For some time fighters tried in vain to unravel the Lyoto Machida bigger picture. Now it is Machida's turn to try to solve his own puzzle - 205-pound wunderkind Jon Jones. This fight is any prime example of precisely how quickly a fighter's investment can soar or sour inside the eyes of pundits and fans (Jones' profession doing the soaring as well as Machida's doing the souring, relatively speaking of program). It is educational which Machida enters this contest as a heavy underdog. Only two years before the real-life Karate Kid was UFC champ along with unbeaten. People were raving in relation to "The Machida Era" - in addition to I didn't object. Only the experts who had christened Machida had been quickly dispelled. After a 16-0 begin, the fight game's most perplexing riddle dropped a pair of of his past several bouts (to Mauricio "Shogun" Rua along with Quinton "Rampage" Jackson).
So you don't must spend much time scratching your head about why Machida enters the UFC 140 title matchup being a sizable underdog (though not nearly as big an underdog as Shiny Serra was four rice when he knocked out Georges St-Pierre and received the welterweight world title). Jones - already crowned 2011 Fighter in the Year at the Globe MMA Awards - currently represents an aura involving untouchability and unstoppability which Machida himself exuded a little while ago. Jones is 14-1, though that single pimple is incredibly misleading (his or her lone loss came via disqualification for illegal elbows in the bout that saw Jones manhandling Matt Hamill. It was a beatdown therefore memorable it had the power to send shudders by means of future opponents, making them think twice about signing to fight Jon Jones).
Jones, a New York ancient, has never come near to losing a fight and possesses never encountered even much as a three-second slice of your fight that didn't attribute him essentially toying with his prey. In one regard, Jones' domination reminds me personally of Mike Tyson previous to his 21st birthday: The only suspense that arises in the Jon Jones fight involves how much time the other guy may survive. "Who wants it more? " and "Who's gonna win? " are NOT questions you been curious about while watching Tyson within his short-lived prime. And they are not questions you contemplate during a Jon Jones deal with.
And yet, mindful of the landmines that lurk after you underestimate an opponent, Jones has called Machida their most dangerous foe thus far. I don't think it's lip-service; I think the champ is sincere - and he's absolutely right. An UFC.com online poll was recently conducted which asked visitors, "How long will Jon Jones reign as champ?" The results surprised me. 31% said at least another year. 15% said at least three more years. 11% said at least five more years.
43% of voters picked Machida to dethrone Jones this particular Saturday in Toronto.
Now, the polls are certainly not scientifically conducted here, meaning one person that has a computer could vote 10 times as long as they wanted to (false with a scientific poll). And I suspect that this raging nationalism and commitment of Brazilian fans is pushing the needle a lot. But perhaps fans are also acknowledging that Machida is probably the only man in the 205-pound division who is able to match Jones' unorthodox tendencies in reference to his own equally unorthodox behaviors. Unorthodox usually means unknown, and unpredictable means the chances of "anything can happen" shoot way up. Make no mistake, these are the a couple of kings of unorthodox from the UFC.
An esteemed colleague of mine, Jon Anik, also conducted an casual survey among his twenty five, 000 or so lovers on Twitter. Anik posed the query: Who is the 205er ideal equipped to beat Jon Jones?
The responses: Rashad Evans (34%); Lyoto Machida (24%); Dan Henderson (20%); Phil Davis (16%), etc.
And hey, just for some further ammunition in Lyoto's prefer, Machida and Jones were pitted against one another on the UFC Undisputed 3 computer game. The results: Jones triumphed 18 times, Machida won 7. But, as Chael Sonnen would certainly say, "we're going to find out" who the better man is. Titles aren't won or defended in writing, or by reporter conundrums, or online fan content, or polls, or video games. Lest we forget, Rashad Evans is one heck of any fighter. 21 wins. And the only man to beat Rashad Evans is .. Lyoto Machida. So Machida, a former UFC samsung champ c3300k, has been here before. He knows what it is like to hold the UFC gentle heavyweight title, which, if ever there has been a hot potato between UFC belts, the 205-pound belt can it be.
I'm very much awaiting this fight. And it wouldn't surprise me to see Machida pull the annoyed. But my guess is the challenger must come in to the Octagon with a number of new surprises, something nobody has ever seen before (something like the front kick in which TKO'd Randy Couture throughout his last fight, knocking out an entrance tooth). It will take a few new tricks to defeat the superior athleticism connected with Jones and his huge reach advantage (Jones' wingspan is really a whopping 84. 5 inches versus 74" with regard to Lyoto. And that reach advantage is obviously key for Jones because it allows him to be in range to hit and kick - without having to be in range to be hit and kicked through the other guy).
MIR VS. BIG NOG
Both of these fellas, both victims of serious accidents involving motor vehicles, are lucky to be alive, let alone sharing the actual co-main event at UFC 140. I've got to say which i have seen a lot of super-tough guys in this kind of sport - Wanderlei Silva, Frankie Edgar, Donald Cerrone and BJ Penn jump to mind - but Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira will be the pinnacle of toughness. He is the Platinum Standard, the Bushido code personified. I've never seen a man repeatedly endure more pain and suffering and exhaustion inside the pursuit of victory compared to 35-year-old Brazilian. A black belt in judo and Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Big Nog is unquestionably one of many great heavyweights in record, but there are residual questions about whether all of those wars have taken their toll. His chin is granite no longer, as Cain Velasquez proven, as Frank Mir turned out during his first go-round with Nogueira four years ago.
I must confess, I never saw Mir conquering Nogueira. I had presumed it had been a bad stylistic matchup regarding him, presumed that if many people fought 10 times, Big Nog might earn all 10 of 'em. In my mind . the higher standup: Big Nog. The better ground online game: Big Nog. Who wants it much more: Big Nog. So I stood inside the MGM Grand Garden Market that night literally stunned as Mir abused Massive Nog, put on a boxing medical center and floored Nogueira thrice. I ran into Mir a while later and told your ex to his face that i was stunned that he not just beat Big Nog, but did it in such convincing fashion.
"No disrespect, I like you Honest, but I didn't discover you winning. "
Mir was 260 kilos; I weigh 146 over a good day. This was actually my first ever meeting with Mir (before either individuals would start training B razil jiu-jitsu under renowned african american belt Robert Drysdale). So I'm standing generally there alone talking with Mir and being probably a lot more candid than I should (a poor habit of mine).
"Before this fight I questioned your heart, I questioned your cardio exercise, I questioned how significantly you wanted it, " I told your pet. "I thought you were slightly lazy in the health club. Very skilled and gifted, but a little lazy as fighters go. "
I had thought of Mir as numerous had, particularly after the 2004 street bike accident that broke his / her femur and threatened his career. And I told your pet what I thought, and congratulated him in making a complete and ful liar out of me and others. The way Mir told her spoke volumes about your pet. He just looked me in the eye, let me have our say, and even shared many of the techniques such as in which uppercut/jab hybrid that came for a weird angle and retained rocking Big Nog. He was a gentleman the complete time, never raising his speech, never becoming defensive. I've spoken with Frank Mir oftentimes since then, not always in arrangement on issues, and I've been pleased by how thick-skinned he's to the criticisms that every fighter must endure. Mir is an extremely confident man, a nimble heavyweight who thinks like a lightweight, who can pull away moves most heavyweights wouldn't care to try. And I must say, the big guy has come a considerable ways in the gym al so it shows because now he is able to fight three rounds tricky. I learned my lesson to never count him out. In addition to like a wordsmith, Mir is a tech, and if his wrestling is constantly on the improve, as it has, the 32-year-old BJJ black belt could really be able to keep opponents guessing.
I was one with the people who thought Mir's win over Nogueira may have been a fluke, but I don't think so any more. Mir is just that good. Big Nog has just fought three times previously three years, but says he thinks rejuvenated after three surgeries. The win over Brendan Schaub was one of those turn-back-the-clock moments for Nog and he's likely to have revenge on his / her mind Saturday in Toronto. He thinks it had been a staph infection of which weakened him against Mir. That's what makes this particular rematch so intriguing. Fluke or Trend? We'll find out Wednesday.
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