Tag: Lyoto Machida

UFC Fight Night 36 Results: Does Bellator Have a Better Product Than the UFC?


(Photo via Getty)

By Matt Saccaro

Fans didn’t think it could get worse than UFC 169. Then they watched UFC Fight Night 36—a night of fights so horrid even the technical artistry in the main event bout between Lyoto Machida and Gegard Mousasi couldn’t save it.

The negativity ran deeper than the amount of decisions on the card—which was the most common criticism. A decision doesn’t necessarily equate to a bad fight. But a decision that lacks action and is fought between C and D level fighters who aren’t even known by everyone at their respective gyms, let alone the fans, does equate to a bad fight.

I discussed the recent plague of decisions at length after UFC 169. I concluded that the UFC faced three issues:

1. Fighters that are so evenly matched they negate one another.

2. Fighters have become risk-averse—fearful that one loss will send their contract to the paper shredder. Removing submission and knockout of the night bonuses probably didn’t help spur such fighters on to accomplish great in-cage feats.

3. The baseline quality of the average UFC fighter is far lower than it used to be. The days of elite athletes fighting in the “Super Bowl of MMA” are long gone. Welcome to the age of lowered standards; The UFC needs warm bodies to fill out a Fight Pass card in Djibouti. The term “UFC caliber” means nothing.

For the time being, the UFC seems content to ignore these problems to focus on “World Fucking Domination.” They don’t realize marketing what amounts to UFC-branded regional shows in other countries is losing them their fans in the United States. Just look at TUF’s most recent ratings. Fans simply don’t care about the UFC like they did in the halcyon days days of SpikeTV, Brock Lesnar, and PPVs that didn’t hearken to boxing’s age-old strategy of a good main event preceded by an army of no-names. Fans don’t care because what’s there to care about? The product is, to put it simply, lacking. The few remaining big names are islands in a sea of wiki-less, generic UFC fighters™.

This is the situation Bellator finds the MMA landscape in as the Viacom-0wned promotion starts its 10th season…


(Photo via Getty)

By Matt Saccaro

Fans didn’t think it could get worse than UFC 169. Then they watched UFC Fight Night 36—a night of fights so horrid even the technical artistry in the main event bout between Lyoto Machida and Gegard Mousasi couldn’t save it.

The negativity ran deeper than the amount of decisions on the card—which was the most common criticism. A decision doesn’t necessarily equate to a bad fight. But a decision that lacks action and is fought between C and D level fighters who aren’t even known by everyone at their respective gyms, let alone the fans, does equate to a bad fight.

I discussed the recent plague of decisions at length after UFC 169. I concluded that the UFC faced three issues:

1. Fighters that are so evenly matched they negate one another.

2. Fighters have become risk-averse—fearful that one loss will send their contract to the paper shredder. Removing submission and knockout of the night bonuses probably didn’t help spur such fighters on to accomplish great in-cage feats.

3. The baseline quality of the average UFC fighter is far lower than it used to be. The days of elite athletes fighting in the “Super Bowl of MMA” are long gone. Welcome to the age of lowered standards; The UFC needs warm bodies to fill out a Fight Pass card in Djibouti. The term “UFC caliber” means nothing.

For the time being, the UFC seems content to ignore these problems to focus on “World Fucking Domination.” They don’t realize marketing what amounts to UFC-branded regional shows in other countries is losing them their fans in the United States. Just look at TUF’s most recent ratings. Fans simply don’t care about the UFC like they did in the halcyon days days of SpikeTV, Brock Lesnar, and PPVs that didn’t hearken to boxing’s age-old strategy of a good main event preceded by an army of no-names. Fans don’t care because what’s there to care about? The product is, to put it simply, lacking. The few remaining big names are islands in a sea of wiki-less, generic UFC fighters™.

This is the situation Bellator finds the MMA landscape in as the Viacom-0wned promotion starts its 10th season—which features some pretty intriguing tournaments. In fact, I’m looking forward to these tournaments playing out more than I’m looking forward to the slew of upcoming UFC Fight Night cards. True, many of the Fight Night cards have more talent in their main events, but their undercards and prelims are lacking. I have more interest in watching Bellator hopefuls like Goiti Yamauchi, Marcin Held,  Liam McGeary and Bubba Jenkins than I do in watching many nameless fighters hired only to fill air time on prelims and on televised portions of UFC cards.

“But Bellator has a bunch of no-names too,” you say? Fair enough. Bellator’s shows and UFC Fight Night cards are, at the worst of times, both regional events with more pomp; the quality of fighter is, to make a tired reference, virtually identical. But I can watch Bellator’s prelims for free. They aren’t forcing me to buy a half-finished, poorly put together, potentially dangerous digital network to watch fights that belong in a strip club parking lot in Raleigh-Durham.  And, at the risk of dozens of CagePotato commenters calling me “Mat Sackofshit,” I think that free Bellator cards are in some ways more interesting to watch than free UFC cards. Sure, as I mentioned, the UFC’s free cards almost always have better main events than Bellator’s, but the undercard on Bellator’s free events are tournament bouts—and unlike many undercard matches on Fight Night cards, they actually have implications.

And now Bellator might have Gilbert Melendez, giving the organization some much-needed credibility.

Furthermore, Bellator actually encourages their fighters to stand out and develop personalities. Meanwhile, the UFC is trying to generify their fighters as much as possible—not letting them wear masks (unless you’re from a market the UFC wants to reach) and putting them all in uniforms. Case in point: David Rickels’ caveman-themed walkout would’ve never happened in the modern-day UFC.

This isn’t to say that Bellator doesn’t have problems. They have loads. They can’t sell tickets. Their reality show was a bust. Their PPV last year became one of MMA’s most cringeworthy failures, as was their acquisition of Tito Ortiz (signing Rampage Jackson was frowned upon too but at least he made it into the cage). It’s unlikely that any future Bellator PPV will reach any notable or even average heights. Their matchmaking doesn’t correspond with the supposedly sacrosanct tournament system, and they’ve pulled some pretty shady stuff in the past.

Still, Bellator isn’t out of the fight. They’re closer to the UFC’s level than they’ve ever been—and not necessarily because they upped their game, but because the UFC diluted and lowered theirs to the point where a Friday night SpikeTV Bellator card matched (and in some cases exceeded) the entertainment value of a UFC Fight Night card on Fox Sports 1 (or Fox Sports 2, or UFC Fight Pass).

UFC Fight Night 36: Lyoto Machida Makes Himself at Home at Middleweight

Middleweight seems to suit Lyoto Machida.
The former light heavyweight champion’s style will probably never be for everyone, but in the wake of his victory over Gegard Mousasi on Saturday, at least we can conclusively classify his move to 185 pou…

Middleweight seems to suit Lyoto Machida.

The former light heavyweight champion’s style will probably never be for everyone, but in the wake of his victory over Gegard Mousasi on Saturday, at least we can conclusively classify his move to 185 pounds as a smashing success.

We suspected as much last October, but Machida’s three-minute, 10-second knockout of Mark Munoz in his middleweight debut was too brief to encourage sweeping pronouncements.

Now we know for sure—he should’ve been here all along.

Just ask Mousasi, who failed somewhat miserably to unravel one of MMA’s most vexing puzzles at UFC Fight Night 36, conceding a one-sided unanimous decision: 49-46, 50-45, 50-45.

Like many before him, he just couldn’t get to Machida with anything more than a few crisp punching combinations and a light helping of leg kicks. In a bout between two strikers both known to err on the side of caution, Machida showed by far the most initiative.

He sashayed easily out of the way of most of Mousasi’s attacks, countering when he needed to while showing off his full arsenal of punches, kicks, knees and elbows.

He hurt Mousasi—himself still ranked in the 205-pound top 10—with a stinging high kick in the second round and even slammed him hard to the mat with a trip takedown in the fourth.

When it was over, Mousasi came away with the same frustrated, empty-handed look we saw for so many years on the faces of The Dragon’s light heavyweight foes.

In other words, this was vintage Machida.

Only better.

His unorthodox, hunt-and-peck striking style still makes him problematic for nearly any adversary. It’s just that through back-to-back wins at middleweight, the hunt has looked more purposeful and the peck more damaging.

The sample size is still admittedly small, but at 185 pounds, we’ve yet to see the kind of lackluster performances Machida sometimes turned in at light heavyweight, where his boundless patience and unshakable discipline occasionally came off as listless.

Middleweight Machida appears to possess a renewed sense of urgency—witness the high kicks, the takedown and submission attempts, even a flying fist to his downed opponent near the end of the fight.

Coupled with the noticeable speed and power advantages he’s enjoyed against Mousasi and Munoz, that spark (if it sticks around) will likely take him far.

It remains to be seen if this pair of wins is sufficient to let him coast into the next available title shot. UFC brass said on Saturday night they’ll wait to see how a scheduled UFC 173 meeting between champion Chris Weidman and current No. 1 contender Vitor Belfort plays out before making any decisions.

Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza also looked pretty good in a unanimous-decision win over Francis Carmont at Fight Night 36, and he’ll be in the mix, too.

The rest of the middleweight top 10 isn’t exactly beating down the door, however, and if it comes to a pick ’em between Machida and Jacare, Machida has seniority in the UFC (if not the weight class) and a higher profile among the pay-per-view buying public.

That could make the choice pretty easy for matchmakers.

It would be inaccurate to say the move to 185 pounds has cured what ailed Machida at light heavyweight, where he lost the title and went 1-3 during 2010-11 before righting the ship.

He’s still the same guy, with the same methodology. At middleweight, though, the formula is producing more encouraging (not to mention more crowd-pleasing) results.

Already 35 years old, the only shame might be that he didn’t get there sooner.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC Fight Night 36 Results: 3 Fights for Lyoto Machida to Take Next

UFC Fight Night 36 saw Lyoto Machida utilize his speed and unorthodox striking to defeat Gegard Mousasi by unanimous decision.
The former UFC light heavyweight champion has a middleweight title shot in mind, but in the UFC, nothing is certain. There is…

UFC Fight Night 36 saw Lyoto Machida utilize his speed and unorthodox striking to defeat Gegard Mousasi by unanimous decision.

The former UFC light heavyweight champion has a middleweight title shot in mind, but in the UFC, nothing is certain. There is a lot of time before we get to that potential title shot against the winner of current champion Chris Weidman or Vitor Belfort.

Also, Machida was seen in an air cast after the bout, and the Brazilian told Karyn Bryant on Fox Sports 1 that he may have broken his foot in the fight. All of these factors could play into what the UFC does with the title hopeful next.

There are a few options for Machida, and here are three fights the UFC should be thinking about lining him up for:

 

Chris Weidman vs. Vitor Belfort Winner

This is the obvious choice. The win over Mousasi should line Machida up for a title shot.

Both fights offer the UFC the biggest return. Machida is one of the biggest names in the division, and there are compelling storylines against both Weidman and Belfort.

Machida is teammates with Anderson Silva. That makes his potential fight with Weidman very interesting. What can Silva tell Machida about Weidman? Would that fight give Machida even more motivation? That fight is a better fight to sell to the public than any other currently in the division.

As for Belfort, he and Machida used to be teammates. This would be a monster fight in Brazil.

The UFC should pencil in Machida for the title shot. It is what makes most sense.

 

Michael Bisping vs. Tim Kennedy Winner

On the off chance that the timing does not work for a Machida title bid, the winner of Bisping vs. Kennedy is their next best bet.

Most fans, and the UFC, would anticipate a fight with Bisping more than Kennedy, but it depends on who walks away as the winner later in 2014.

Jacare Souza is next in line after Machida. If Machida can’t go after the gold then Souza will, and that takes away one more option for the UFC. That only leaves Bisping as a top-five ranked opponent for Machida.

This fight would be a suitable back-up just in case Machida can’t contend for the belt.

 

Luke Rockhold vs. Tim Boetsch Winner

Rockhold and Boetsch are expected to reschedule their bout that had been scrapped from UFC 166 due to an injury to Rockhold.

Looking at the rankings, if the above two fights cannot happen for Machida, then this is just about the only option for the UFC. Other than the winner of this bout, the UFC would be left with fighters outside of the top 10 who shouldn’t be fighting Machida. Neither Rockhold or Boetsch are that enticing of an option, but it is what would be left on the table.

It would make more sense for “The Dragon” to sit on the sidelines and wait, but he is a fighter who accepts who the UFC gives him.

The UFC should go with Machida as the next challenger, but just in case, they do have a couple of back-ups that would make do. But the UFC shouldn’t be in the business of simply making do.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC Fight Night 36 Video: Highlights from the Machida-Mousasi Main-Event Bout

Making the most of his nifty footwork, unorthodox kicks and top-flight endurance, Lyoto Machida swept the scorecards to best former Strikeforce champ Gegard Mousasi in the main event of UFC Fight Night 36.
Machida, the UFC’s former light heavyweight ch…

Making the most of his nifty footwork, unorthodox kicks and top-flight endurance, Lyoto Machida swept the scorecards to best former Strikeforce champ Gegard Mousasi in the main event of UFC Fight Night 36.

Machida, the UFC’s former light heavyweight champ who sports a 2-0 record in the promotion at middleweight, got outstruck in the bout, 66-35, including 36-28 in the significant strikes department.

Aside from a sweep in the fourth round, Machida managed to win the grappling exchanges with Mousasi, scoring on one of two takedown attempts and stuffing “The Dreamcatcher” on each of his three shots.

“The Dragon” forced Mousasi into his brand of fight from the get-go, and although he didn’t overwhelm the 28-year-old Dutchman, he inflicted more damage and spent better parts of the fight in control.

Enjoy the video highlights above from the bout that garnered “Fight of the Night” honors from Jaragua do Sul, Santa Catarina, Brazil.

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UFC Fight Night 36: Twitter Reacts to Lyoto Machida vs. Gegard Mousasi

Lyoto Machida surely didn’t overwhelm Gegard Mousasi, but the former light hewavyweight champ apparently did enough to earn a unanimous decision in the main event of UFC Fight Night 36 on Saturday.
Machida won his second straight bout at middleweight a…

Lyoto Machida surely didn’t overwhelm Gegard Mousasi, but the former light hewavyweight champ apparently did enough to earn a unanimous decision in the main event of UFC Fight Night 36 on Saturday.

Machida won his second straight bout at middleweight and arguably took four of five rounds from Mousasi in the Dutchman’s return to middleweight to earn a 49-46, 50-45, 50-45 win.

Machida and Mousasi engaged in a physical chess match that primarily took place on their feet. The bout certainly wasn’t a slugfest the ilk of the Gilbert Melendez-Diego Sanchez fight, but Machida and Mousasi scrapped valiantly enough to receive “Fight of the Night” honors.

Although “The Dragon” landed a number of high kicks, he got outstruck 66-35, including 36-28 in the significant strikes department. 

“The Dreamcatcher” got stuffed on each of his three takedown attempts but mustered a reversal in the fourth round. Machida, conversely, scored on one-of-two takedown attempts and notched a pair of guard passes.

Regardless of how the numbers read or how fans perceived the decision, the bout’s judges gave Machida the edge. In turn, The Dragon will move up another notch, and Mousasi will have to reevaluate things.

For those seeking alternative opinions regarding Saturday’s main event in Jaraqua do Sul, Brazil, here’s a look at how Twitter reacted. 

 

All stats gathered via Fightmetric.com.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC Fight Night 36 Results: Real Winners and Losers from Machida vs. Mousasi

Coming into UFC Fight Night 36, most fans of the UFC knew the name Lyoto Machida very well, yet few knew much about his opponent, Gegard Mousasi.
For those who did, this had the potential to be a terribly exciting bout that would answer many questions …

Coming into UFC Fight Night 36, most fans of the UFC knew the name Lyoto Machida very well, yet few knew much about his opponent, Gegard Mousasi.

For those who did, this had the potential to be a terribly exciting bout that would answer many questions about both fighters. It was a clash of intelligent styles that pitted two very diverse fighters against each other in a five-round tilt in the middleweight division.

If that was not enough, Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza was pitted against Francis Carmont. Souza was coming off a TKO victory over Yushin Okami at UFC Fight Night 28. Souza brought his five-fight winning streak into the Octagon to the end of making a serious statement for title contention against the always-tough Carmont, who had an 11-fight win streak himself.

These two contests alone had the potential to add clarity to the middleweight division; should Machida and Souza win as expected, both fighters would be near the front of the line for a shot at Chris Weidman’s belt.

And if either one of them lost, it would prove that the division is far deeper than most expected.

Before the headlining and co-headlining bouts took place, the fans would get to see two welterweight bouts, pitting the dangerous Erick Silva against Takenori Sato and Viscardi Andrade against Nicholas Musoke.

Finally, a featherweight fight would get the main card started with Charles Oliveira slugging it out with Andy Ogle.

With such names as Maximo Blanco, Yuri Alcantara, Rodrigo Damm and Cristiano Marcello filling out the undercard, UFC Fight Night 36 had all the makings of an entertaining evening of fights in Jaragua do Sul, Brazil. And if that wasn’t enough, the event marked the first-ever implementation of the UFC’s new bonus plan that will see the knockout and submission bonuses replaced with Performance of the Night bonuses for two fighters.

Now that the fights are over and the results are tallied, we can look upon the event as a whole, the good and the bad.

Here are the real winners and losers from UFC Fight Night 36: Machida vs. Mousasi.

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