Lyoto Machida | UFC Betting Sites - The Best MMA Online Bookies

Testosterone replacement therapy is out and so is perpetual user Vitor Belfort.
That leaves Lyoto Machida as the next main course for UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman to attempt to devour.
It’s a stylistic matchup that is sure to raise hairs on …

Testosterone replacement therapy is out and so is perpetual user Vitor Belfort.

That leaves Lyoto Machida as the next main course for UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman to attempt to devour.

It’s a stylistic matchup that is sure to raise hairs on even the most closeted combat fans around, one that came to fruition for “The Dragon” after just two divisional victories since dropping down from light heavyweight in 2013.

With that said, along with the fact that the Brazilian is as confident and collected as they come, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Machida suggested his striking will play a major role at UFC 173 in a recent interview with MMA Fighting’s Guilherme Cruz:

I’ve fought a lot of wrestlers before, and I know Weidman has a good wrestling, but I’m confident on the work I’m developing with my team. I believe in my striking game against Weidman’s wrestling. He’s complete in every aspect of the game, but I’m confident in what I do.

If Machida is able to conquer the athletic puzzle that is the undefeated Weidman, he’d do something that even the greatest mixed martial artist of all time was unable to do.

In fact, if the former light heavyweight kingpin captures middleweight gold on May 24, he’ll become only the third fighter in UFC history to win a championship in two different weight classes, following the footsteps of Randy Couture and B.J. Penn.

But Machida isn’t one to lose focus and get caught up in all of the what-ifs:

This is the consequence of our work. I can’t focus on that. Records and numbers are cool, everybody wants that, but I try not to think about that.

Either way, it’s going to be interesting to see if Machida can overcome the odds, outpoint a dynamic champion with tremendous natural abilities and reclaim a UFC title.

If he’s going to do so, his striking needs to be at an all-time high. If not, Weidman may once again knock off one of Brazil’s most heralded names in the sport.

For more UFC news and coverage, Follow @DHiergesell

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

“It’s a Step in the Right Direction for Men”: Don Frye and Other MMA Stars React to Hip Show [VIDEO]

(Props: MMAInsidetheCageTV)

Our old friends Casey Oxendine and Cyrus Fees were at the Arnold Classic last weekend, giving a bunch of MMA stars their first look at Hip Show, the 2-on-2 Russian MMA league that we’ll be sponsoring for its AXS TV debut on March 14th. Aside from Bobby Lashley stating the obvious (“Man, somebody’s gonna die”), everybody was super-positive about it. Some notable quotes…

Mark Coleman: “I wish was 20 years younger, it seems I’d fit right in on what we got goin’ here.”

Don Frye: “Obviously the Russians have to invent something this fantastic. It’s a step in the right direction for men.”

Lyoto Machida: “I don’t know…it looks crazy, no? But I can try it, just for training maybe.”

Bobby Lashley: “Have you seen the movie Running Man? This is one step away from there.”

Urijah Faber: “That’s awesome. I can’t wait to watch it.” (Chad Mendes then suggests he and Urijah would “wreck shop” as a 145-pound Hip Show team.)

Ryan Bader: “That’s pretty crazy. I would watch it definitely…I think it would be pretty fun if you had a good partner. [I would choose] Weidman, we’d tag-team some guys over here.”

Shonie Carter: “I got some homies over in the hood off the West Side of Chicago that would love to do this…I’m doin’ this, son. I’m doin’ this. I’m just sayin’. That shit right here? That’s gonna be me.”

When Hip Show comes to the U.S., I’m putting my money on Shonie Carter & West Side Homie TBA. Tune in to AXS TV tonight at 9 p.m. to see Casey and Cyrus discuss Hip Show on Inside MMA, and be sure to watch the best-of special next Saturday, March 14th!

(Props: MMAInsidetheCageTV)

Mark Coleman: “I wish was 20 years younger, it seems I’d fit right in on what we got goin’ here.”

Don Frye: ”Obviously the Russians have to invent something this fantastic. It’s a step in the right direction for men.”

Lyoto Machida: “I don’t know…it looks crazy, no? But I can try it, just for training maybe.”

Bobby Lashley: ”Have you seen the movie Running Man? This is one step away from there.”

Urijah Faber: “That’s awesome. I can’t wait to watch it.” (Chad Mendes then suggests he and Urijah would “wreck shop” as a 145-pound Hip Show team.)

Ryan Bader: “That’s pretty crazy. I would watch it definitely…I think it would be pretty fun if you had a good partner. [I would choose] Weidman, we’d tag-team some guys over here.”

Fertitta: We Couldn’t Take the Chance Belfort Wasn’t Getting Licensed to Fight

UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta says that the company removed UFC middleweight contender Vitor Belfort from a title bout with Chris Weidman on May 24.
According to an interview with Yahoo! Sports, Fertitta elaborated on the subject, stating the UFC coul…

UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta says that the company removed UFC middleweight contender Vitor Belfort from a title bout with Chris Weidman on May 24.

According to an interview with Yahoo! Sports, Fertitta elaborated on the subject, stating the UFC could not take the risk of promoting the fight if “The Phenom” may not get licensed.

“At the end of the day, we have a fight to promote on May 24,” Fertitta said. “Chris is going to defend his title, and you know how this business works: You’ve got to get commercials in two to three months early. We’ve got to get key art done. We’ve got a fight to promote and Vitor, because they came down with this ruling [Thursday], Vitor is going to have to comply with that, which he is going to. But we don’t know how long that process will take for him to get a license, whether it is two weeks or two months. We can’t be in limbo as a company. We need to promote a fight, so the most logical thing was for Vitor to get going with his process to file an application in Nevada, and once that gets done, we could revisit this thing.”

In a move that sent shock waves throughout the fight community, the Nevada State Athletic Commission banned testosterone replacement therapy at a meeting on Thursday.

Belfort, a longtime user of TRT, reportedly withdrew from his UFC 173 title tilt shortly after the ruling came down and was replaced by Lyoto Machida, per FOX Sports.

However, the Brazilian slugger changed his stance less than a day later, stating that the UFC pulled him from the event and didn’t plan on giving up his championship bout on his own accord, per MMA Fighting.

Belfort is 4-1 in his past five fights, all contested outside the United States, with his sole loss being a short notice light heavyweight title bout against Jon Jones in September 2012.

His recent hit list includes notable contenders in ex-Strikeforce champ Luke Rockhold, perennial contender Michael Bisping and former Strikeforce/Pride titleholder Dan Henderson.

The 36-year-old won all three of the aforementioned matchups via knockout.

On Saturday, Belfort claimed that his doctor informed him it would take his body roughly 90 days to adapt to training without TRT, per MMA Fighting.

Will Belfort continue to be a force to be reckoned with at middleweight without his controversial medical treatment? Or will he lose the extra edge he needs without TRT?

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

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Chael Sonnen: Chris Weidman vs. Lyoto Machida Is a Superfight

Three-time UFC title challenger Chael Sonnen is pumped up for the UFC 173 main event between Chris Weidman and Lyoto Machida, so much so that he’s calling the matchup a “superfight.”
During last week’s edition of UFC Tonight, per Fighters Onl…

Three-time UFC title challenger Chael Sonnen is pumped up for the UFC 173 main event between Chris Weidman and Lyoto Machida, so much so that he’s calling the matchup a “superfight.”

During last week’s edition of UFC Tonight, per Fighters Only, “The American Gangster” expressed his excitement for the upcoming middleweight title tilt.

“This is an incredible fight. Chris Weidman is the undefeated, undisputed middleweight champion of the world, taking out the all-time pound-for-pound king Anderson Silva,” Sonnen said on the show. “Lyoto Machida has never looked better since he’s come down to 185 pounds. He’s undefeated with a knockout over Mark Munoz, a unanimous decision over Gegard Mousasi, and he’s a former light heavyweight world champion … When you talk about superfights, you talk about a champion from one weight class taking on another champion from another weight class. You want a superfight? On May 24, you’re getting one.”

Weidman was originally set to meet surging contender Vitor Belfort at the Las Vegas pay-per-view event, but “The Phenom” either withdrew or was removed from the card—depending on whose telling the story—shortly after the Nevada State Athletic Commission banned testosterone replacement therapy.

As Sonnen noted, “The All-American” has yet to taste defeat inside the cage, currently boasting back-to-back victories over longtime divisional kingpin Anderson Silva.

After a 2-2 stretch at 205 pounds between December 2011 and August 2013, “The Dragon” decided it was time to make the long rumored cut to middleweight.

At 185 pounds, the ex-UFC champ has posted a 2-0 mark over top-10 competition.

For the record, Sonnen is currently the No. 9 light heavyweight in the world according to the UFC’s official rankings and is 1-2 since bumping back up from middleweight.

Sonnen is set to settle the score with longtime arch nemesis Wanderlei Silva on May 31 following season three of The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil where the two are head coaching opposite one another.

Does Weidman vs. Machida really meet the definition of a superfight or is this just wishful thinking from Sonnen?

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

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com