Now, Machida is saying that he has accepted a fight with Belfort and is using the “Phenom’s” own words to embarrass Vitor. “I’ve accepted the fight,” Machida recently told Globo.com, at least that’s what google translate tells us.
“And [I am] sure Vitor Belfort will accept, because, as he said, your son does not run from a fight.”
Ok, so here’s what that last part is about. Last year, when Jon Jones needed a last-minute replacement fight after Dan Henderson and Chael Sonnen had conspired against him and all of humanity, Machida was offered the title shot. He turned it down.
Something about needing more time to prepare to get choked out again, if we recall correctly. When Vitor Belfort accepted the fight against Jones, he seemed to passively aggressively put down Machida.
“As a real Brazilian, as the [Brazilian National Anthem] says, ‘you will see that your son does not run from a fight.'”
Nicely played, Lyoto. That’s the type of acerbic wit that can only be sharpened by bitterness from losing decisions and having to drink a glass of urine each morning.
Do you think Vitor will accept the Machida fight and take him on in Brazil, taters? And, do you think Belfort will manage to pull Machida out of his shy shell and make the former dominant champ scrap?
Now, Machida is saying that he has accepted a fight with Belfort and is using the “Phenom’s” own words to embarrass Vitor. “I’ve accepted the fight,” Machida recently told Globo.com, at least that’s what google translate tells us.
“And [I am] sure Vitor Belfort will accept, because, as he said, your son does not run from a fight.”
Ok, so here’s what that last part is about. Last year, when Jon Jones needed a last-minute replacement fight after Dan Henderson and Chael Sonnen had conspired against him and all of humanity, Machida was offered the title shot. He turned it down.
Something about needing more time to prepare to get choked out again, if we recall correctly. When Vitor Belfort accepted the fight against Jones, he seemed to passively aggressively put down Machida.
“As a real Brazilian, as the [Brazilian National Anthem] says, ‘you will see that your son does not run from a fight.’”
Nicely played, Lyoto. That’s the type of acerbic wit that can only be sharpened by bitterness from losing decisions and having to drink a glass of urine each morning.
Do you think Vitor will accept the Machida fight and take him on in Brazil, taters? And, do you think Belfort will manage to pull Machida out of his shy shell and make the former dominant champ scrap?
What is the UFC going to do with Lyoto Machida?
In less than two week’s time, UFC President Dana White has spoken publicly about two fights he would like to see the former light heavyweight champion in, but neither matchup seems to be gaining any real …
In less than two week’s time, UFC President Dana White has spoken publicly about two fights he would like to see the former light heavyweight champion in, but neither matchup seems to be gaining any real traction.
Potential fights with heavy-handed knockout artist Vitor Belfort and mercurial welterweight Nick Diaz have both been put on the table, with neither “The Phenom” or the Stockton, California representative accepting the matchup at the current time.
White told Ariel Helwani on UFC Tonightthat a potential bout with Belfort could take place at light heavyweight, middleweight or at an agreed catchweight limit. After a fight with Belfort appeared to be a “no go,” White changed directions and told MMA Fighting a bout with Machida had been officially offered to the Team Cesar Gracie fighter.
While both fights would be exciting tilts for the UFC fanbase, the fact the UFC can’t find a viable option or division for Machida to compete in speaks volumes toward the current dilemma the company faces when dealing with “The Dragon.”
A bout with Belfort would hold little bearing on a title shot at either the light heavyweight or middleweight division, where a matchup with Diaz would span a 30-pound gap as the 205-pound Machida would face the former Strikeforce welterweight champion in Diaz.
There is little question as to the 35-year-old Brazilian being one of the elite light heavyweights on the UFC roster, but after his recent loss to Phil Davis at UFC 163, any traction he had in the 205-pound title race has been lost. Granted, the judge’s decision in the Davis fight was questionable and controversial, but the fact remains that Machida will be out of title contention in the light heavyweight race for the foreseeable future.
If Machida got the nod against Davis at UFC 163, he would have been in the thick of the title hunt in his home division, but with his second loss in a four-fight stretch on the books, the Team Black House fighter will now drift into limbo until his next step is determined.
This current situation is undoubtedly a curious turn for the former champion as just three years back he was the undisputed, and undefeated, holder of the most coveted crown under the UFC roster. Yet, since losing his title to Mauricio “Shogun” Rua at UFC 113 back in 2010, one of the best strikers in mixed martial arts has hovered at the .500 mark, going 3-3 in his bouts since being dethroned by Rua.
In addition to his current weight class dilemma, Machida hasn’t exactly been held in the best light with the company he competes for. He’s drawn the UFC head honcho’s ire on multiple occasions spanning from his talk of “Anderson Silva money” to face Rashad Evans at UFC 133, to his turning down the offer of a title shot rematch with Jon Jones at UFC 152.
This is a perfect storm of misfortune as Machida is in a place now where he is seemingly a “man without a country.” While he is one of the fight game’s most complex riddles inside the cage, the next step in his career is also turning into a difficult puzzle to solve as well.
With friend and teammate Anderson Silva still hovering at the top of the middleweight division, a full commitment from Machida to drop to 185 pounds remains highly unlikely. Yet, without a title to chase at 205-pounds, there isn’t exactly a clear path for him to travel in his current division.
That leaves waiting as the only option for Machida at this current juncture, and in the fast-paced world of mixed martial arts, time can be one of the most pressing challenges a fighter faces.
“I talked to Diaz today, and I made him an offer, so we’ll see what happens,” White said. “He had been talking about going to 185 pounds. [Lyoto] Machida has been talking about going to 185 pounds. So we wanted to see if he wanted to fight Machida at 185…They said they’d get back to me.”
“I talked to Diaz today, and I made him an offer, so we’ll see what happens,” White said. “He had been talking about going to 185 pounds. [Lyoto] Machida has been talking about going to 185 pounds. So we wanted to see if he wanted to fight Machida at 185…They said they’d get back to me.”
“I wanted Machida to fight Vitor Belfort, but Vitor Belfort is his own matchmaker, apparently,” White joked. “He wants to make his own fights.”
Wow. Diaz vs. Machida…interesting. You might even call it “kind of neat.” At first glance, a longtime welterweight fighting a longtime light-heavyweight might seem like the kind of freak-show fight best suited for a batshit regional promotion that doesn’t have a reputation to protect. But if you look at the tale of the tape, the matchup isn’t as crazy as it sounds. Diaz is 6’0″ with a 76″ reach, while Machida is 6’1″ with a 74″ reach. Plus, Diaz has had experience fighting above welterweight, winning catchweight bouts against Frank Shamrock and Scott Smith during his Strikeforce run, while Machida would be dropping below 205 for the first time.
The biggest problem with the matchup has to do with styles. If there’s anything that Diaz and his crew hate, it’s motherfuckers who play that slip and run game. Machida’s entire game-plan is based on being evasive, and baiting his opponents into charging at him. In other words, the fight is custom-designed to frustrate the hell out of Diaz. Maybe Nick and his manager Cesar Gracie will recognize this and turn the fight down; maybe the lure of another marquee UFC fight will be too much to resist. Would you want to see it?
(“Alright, enough horsing around. Your mother spent all day making this stew and I’ll be damned if we’re not going to eat it.”)
Times have been tough for Lyoto Machida since the era bearing his name came to a screeching halt at UFC 113. The once seemingly invincible/untouchable Brazilian has dropped 4 of his past 7 fights, including a split decision loss to Phil Davis at UFC 163 that sucked as much as we all knew it would. The fact that “The Dragon” has been forced to drink the urine of complete strangers just to survive says more about his dire situation than anything else, really.
On the other side of the coin, fellow Brazilian and occasional training partner of Machida, Vitor Belfort, has seen a career resurgence as of late, knocking out Michael Bisping and Luke Rockhold in back-to-back contests. And while it’s rare to see a fighter coming off a loss paired against one coming off a win, that’s exactly what Dana White has in mind. The Baldfather recently told Ariel Helwani, who in turn relayed the message on MMA Tonight, that he “loved” the idea of seeing a Machida vs. Belfort co-main event at UFC 167, which goes down in Vegas on November 16th. Here’s the catch: The fight would be held at middleweight.
Given Belfort’s recent refusal to fight anyone (looking at you, Tim) at 185 unless it’s for a title shot, this seems like wishful thinking on White’s part. There’s also the fact that Lyoto has never fought below 205, although he has stated in the past that he would be willing to make the cut for the right fight. On top of all that, Belfort has already called out Chael Sonnen and would stand next to no chance of getting licensed in Vegas with a TRT exemption. So yeah, expect Belfort to shoot this matchup down any. second. now.
(“Alright, enough horsing around. Your mother spent all day making this stew and I’ll be damned if we’re not going to eat it.”)
Times have been tough for Lyoto Machida since the era bearing his name came to a screeching halt at UFC 113. The once seemingly invincible/untouchable Brazilian has dropped 4 of his past 7 fights, including a split decision loss to Phil Davis at UFC 163 that sucked as much as we all knew it would. The fact that “The Dragon” has been forced to drink the urine of complete strangers just to survive says more about his dire situation than anything else, really.
On the other side of the coin, fellow Brazilian and occasional training partner of Machida, Vitor Belfort, has seen a career resurgence as of late, knocking out Michael Bisping and Luke Rockhold in back-to-back contests. And while it’s rare to see a fighter coming off a loss paired against one coming off a win, that’s exactly what Dana White has in mind. The Baldfather recently told Ariel Helwani, who in turn relayed the message on MMA Tonight, that he “loved” the idea of seeing a Machida vs. Belfort co-main event at UFC 167, which goes down in Vegas on November 16th. Here’s the catch: The fight would be held at middleweight.
Given Belfort’s recent refusal to fight anyone (looking at you, Tim) at 185 unless it’s for a title shot, this seems like wishful thinking on White’s part. There’s also the fact that Lyoto has never fought below 205, although he has stated in the past that he would be willing to make the cut for the right fight. On top of all that, Belfort has already called out Chael Sonnen and would stand next to no chance of getting licensed in Vegas with a TRT exemption. So yeah, expect Belfort to shoot this matchup down any. second. now.
Then again, Combate is reporting that Belfort vs. Machida could be in the works for the November 9th-scheduled “Fight Night 26″ card in Brazil, so who the f*ck really knows.
If there was ever a time for Machida to drop a weight class to save his career, it’s now. But what do you think, Potato Nation? Would you like to see Belfort vs. Machida at 185? 190? Franklinweight? Or should Belfort just continue pissing off Dana White for the sake of our amusement?
Looks like perennial 185-pound contender Vitor Belfort has finally found a fight that peaks his interest, outside of a middleweight title bout.
“The Phenom” is currently in negotiations to fight another ex-UFC light heavyweight champion, Lyoto Ma…
Looks like perennial 185-pound contender VitorBelfort has finally found a fight that peaks his interest, outside of a middleweight title bout.
“The Phenom” is currently in negotiations to fight another ex-UFC light heavyweight champion, LyotoMachida, at a November 9 event set to take place in Goiania, Brazil, according to Globo’s Combate.com (via Bloody Elbow).
The report comes roughly two weeks after Belfort‘s manager/wife, Joana Prado, said the hard-hitting Brazilian wasn’t making the cut to middleweight unless the title was on the line (via MMA Junkie).
However, Belfort remained open to light heavyweight, heavyweight or catchweight match ups, as it looks like a potential showdown with ChaelSonnen fell on deaf ears (via MMA Mania).
Belfort is 4-1 in his past five fights, with his sole loss coming on a short-notice 205-pound title fight against Jon Jones at UFC 152 in September.
He could face an interesting challenger in LyotoMachida, who defeated two high-ranked opponents in Ryan Bader and Dan Henderson decisively after getting soundly beat by Jones at UFC 140 in December 2011.
“The Dragon” looked to be on the short list of title contenders with a win over Phil Davis at UFC 163 earlier this month, however, Davis won a highly-debated unanimous decision.
While Davis did score late takedowns in the first two rounds, showcasing improved striking, Machida landed the harder strikes and defended eight other takedowns throughout the contest.
The majority of MMA media outlets scored the fight for Machida, most of which scoring the contest 30-27 in his favor, with FightMetric supporting the notion that Davis should’ve come up short.
While his unofficial scorecard, of course, has no impact on the outcome of any given bout, UFC President Dana Whitesupported the notion that Machida won all three rounds of the contest.
Should this light heavyweight tilt come to fruition, it would be Belfort‘s third straight Octagon appearance in front of his Brazilian home crowd.
This would inevitably draw a lot of negative feedback from fans as the 36-year-old fight veteran is a known user of testosterone replacement therapy.
According to the UFC’s official rankings, Belfort and Machida are ranked number 2 in their respective weight classes.
JohnHeinis is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA Editor for eDraft.com.
Phil Davis believes Lyoto Machida’s willingness to play with fire caused him to get burned by the judges at UFC 163.
A chorus of boos echoed throughout the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil as all three judges scored the fight 29-28 for Davis….
Phil Davis believes LyotoMachida’s willingness to play with fire caused him to get burned by the judges at UFC 163.
A chorus of boos echoed throughout the HSBC Arena in Rio deJaneiro, Brazil as all three judges scored the fight 29-28 for Davis. Machida, who was obviously upset with the decision, told MMAFighting’s Ariel Helwani in a post-fight interview that he wanted an immediate rematch.
Unfortunately for Machida, MMA fans in general aren’t overly enthusiastic about a second fight and neither is Davis.
Following his controversial decision victory, Davis made an appearance on The MMA Hour, where he pointed the finger directly at Machida for the fight ending the way that it did:
“You’re not the first person who wants a rematch. You fight every fight like this. You fight close fights. Name one fight that he didn’t finish where he beat the crap out of somebody. You live by that sword, you die by that sword. When you habitually leave it to the judges, that strategy will fail you. I can’t say it any other way.”
Machida, who is usually regarded as the most elusive fighter in UFC history, tends to wait around on the outside for opportunities to counter. His overly patient fighting style typically causes opponents to become frustrated and push forward recklessly, which opens up opportunities for him to land effectively.
Fighters like Davis haven’t necessarily solved the puzzle of Machida’s perplexing fighting techniques, but they have certainly adopted a blueprint for the best way to approach the Karate-based style.
Davis stood his ground and avoided chasing after Machida. He was able to tip the fight in his favor by avoiding elongated combinations and sticking with simple strikes and well-timed takedowns.
The first round appears to be the primary topic of debate regarding the bout. A late flurry of punches by Machida and a takedown by Davis were the only significant moments in that round.
Machida has become his own worst enemy in a way. All of the precious time he allows to tick away off the clock is time needed to make a definitive impression on the judges.
As Davis puts it, it’s hard to overcome a takedown in the last minute of a round, especially if you’ve been dancing around for the other four minutes:
“Machida has this style where he’ll wait until the last minute and a half of a round and then he’ll explode with a flurry and then he’ll evade, evade, evade. If you get taken down during that minute and a half time span, yeah you’re screwed, that’s it. I’m sorry he lost that round. That’s the way the game is played. To say a takedown shouldn’t decide who wins a round, well okay, then one flurry shouldn’t decide who won the round. Take away that one flurry. Who won that round?”
Unless Machida finishes a fight, controversy seems to follow him wherever he goes.
Instead of pointing the finger at bad judging, perhaps Machida needs to reassess his fighting style. He should be thankful to some degree that he isn’t on a two-fight losing streak. Many believe he was gifted a split decision over Dan Henderson back in February.
It’s hard to believe that it has only been three years since Machida lost his first fight, and since then, his UFC record is a shocking 3-4. Something has to change if Machida ever hopes to climb back into title contention.
Davis’ win proves that slaying “The Dragon” may be a monumental task, but with the right game plan, it is far from impossible.
JordyMcElroy is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA Writer for Rocktagon Worldwide.
What is the UFC going to do with 
