#5
Lyoto Machida
“The Dragon”
Summary: Karate
Fighter Info
Nickname: | The Dragon |
From: | Salvador Brazil |
Fights Out Of: | Belem Brazil |
Age: | 32 |
Height: | 6' 1" ( 185 cm ) |
Weight: | 205 lb ( 93 kg ) |
Machida made his UFC debut on the preliminary card of UFC 67 against Sam Hoger and won by unanimous decision. He followed up with a main-card debut at UFC 70 and won a unanimous decision against David Heath. He next faced judo practitioner and Pride Fighting Championship veteran Kazuhiro Nakamura at UFC 76. Machida won by unanimous decision and Nakamura would later test positive for marijuana.[14]
At UFC 79, Machida faced the highly touted Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou, a judo practitioner who was making his UFC debut after two quick upset victories over Pride veterans Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and Ricardo Arona. He scored the first stoppage of his UFC career by submitting Sokoudjou with an arm triangle choke in the second round.
Machida's next fight was at UFC 84, facing former UFC light-heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz in what would be Ortiz's final UFC appearance before a long-standing dispute with Dana White led to Ortiz being out of a UFC contract for over a year. Machida frustrated Ortiz with lateral movement and counterstriking while successfully defending against the former champion's takedowns. In the closing minute of the first round Ortiz got Machida in a clinch, but Machida took Ortiz down, moved to side control, and had Ortiz in a modified crucifix position and began to punch Ortiz's unprotected face. In the final seconds of the third round, Machida landed a flying knee to the body of Ortiz and knocked him to the mat. As Machida moved in to finish the fight, Ortiz almost locked in a triangle choke before transitioning to an armbar attempt.[15] Machida managed to escape and win a unanimous decision, and all three judges scored the fight 30–27 in his favor.[16]
Machida was originally scheduled to fight fellow undefeated Brazilian Thiago Silva at UFC 89 in Birmingham, England, however, the bout was postponed due to a back injury sustained by Silva. The fight ultimately took place at UFC 94. After scoring several trips and knockdowns, Machida managed to knock out the grounded Silva in the final second of the first round.[17] Machida's first UFC knockout earned Knockout of the Night Honors and a $65,000 bonus. In June 2009, Lyoto Machida was nominated for the 2009 ESPYS "Best Fighter" category, along with Anderson Silva, Manny Pacquiao, and Shane Mosley.[18] However, Machida did not gain enough votes and the award was won instead by pro boxer Manny Pacquiao.[19]
Machida met then light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans in another clash of undefeated fighters at UFC 98. Machida scored an early knockdown in the first-round, while Evans struggled to make any progress. In the second-round, Evans experienced a flurry of accurate punches by Machida rendering him unconscious before hitting the canvas. Machida was subsequently crowned the new UFC Light Heavyweight Champion; his performance earning him Knockout of the Night Honors with a $60,000 bonus for the second time in as many fights.[20] This victory continued his undefeated streak in his MMA career and was also Evans' first career loss.
Machida was set to face Quinton Jackson in his first title defense, but Jackson opted to coach the tenth season of The Ultimate Fighter instead and then face fellow coach Rashad Evans. Pride Fighting Championship's 2005 Middleweight Grand Prix winner Mauricio "Shogun" Rua was then selected as Machida's first title defense[21] which took place on October 24, 2009, at UFC 104, with Machida winning a unanimous decision victory, 48–47 from all three judges, with one stating that Machida "landed the more damaging strikes throughout the fight" and was the more "effective aggressor".[22]
Out of the three judges, Hamilton gave Machida Rounds 2, 3 and 4. Peoples and Rosales each gave Machida the first three rounds. One of the judges (Nelson Hamilton) later commented in a post-fight interview that his line of sight was obstructed for much of the action in Round 4, and that after reviewing footage of the round, he likely would have scored the round to Rua. However, since the verdict was unanimous, retroactively changing the score for this judge would still have resulted in a 2–1 split decision in favor of Machida. Hamilton also commented that he felt the commentary had led many fans to believe Shogun had won the fight decisively, when it was a very close, technical and difficult fight to score for all three judges. In spite of this, a significant amount of the audience, who had not heard the commentary, booed the decision after it was delivered, voicing their support for Rua. Writers for a number of sports websites/magazines also claimed they felt Rua had won.[23] [24]
There were also MMA fighters in attendance who, after the bout, voiced support for the decision. Among them were Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira, Anderson Silva,[25] Junior dos Santos, Jose Aldo and Rafael Cavalcante, however it should be noted that several of the aforementioned fighters are members of Black House Gym and train with Lyoto.
A Fightmetric analysis of the fight suggested that Rua had been more aggressive and had landed more blows to the head and legs than Machida,[26] while CompuStrike reported that Rua landed almost twice as many strikes as Machida did. Both Fightmetric and CompuStrike explicitly state on their websites that they are not intended to be used to judge MMA events, and are merely a way to track a fighter's activity.[27]
Because of the controversy surrounding the close decision, on May 8, 2010, at UFC 113 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, Machida and Mauricio Rua faced each other again, seven months after their original fight. It was a very much anticipated rematch. Both fighters started aggressively and scored significant points in striking exchanges, with Machida scoring two takedowns during the round. Rua showed strong defense on the ground, spinning to attempt a knee bar before both fighters returned to their feet. At 3:30 of round 1, Rua swayed to avoid a hook left and landed a powerful counter overhand right to the temple, which knocked Machida down. Rua then took the full mount and proceeded to finish with ground-and-pound knocking out Machida, making him the new Light Heavyweight Champion at 3:35 in round 1,[28] while Machida suffered his first career MMA loss.
Machida then faced Quinton Jackson at UFC 123. The decision in this fight ultimately came down to the scoring of the first round, as there is near-unanimous agreement that Rampage narrowly won the second round while Machida won the third, and most dominant round of the fight.
During the first round Machida landed several leg kicks and some counter punches while Rampage predominantly landed from the clinch, utilizing stomps and punches to Machida's side. Both Compustrike [29] and Fightmetric[30] records show that Rampage out-struck Machida when counting small blows such as stomps and elbows to the thigh in the clinch, while Machida landing more significant strikes during the standup exchanges. In the second round, Compustrike and Fightmetric records again show Rampage as the busier overall fighter, and Rampage also scored a takedown. The cleanest and most significant blow of the second round was also an uppercut landed by Rampage.
In the third round, Machida landed a counter left that stunned Rampage and followed it with a flurry of punches, kicks and knees that backed Quinton into the cage. When Rampage tried to retaliate, Machida scored a takedown, eventually gaining full mount and attempting several submissions.
At the end of the final round, Rampage was declared the winner via split decision (29–28, 29–28, 28–29). In interview after the fight, Rampage expressed to Joe Rogan that the fairest thing would be to offer Machida an immediate rematch. However, since UFC President Dana White personally felt that Rampage won the fight, he denied the possibility of an immediate rematch. This has generated some controversy, as UFC President White previously awarded an immediate rematch to Mauricio "Shogun" Rua in spite of a unanimous judgment decision awarded to Machida in that fight.[31]
UFC President Dana White had indicated in January 2011 that Machida was under pressure to perform in his upcoming bout against UFC Hall-of-Famer Randy Couture, saying, "this is a must-win for him.".[32] Machida defeated Randy Couture at UFC 129 in Toronto via KO with a jumping front kick that earned Knockout of the Night honors and bore a distinct resemblance to the Crane kick demonstrated by the title character in The Karate Kid.[33] The finishing move led commentator Mike Goldberg to remark "That is the karate kid", with fellow commentator Joe Rogan remarking "That's the Crane technique. No can defend".[34]
Machida uses a unique, unorthodox style in MMA that combines elements from his diverse training background to make it as suitable for the sport as possible. Machida has received both praise and criticism for back-peddling in his fights while winning on points. It is based mainly on Shotokan karate and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, but also integrates techniques from wrestling and Sumo[35] which Machida says makes him "fully prepared for any situation" in the Octagon. Often described as "elusive," Machida relies on cautious and precise counter-striking that frustrates his opponents into making mistakes.[36][37][38] Machida has earned considerable respect from MMA fans, fighters, and commentators for his effectiveness and winning ways.[39][40][41] At the same time, his cerebral and conservative style is sometimes deemed boring and unsatisfying to watch.[37][39][42][43] Machida has drawn fire from fans,[44][45] and criticism from MMA commentators[46][47] for his limited aggression and many decision victories. In response to these criticisms, Machida said, "If you don't like it, sorry. I always try to win."[48] He also stated that he believes fans are coming to appreciate the efficiency of his style just like they came to appreciate Royce Gracie's jiu-jitsu.[43]
Machida defied expectations at UFC 94,[45][49] where he earned a "Knockout of the Night" honor for his first-round stoppage of then undefeated Thiago Silva. Machida noted that he started to include weight training in his preparation for the bout. Commentators hailed the knockout as a step in the right direction toward building interest in him as a potential champion. In addition, Machida showcased his improved English skills during interviews for the event, which gave him the ability to connect with fans more easily.[50] Machida's limited English was previously seen as a marketing liability.[51][52][53] After knocking out Rashad Evans at UFC 98, in the post fight in-ring interview with Joe Rogan, Machida announced to his fans, "Karate is back! Machida Karate!" Many fans referred to his style as "Machida Karate" since then.
In the November issue of the MMA Unltd magazine, Machida once again mentioned the phrase "Machida Karate", claiming that it was based on a very traditional form which is very different from modern sports karate. He also said that the Karate we see nowadays has lost many techniques over the years in which it was practiced, and that his style was one of the very few that still kept those techniques. "My style is Machida Karate and it is a very traditional form", he said, "It differs from sports karate which we usually see in Karate schools and competitions as it has many elements which were lost in the style including the use of knees, elbows, takedowns and even some submissions".
