Former UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida will look to build his legacy in a new division at UFC Fight Night 30 on Saturday, where he’ll make his 185-pound debut opposite Mark Munoz.
Machida was still one of the top fighters in the world…
Former UFC light heavyweight champion LyotoMachida will look to build his legacy in a new division at UFC Fight Night 30 on Saturday, where he’ll make his 185-pound debut opposite Mark Munoz.
Machida was still one of the top fighters in the world at 205 pounds, but a controversial loss to Phil Davis at UFC 163 prompted the Brazilian to look for a quicker path to his next title shot. He believes he’ll have to do less at middleweight than he would at light heavyweight to fight for another UFC championship.
Having only lost to champion Chris Weidman over the past three years, Munoz will be a good test to see where Machida stands in the 185-pound class. Also a former light heavyweight, Munoz is a Top Five middleweight right now, so a win over him would immediately place Machida in the running for a title shot.
What are Machida‘s chances of picking up an important win in his first appearance as a UFC middleweight?
Here is a look at how “The Dragon” matches up with Munoz in all areas.
Coming into his bout with Chris Weidman in July of 2012, Mark Munoz was riding a four-fight win streak. He had conquered Chris Leben, Demian Maia, CB Dollaway and Aaron Simpson, and he was on the precipice of a title shot.
He was that close.  …
Coming into his bout with Chris Weidman in July of 2012, Mark Munoz was riding a four-fight win streak. He had conquered Chris Leben, Demian Maia, CB Dollaway and Aaron Simpson, and he was on the precipice of a title shot.
He was that close.
Then Chris Weidman handed him a brutal KO loss, and to make matters worse, he broke his foot and sat on the sidelines for nearly a year, watching the sport continue on without him.
In his return fight, he bested Tim Boetsch at UFC 162: the same card where his conqueror, Weidman, KO’d Anderson Silva to become the new middleweight champion.
In the combative sports, time is one of the most precious commodities a fighter can have. Losing time due to injury can not only lead to ring rust, but it can see a fighter on the rise turn into a fighter on the back burner, simmering out of the corner of the public eye.
Munoz is back on the winning track, but he needs to make some noise. With so much attention being afforded to the Weidman vs. Silva rematch, not to mention the rise of Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza and the drama surrounding the “rejuvenated” VitorBelfort, Munoz is a Top 10 fighter on the verge of being forgotten.
He can change all of that with a victory over the elusive LyotoMachida.
Sometimes the position of underdog is a good place to be. Nearly everyone is going to be looking at Machida, expecting him to make a serious impression at middleweight. If Munoz can defeat him, he can steal the spotlight for himself and in the process, reclaim some of the luster that was knocked off his name by the fists and elbows of Weidman.
But moreover, he can show the world just what kind of quality fighter he really is; that he has turned the corner from KO victim to title contender.
Defeating a former champion from a heavier weight division would be a nice feather in his cap and would go a long way toward proving he still has what it takes to be a serious threat in the division.
Now that Weidman is champion, the landscape of the division has changed. Of course, Silva may reclaim the title, but the world has been reminded that MMA is a sport of change.
In other words, it’s an exciting time to be a middleweight fighter just outside the Top 5 of the division. He holds his future in his hands, and thanks to the attention Machida brings their headlining bout at UFC Fight Night 30, there will be many eyes on his fight.
But will it be a story of a grand return for Munoz, or a coming-out party for Machida?
Most fans and pundits expect a cautious fight between them, just as they expect Machida to win thanks to his style and the size advantage that he should enjoy.
Machida will probably be the bigger man come fight night, and he has always been a hard fighter for wrestlers to deal with. Thus, Munoz has a chance to show he is much more than a wrestler with a high submission acumen.
Munoz has never had to deal with a fighter like Machida before; very few are as evasive and dangerous as “The Dragon” and on paper, Munoz has many obstacles to overcome if he wants to claim a victory.
Machida is very good at reading body movement, has excellent cage awareness/ring generalship, knows how to stop takedowns and is a deadly counter-striker. He has proven adept at getting opponents to follow him and blasting them as they rush in to close quarters.
But all of that hasn’t proven Machida to be invincible. He’s been knocked out before, and submitted and he’s coming off a disappointing and highly disputed loss to Phil Davis.
That, when coupled with the drop to a lower weight class, could mean Machida is out to make a statement. This would make things easier for Munoz if Machida wants to be the stalker in an attempt to prove himself a force to be reckoned with.
If Machida is aggressive, Munoz should, in theory, have more chances to make contact or catch him in transition from pursuing to striking. If he could snatch a takedown at those times, he could steal a round by implementing a heavy top-control strategy with controlled ground-and-pound.
There is a great deal of pressure on Machida in this fight to prove that a shot at the title is academic. While his decision to drop to middleweight doesn’t exactly equal a forced exodus from the land of 205, it does come with certain expectations.
UFC Fight Night 30 is the perfect time for Munoz to confound those expectations and remind everyone that the realities of the sport are far removed from paper.
Lyoto Machida didn’t want to disappoint the UFC.
The former light heavyweight champion has agreed to a middleweight bout against Mark Munoz, his training partner and friend, at UFC Fight Night 30.
Munoz, who was originally slated to f…
The former light heavyweight champion has agreed to a middleweight bout against Mark Munoz, his training partner and friend, at UFC Fight Night 30.
Munoz, who was originally slated to face Michael Bisping, was left without an opponent when an injury forced Bisping to pull out of the bout. Seeing as the loss of Bisping left a gaping hole in the main event, the UFC called for Machida to forgo his upcoming bout with Tim Kennedy and fight Munoz instead.
Machida accepted the fight after much consideration. During an interview with MMAFighting.com, he claimed his decision was based on furthering his position in the middleweight division and not upsetting the UFC:
I thought for a while about it (when UFC offered the change), but I didn’t want to disappoint and frustrate the UFC. The date wasn’t that bad. I was already training hard for my fight, so I decided to take it. They were both main events, but this is a better one because Mark Munoz is better ranked and it’s not a (Fight for the Troops) card.
In speaking with Bleacher Report’s Duane Finley, Mark Munoz admitted that he was surprised when Machida’s name came up as an opponent. The two were planning to train with one another for their upcoming fights, but Bisping’s injury threw a major monkey wrench in the UFC’s plans.
“It is kind of a crazy turn. I didn’t even know [Michael] Bisping was hurt, and then all of a sudden, I’m fighting Lyoto Machida in three weeks,” Munoz told Bleacher Report. “I’m down to fight anyone at any time, but I have to admit, the whole thing kind of surprised me because it all came in at the same time and was very last minute. But that is the nature of this game, and you have to be ready for anything.”
The notion of friends fighting has been a hot topic over the years in MMA.
It’s ludicrous to make a comparison between MMA and other sports in regards to the business-like nature of competition. Quite frankly, it’s asking a lot to try to convince someone to punch and elbow another human being whom they care deeply about.
While there is some relationship with Munoz, Machida’s bond with “The Filipino Wrecking Machine” isn’t nearly as strong as with Anderson Silva. The two MMA icons have vowed never to fight one another. During a Q&A Session with fans, via MMAFighting.com, Silva had even gone as far as threatening to retire from the sport if pressured into fighting Machida.
UFC president Dana White has grown increasingly agitated over fighters refusing to fight one another.
If anything, Machida’s decision to throw him a bone and take the fight with Munoz should call off the dogs at least for a little while.
The unpredictable nature of mixed martial arts is certainly something Mark Munoz is familiar with.
The former NCAA Div. I wrestling champion-turned-middleweight contender has experienced his fair share of twists and turns throughout his career, b…
The unpredictable nature of mixed martial arts is certainly something Mark Munoz is familiar with.
The former NCAA Div. I wrestling champion-turned-middleweight contender has experienced his fair share of twists and turns throughout his career, but enduring has become somewhat of his calling card.
After injury forced him to withdraw from a bout with Chael Sonnen in January of 2012, “The Filipino Wrecking Machine” went to the sidelines and had to let his hopes of a title shot simmer. Eager to get back into the mix, a rushed Munoz return to action resulted in a bigger setback, when he suffered a defeat at the hands of Chris Weidman at UFC on Fuel TV 4 six months later.
This series of events forced the Team Reign leader to take a cold, hard look at his fighting career, and the results of this process produced impressive results. The 35-year-old Southern Californian kicked off a career resurgence at UFC 162 in July, as he manhandled Tim Boetsch over the course of their three-round tilt.
Munoz’s performance and conditioning in his victory over “The Barbarian” not only earned him praise throughout the MMA community but also opened the doors to the opportunity to face perennially top-ranked middleweight Michael Bisping.
Fighting “The Count” was a moment Munoz had been waiting for, and due to the unpredictability of the sport, it will be a matchup he’ll have to find somewhere down the road.
An eye injury forced the brash Brit out of their Oct. 26 showdown in Manchester, England, and in his stead, the UFC tapped former light heavyweight champion-turned-middleweight Lyoto Machida to step in against Munoz.
When Munoz received word of the change-up, he was admittedly taken by surprise. But nevertheless, he’s as game as they come and vows to be ready for “The Dragon” in Manchester.
“It is kind of a crazy turn,” Munoz told Bleacher Report. “I didn’t even know [Michael] Bisping was hurt, and then all of a sudden, I’m fighting Lyoto Machida in three weeks. I’m down to fight anyone at any time, but I have to admit, the whole thing kind of surprised me because it all came in at the same time and was very last minute. But that is the nature of this game, and you have to be ready for anything.
“Lyoto and I were planning on training together soon because he was fighting Tim Kennedy and I was fighting Bisping, but my opponent got injured, Lyoto stepped in, and now we are going to fight. He is a friend of mine and we have trained together in the past, but that isn’t something I have a problem with. I’ve fought friends before and it’s nothing personal.
“Now, I’ll make the adjustments in training and preparing for his style to make sure I’m ready when I step into that cage,” he added. “It’s an abrupt turn, and Machida has an unorthodox style that is difficult to duplicate, but at the same time, he’s never faced anyone who fights the way I do either. It goes both ways in this situation. I only have three weeks to prepare for him, but he only has three weeks to prepare for me as well.”
In addition to putting his growing beef with Bisping on hold for the time being, Munoz also has to adjust to what a victory over his new opponent could yield. With Bisping consistently hovering in the upper tier of the division for years, defeating him would have propelled Munoz onto the title radar.
While Machida carries a high profile in the sport, their showdown in Manchester will be the Brazilian’s official middleweight debut. With Munoz having his sights set on getting to the 185-pound title, the obstacle ahead may produce a different path in the outcome, and he understands the road to his desired destination is not always clear-cut.
“[Bisping] is the fight that I’ve been training for and actually waiting for some time to get,” Munoz said. “Bisping has been in the top of the division for the majority of his career, and beating him puts me back into the title hunt. That’s where I want to be.”
“Lyoto is just coming down from light heavyweight and has never been in the division. He’s a big name, and a win over him has the potential to put me up there for a title shot, but a win over Bisping would have for sure put me back in it. A win over Machida would do wonders for my career, but at the same time, I have one goal in mind and that is to get that title. I want to get back up into that title mix.”
Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.
The belief was that the eye was healed and ready to go, but another setback happened to Bisping during training, while getting ready for Munoz, and he was forced to visit his doctor again where he was given the diagnosis.
According to Bisping’s management team at Paradigm Sports Management, who spoke to Bleacher Report on Friday evening, the British fighter already had the necessary corrective eye surgery on Thursday and will now begin his rest and rehabilitation.
Bisping is expected to have no contact whatsoever on the eye for the approximately the next three months, and then they hope he can return to full sparring and a fight in four to six months.
The timelines are obviously estimates based on the surgery and typical recovery time, but Bisping could potentially return sooner or later depending on how he heals up.”
Lyoto Machida, who was set to face Tim Kennedy less than two weeks after UFC Fight Night, at Fight for the Troops 3 on November 6th, has been tabbed to replace Bisping against Munoz. Kennedy is now left without an opponent, and has been doing his best on twitter to find a new one.
First, Kennedy, called out former middleweight champion Rich Franklin:
The belief was that the eye was healed and ready to go, but another setback happened to Bisping during training, while getting ready for Munoz, and he was forced to visit his doctor again where he was given the diagnosis.
According to Bisping’s management team at Paradigm Sports Management, who spoke to Bleacher Report on Friday evening, the British fighter already had the necessary corrective eye surgery on Thursday and will now begin his rest and rehabilitation.
Bisping is expected to have no contact whatsoever on the eye for the approximately the next three months, and then they hope he can return to full sparring and a fight in four to six months.
The timelines are obviously estimates based on the surgery and typical recovery time, but Bisping could potentially return sooner or later depending on how he heals up.”
Lyoto Machida, who was set to face Tim Kennedy less than two weeks after UFC Fight Night, at Fight for the Troops 3 on November 6th, has been tabbed to replace Bisping against Munoz. Kennedy is now left without an opponent, and has been doing his best on twitter to find a new one.
First, Kennedy, called out former middleweight champion Rich Franklin:
“Mr. @RichFranklin
I’m not sure if you have plans Nov 6th? I just got stood up on for a date, and now need someone else to step in… ,”Kennedy tweeted.
When we got no response from “Ace,” Kennedy went off on Chris Camozzi.
“Hey @ChrisCamozzi I think you have bad hair, and should fight me in defense if your stylist. (My best attempt at picking a fight),” Kennedy spit out on twitter.
Lorenz Larkin, who is currently scheduled to fight Camozzi at UFC Fight Night 31 might not like Kennedy trying to get in on his action but Camozzi seems fine with switching opponents.
“@TimKennedyMMA how dare you talk about my hair!!! That’s crossing the line bro! I’m always available,” Camozzi tweeted back at Kennedy.
Nothing official has been announced for Kennedy yet, ‘Taters, but we’ll let you know if his campaign of nasty trash talks snags him a new opponent.
The UFC is confirming that top British star, Michael “The Count” Bisping is unfortunately out of the upcoming UFC Fight Night 30 card in Manchester and will be replaced by former light heavyweight champion Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida. The news is a seri…
The UFC is confirming that top British star, Michael “The Count” Bisping is unfortunately out of the upcoming UFC Fight Night 30 card in Manchester and will be replaced by former light heavyweight champion Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida. The news is a serious hit to the card that was specifically tailored for British MMA fans.
ESPN’s Brett Okamoto relayed that Bisping was forced out due to an eye injury. He underwent surgery earlier this year due to a detached retina and will have to go back under the knife (figuratively, hopefully) on the same eye:
Bisping had surgery for detached retina this year. It’s the same eye. Dana sounded concerned. “Hopefully he gets through this thing.”
Bisping was originally scheduled to face resurgent middleweight Mark Munoz. Munoz spent almost a year away from the sport following a devastating knockout loss to Chris Weidman. He returned in July at UFC 162, and he took an easy decision win over Tim Boetsch.
Munoz, as stated, will now face off with LyotoMachida. Machida is making his middleweight debut after spending almost his entire career fighting at light heavyweight. Machida was in the thick of title contention, but a controversial unanimous decision loss to Phil Davis knocked him far away from another chance at the belt, prompting his willingness to change divisions.
Machida was previously scheduled to fight Strikeforce import Tim Kennedy in the main event of UFC Fight for the Troops 3 in November. The UFC does not yet have a replacement for Kennedy but are looking to keep him on the card.
The bout between Machida and Munoz will remain a five-round fight and will go down on October 26. Stick with Bleacher Report for more details relating to Bisping‘s condition and a replacement opponent for Kennedy as they become available.
Coming into his bout with Chris 
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