Return of the Dragon: Will UFC on Fox 4 be Lyoto Machida’s time to shine?
With the stakes for this Saturday’s UFC on Fox 4 well-known by now, Light Heavyweight challenger Lyoto Machida is not looking past his opponent Ryan Bader. He knows that the fighter who wins in the most impressive fashion on Saturday will find himself fighting against the winner of UFC 151’s Jones vs. Henderson title bout. That title shot is his goal, but he is wise to not look past any fighter towards the top of the UFC ranks. No stranger to title fights, Machida was the first man to tag Jon Jones with a clean shot, winning the first round before losing in the second by submission. He put his intentions simply, speaking to MMAJunkie.com:
“For sure I’d like to fight for the title again, but for now, my title (fight) is Ryan Bader. You have to go slowly, I have my goal, and I chase my goals. But I keep my spirit here, my technique, and if it happens again one day, I’ll be ready for that. Wrestlers always make challenges for me, but I think my style is good for this fight and for Ryan Bader. He has a heavy right hand, but he doesn’t have anything special. He’s a normal fighter, but for sure, he’s dangerous.”
Machida appears calm and confident heading into his August 4th bout. With a 1-3 record in his last four fights after starting out a remarkable 16-0, he needs a win. He has always exhibited good wrestling defense for a fighter with a karate-based style, beating known MMA wrestlers like Tito Ortiz and Rashad Evans. I think that his takedown defense coupled with his elusive karate will show Ryan Bader a new dynamic of fighter that he has not faced before. Bader systematically destroyed Rampage Jackson in Japan last February, but Rampage appeared out of shape and showed nowhere near the amount of movement that Machida will present. Like Machida said, Bader is a good wrestler with a powerful right hand, but he doesn’t present anything that Machida has not seen before. I see “The Dragon” picking apart the less multi-dimensional Bader to win a clear-cut decision.
While Lyoto Machida is smart not to look forward to the perceived title shot, I wonder if he will win impressively enough to gain that shot Saturday. I think he will perform very well, but should Shogun Rua come out guns blazing and destroy Brandon Vera, or vice versa, Dana White will assuredly grant Rua the rematch with one of the combatants in UFC 151’s main event. Bader will be tough to knock out, but Machida does have the potential to do so. Were he to fight Jon Jones again, would the end result be any different? I find it hard to believe that Machida would improve enough over Jones to beat the surging, seemingly unstoppable young champion. Could he defeat Dan Henderson? It would definitely be an interesting matchup. Expect Machida to win Saturday, but will Machida find himself back in the title picture anytime soon? While all four of the main Light Heayweights fighting Saturday are great, they have all been finished by the current champ Jones. How will Saturday’s card change the Light Heavyweight landscape, or is Jon Jones simply too good for much of a shake-up to occur?
With the stakes for this Saturday’s UFC on Fox 4 well-known by now, Light Heavyweight challenger Lyoto Machida is not looking past his opponent Ryan Bader. He knows that the fighter who wins in the most impressive fashion on Saturday will find himself fighting against the winner of UFC 151’s Jones vs. Henderson bout. That title shot is his goal, but he is wise to not look past any fighter towards the top of the UFC ranks. No stranger to title fights, Machida was the first man to tag Jon Jones with a clean shot, winning the first round before losing in the second by submission. He put his intentions simply, speaking to MMAJunkie.com:
“For sure I’d like to fight for the title again, but for now, my title (fight) is Ryan Bader. You have to go slowly, I have my goal, and I chase my goals. But I keep my spirit here, my technique, and if it happens again one day, I’ll be ready for that. Wrestlers always make challenges for me, but I think my style is good for this fight and for Ryan Bader. He has a heavy right hand, but he doesn’t have anything special. He’s a normal fighter, but for sure, he’s dangerous.”
Machida appears calm and confident heading into his August 4th bout. He has always exhibited good wrestling defense for a fighter with a karate-based style, beating known MMA wrestlers like Tito Ortiz and Rashad Evans. I think that his takedown defense coupled with his elusive karate will show Ryan Bader a new dynamic of fighter that he has not faced before. Bader systematically destroyed Rampage Jackson in Japan last February, but Rampage appeared out of shape and showed nowhere near the amount of movement that Machida will present. Like Machida said, Bader is a good wrestler with a powerful right hand, but he doesn’t present anything that Machida has not seen before. I see “The Dragon” picking apart the less multi-dimensional Bader to win a clear-cut decision.
While Lyoto Machida is wise not to look forward to the perceived title shot, I wonder if he will win impressively enough to gain that shot Saturday. I think he will perform very well, but should Shogun Rua come out guns blazing and destroy Brandon Vera, Dana White will assuredly grant Rua the rematch with the combatants in UFC 151’s main event. Bader will be tough to knock out, but Machida does have the potential to do so. Were he to fight Jon Jones again, would the end result be any different? I find it hard to believe that Machida would improve enough over Jones to beat the surging, seemingly unstoppable young champion. Could he defeat Dan Henderson? It would definitely be an interesting matchup. Expect Machida to win Saturday, but will Machida find himself back in the title picture anytime soon? How will Saturday’s card change the Light Heavyweight landscape, or is Jon Jones simply too good for much of a shake-up to occur?
