All 22 fighters made weight successfully to make the event official.
UFC 175 Weigh-In Results
Chris Weidman (185) vs. Lyoto Machida (184.5)
Ronda Rousey (135) vs. Alexis Davis (135)
Stefan Struve (251.5) vs. Matt Mitrione (254)
Uriah Hall (185) vs. Thiago Santos (185)
Marcus Brimage (135.5) vs. Russell Doane (136)
Urijah Faber (136) vs. Alex Caceres (135)
Kenny Robertson (171) vs. Ildemar Alcantara (170)
Chris Camozzi (185) vs. Bruno Santos (185)
George Roop (135) vs. Rob Font (135)
Luke Zachrich (185) vs. Guilherme Vasconcelos (185)
Arguably UFC’s best main event of 2014—Chris Weidman vs. Lyoto Machida—is perhaps the one fans will most likely skip over.
