Did Lyoto Machida Expose The Gameplan To Defeat Chris Weidman At UFC 175?
This past weekend’s (July 5, 2014) UFC 175 main event between Chris Weidman and Lyoto Machida showed us several things about both top-ranked fighters.
It was a rousing battle that ultimately saw Weidman emerge with a hard-fought unanimous decision after dominating the first three rounds with his aggressiveness, power, and wrestling, and weathering a fourth round storm to return fire in an exciting conclusion to the bought.
Most thought that Machida, who had Weidman on the ropes with a vicious torrent of shots in the fourth, could have possibly finished the fight, as it appeared Weidman was gassed. And while he didn’t, he proved that Weidman was human by putting him in danger for the first time in the Octagon.
True, the Weidman is still undefeated, and he showed the heart of true champion by persevering through “The Dragon’s” onslaught to score another defining win. He’s now won three title fights in a row over Anderson Silva and Machida, something no other man will probably ever be able to say again.
Yet even in defeat, Machida may have laid out a gameplan to wrest the belt from the champion, and it could include much of the style that Weidman’s next contender, controversial No. 2-ranked Vitor Belfort, loves to implement in the cage. Machida took three rounds to find his timing and get going against Weidman, and that’s just not something “The Phenom” is going to do.
He loves to start fast and look for the headhunting knockout as early as possible, evident by his destructive 2013 where he put Michael Bisping, Luke Rockhold, and Dan Henderson down with highlight reel headkicks. While that’s not a likely outcome when he faces Weidman, Belfort has shown the ability to end any opponent’s night with an aggressive blitz of insanely fast and powerful strikes.
No one has really taken the fight to Weidman like Belfort is capable of. When Machida did, he was successful. But he relied on his counterstriking style in the end, and that cost him.
Of course there’s always the looming specter of testosterone-replacement therapy (TRT) hanging over “The Phenom’s” head, and he’s far from getting licensed by the NSAC after testing positive for rather high levels of testosterone back in February. Even if he does get licensed, there are going to be many questions about the 36-year-old Belfort’s effectiveness without his beloved therapy.
It won’t be an easy fight against Weidman. The young titleholder is undoubtedly one of the most well rounded prospects to come into MMA for years, and he rose to the rank of champion in an insanely quick amount of time. He can finish a fight standing or on the mat, and his wrestling base will always give any opponent problems.
But the problem with fighting in a top-level championship fight every time out is that your flaws are on display, and Weidman was in trouble last Saturday. It’s clear that his striking technicality and defense could improve if he’s going to have a long title run in a tough division.
He makes up for those holes with aggression and power, but if Belfort can’t capitalize where Machida couldn’t, perhaps Luke Rockhold or Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza will.
With Weidman facing a lengthy stay on the sidelines thanks to a long list of injuries, he’ll have time to take a look at the things he needs to work on. Again, it’s tough to criticize a champion who has accomplished what he has in the past year, but the road just isn’t going to get any easier for him. Will he continue to prove his doubters wrong with an illustrious title reign?
Photo: Stephen R. Sylvanie for USA TODAY Sports
