Tag: Lyoto Machida

Lyoto Machida Talks UFC 175 Title Fight with Chris Weidman

As the next man on deck to challenge UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman for Octagon supremacy, former light heavyweight kingpin Lyoto Machida has a lot on his plate.
With just two fights at 185 pounds, “The Dragon” still has much to prove as he at…

As the next man on deck to challenge UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman for Octagon supremacy, former light heavyweight kingpin Lyoto Machida has a lot on his plate.

With just two fights at 185 pounds, “The Dragon” still has much to prove as he attempts to knock off the division’s top contenders, including the champ.

But if there’s anything that can be taken from Machida‘s heralded fighting career, it would be his ability to stick to a game plan and stay out of trouble.

“He has a good wrestling game and hits hard,” said Machida in a recent interview with Guilherme Cruz of MMA Fighting. “He has a good cardio but I believe a lot in what I do and in my work. I believe in me.“

As one of the very best wrestlers in the promotion, Weidman‘s game is sometimes puzzling. The fact that he packs a punch and a mean submission game on top of excellent takedowns suggests Machida will have his work cut out for him at UFC 175.

“As a champion, I know he would never take risks if he really didn’t need it,” said Machida when asked about the impact that Weidman‘s recent knee surgeries will have come Fight Night. “I don’t think he will be in disadvantage because of the surgeries. He wouldn’t risk his title, so I believe he will be 100 percent ready.“

Needless to say, the 35-year-old Brazilian is more than ready to avenge former Black House teammate and former pound-for-pound great Anderson Silva when he meets Weidman on July 5.

“I sure do (know how to beat him),” added Machida, “but I won’t tell you how now [laughs].“

 

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Mark Munoz Favors Chris Weidman over Lyoto Machida at UFC 175

Common opponent Mark Munoz, a top 10 middleweight in the UFC, favors 185-pound champion Chris Weidman over friend/occasional training partner Lyoto Machida at their UFC 175 matchup in July.
“The Filipino Wrecking Machine” briefly touched on the subject…

Common opponent Mark Munoz, a top 10 middleweight in the UFC, favors 185-pound champion Chris Weidman over friend/occasional training partner Lyoto Machida at their UFC 175 matchup in July.

“The Filipino Wrecking Machine” briefly touched on the subject on Wednesday’s edition of UFC Tonight. 

Munoz fought Weidman at UFC on Fuel 4 back in July 2012, getting utterly dominated in the first round before getting knocked out cold with a standing elbow early in the second frame. 

The Team Reign Training Center fighter, who is 1-2 in his past three fights, most recently lost to Machida at UFC Fight Night 30 in October.

Munoz was stopped with a brutal headkick about three minutes into the bout, and the matchup marked the middleweight debut of Machida, a former UFC light heavyweight titleholder. 

The former two-time Division I All-American wrestler looks to get back to his winning ways when he squares off with ex-Strikeforce/Dream champ Gegard Mousasi at UFC Fight Night 41 in May.

Coincidentally, “The Dreamcatcher” most recently lost to Machida at UFC Fight Night 36 last month, coming up short in a hard-fought, 25-minute affair. 

Weidman vs. Machida was originally scheduled to headline UFC 173 on May 24, but the bout was pushed back to Fourth of July weekend when the champ suffered a knee injury, per UFC.com. 

The undefeated (11-0) New York native enters the bout on the strength of two consecutive victories over longtime middleweight kingpin Anderson Silva.

After a 3-3 run since losing the light heavyweight strap in May 2010, Machida is 2-0 since shedding an extra 20 pounds to test the waters at middleweight. 

Is Munoz right on the money in stating that, on paper, Weidman has the edge over “The Dragon,” or does Machida truly own the upper hand when it comes down to the stats?

 

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

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With Chris Weidman Out, Dan Henderson Offers to Rematch Lyoto Machida at UFC 173

Former Pride and Strikeforce champion Dan Henderson showed his one-shot knockout power and iron chin are still very much intact after a vicious knockout win over Mauricio “Shogun” Rua at UFC Fight Night 38 on Sunday. 
The 43-year-old fan favorite …

Former Pride and Strikeforce champion Dan Henderson showed his one-shot knockout power and iron chin are still very much intact after a vicious knockout win over Mauricio “Shogun” Rua at UFC Fight Night 38 on Sunday. 

The 43-year-old fan favorite is still eyeing a UFC championship before he calls it a career, per Fox Sports, so it should come as no surprise that he’s willing to have a quick turnaround and rematch Lyoto Machida at UFC 173. 

Machida was set to challenge Chris Weidman at this year’s annual Memorial Day weekend pay-per-view event, but “The All-American” withdrew from the bout yesterday due to a knee injury that will require minor surgery, per UFC.com. 

While the UFC also noted that the 185-pound title bout will be moved to their Fourth of July weekend event, UFC 175, “Hendo” obviously has other plans. 

Henderson was set to challenge UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones for his title at UFC 151 in September 2012, but the event was ultimately canceled after the Team Quest co-founder withdrew due to a knee injury just eight days prior to the card. 

As the release stated, “The Dragon” was offered the opportunity to fight Jones at UFC 152, but he declined the short-notice matchup and was replaced by Vitor Belfort. 

Coincidentally, Machida was replacing “The Phenom” in his scheduled championship bout with Weidman due to the backlash of testosterone replacement therapy being banned by the Nevada State Athletic Commission. 

Machida defeated Henderson by split decision, his last win at light heavyweight, at UFC 157 last February in a mostly tepid affair that was generally panned by critics. 

Would the fans prefer to wait until July to see Weidman vs. Machida or would Henderson vs. Machida II in May sound like a better option, especially since Weidman could feasibly meet Belfort at UFC 175?

 

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

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Dan Henderson Still a BAMF, Offers to Step in Against Lyoto Machida at UFC 173

Just as the sun rises each morning, Dan Henderson wakes up, kills a wild boar with his bare hands, and asks himself, “What can I do next to make all men look like absolute pussies?” Today’s answer: By calling out Lyoto Machida roughly 48 hours after defeating Mauricio Rua in one of the most brutal fights of the year.
(Author’s note: And you mean to tell me that this man needs testosterone *injections*? I CALL BULLSHIT.)

You see, when Chris Weidman was forced to bow out of his UFC 173 title fight with Machida last night due to a knee injury, there weren’t many middleweight contenders lining up to get Munoz’d by “The Dragon.” Strange, I know. But being that Dan Henderson is who Ron Swanson aspires to be, he of course volunteered to step in against Machida — who himself was stepping in for Vitor Belfort — while still shaking off the effects of multiple concussions. Meanwhile, I’m just sitting behind this computer, clacking away at keys and trying to shake off a hangover from last weekend like the shell of a Dan Henderson that I truly am.

Obviously, this fight is never going to happen for a multitude of reasons…

Just as the sun rises each morning, Dan Henderson wakes up, kills a wild boar with his bare hands, and asks himself, “What can I do next to make all men look like absolute pussies?” Today’s answer: By calling out Lyoto Machida roughly 48 hours after defeating Mauricio Rua in one of the most brutal fights of the year.
(Author’s note: And you mean to tell me that this man needs testosterone *injections*? I CALL BULLSHIT.)

You see, when Chris Weidman was forced to bow out of his UFC 173 title fight with Machida last night due to a knee injury, there weren’t many middleweight contenders lining up to get Munoz’d by “The Dragon.” Strange, I know. But being that Dan Henderson is who Ron Swanson aspires to be, he of course volunteered to step in against Machida — who himself was stepping in for Vitor Belfort – while still shaking off the effects of multiple concussions. Meanwhile, I’m just sitting behind this computer, clacking away at keys and trying to shake off a hangover from last weekend like the shell of a Dan Henderson that I truly am.

Obviously, this fight is never going to happen for a multitude of reasons. Obviously. For starters, there is no way in Hell that Machida is going to give up his title shot, which has been rescheduled to UFC 175 in May, to fight a guy he already defeated just over a year ago. Secondly, let’s just say that Machida vs. Henderson 1 was…a tough fight to watch. Throw in the fact that Hendo likely won’t be able to even resume training for a couple months on account of the damage he took in the Rua fight and you can file this rematch right behind “Tito Ortiz staying healthy” on the list of things that are never going to happen ever.

That being said, we must tip our cap to Henderson for trying to turn chicken (boar) shit into chicken (boar) salad. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a nasty hangnail to take care of and God I suck as a man.

–J. Jones

Chris Weidman Suffers Knee Injury, Title Fight With Lyoto Machida Bumped to UFC 175 in July


(Welp…throw it into the trash-pile with the rest, I guess.)

According to UFC.com, UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman has “suffered a knee injury that will require minor surgery,” and has withdrawn from his scheduled title defense against Lyoto Machida at UFC 173 on May 24th. The fight has already been rescheduled to headline UFC 175 (July 5th, Las Vegas), and a new main event for the 5/24 card will be announced shortly.

No other details on Weidman’s knee are available at this time, though it should be noted that re-booking Weidman for an event six weeks later when he hasn’t even had his surgery yet is mighty optimistic. Wild Conspiracy Theory Time: The UFC invented this injury just to make sure they had a big main event for International Fight Week. Nah, not really. But maybe?

Stay tuned for more details…


(Welp…throw it into the trash-pile with the rest, I guess.)

According to UFC.com, UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman has “suffered a knee injury that will require minor surgery,” and has withdrawn from his scheduled title defense against Lyoto Machida at UFC 173 on May 24th. The fight has already been rescheduled to headline UFC 175 (July 5th, Las Vegas), and a new main event for the 5/24 card will be announced shortly.

No other details on Weidman’s knee are available at this time, though it should be noted that re-booking Weidman for an event six weeks later when he hasn’t even had his surgery yet is mighty optimistic. Wild Conspiracy Theory Time: The UFC invented this injury just to make sure they had a big main event for International Fight Week. Nah, not really. But maybe?

Stay tuned for more details…

Chris Weidman Injured, Title Fight vs. Lyoto Machida Moved to UFC 175 in July

UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman will undergo minor knee surgery after suffering an injury during training. Consequently, his scheduled UFC 173 title defense against Lyoto Machida has been moved to UFC 175 on July 5 in Las Vegas. 
The UFC m…

UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman will undergo minor knee surgery after suffering an injury during training. Consequently, his scheduled UFC 173 title defense against Lyoto Machida has been moved to UFC 175 on July 5 in Las Vegas. 

The UFC made the announcement via its official website Monday morning. The promotion also said it will reveal a new main event for UFC 173, scheduled for May 24 in Las Vegas, in the coming days.

Sources close to the promotion recently told Bleacher Report that the planned main event for UFC 175 was a rematch between featherweight champion Jose Aldo and top contender Chad Mendes. With Weidman vs. Machida moving to UFC 175, however, it appears Aldo-Mendes will be moved to another date.

Weidman vs. Machida will now headline the UFC’s third annual International Fight Week. The following day, BJ Penn will make his featherweight debut against Frankie Edgar in The Ultimate Fighter 19 finale, also held in Vegas. It is the first time in UFC history that cards will be held on consecutive days in the same city.

Weidman was originally scheduled to face Vitor Belfort, but Belfort pulled out of the fight when Nevada banned the usage of testosterone replacement therapy (TRT). The middleweight No. 1 contender posted a statement from his doctor on Instagram (h/t MMA Fighting’s Guilherme Cruz) claiming he needed time for his body to adjust to the absence of the synthetic testosterone.

Weidman won the championship last July by knocking out longtime pound-for-pound kingpin Anderson Silva, then defended the belt against Silva in a December rematch. He won that fight when he checked a leg kick from Silva that resulted in the Brazilian breaking his leg in a gruesome scene.

Machida, a former light heavyweight champion, is currently 2-0 at middleweight, with wins over Mark Munoz and Gegard Mousasi.

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