Lyoto Machida: 5 Defining Moments
When paired with advancing age and deteriorating performance, an 18-month United States Anti-Doping Agency suspension seemed like a legitimate threat to end the outstanding career of Lyoto Machida. At the very least, it made him a forgotten man in the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s middleweight division.
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In a career replete with defining moments, here are five that stand out:
1. On the Map
When Machida met Rich Franklin at an Inoki Genome Federation event on Dec. 31, 2003 in Kobe, Japan, he was a virtual unknown and just three fights into his professional career. By the time it was over, onlookers were forced to take notice. Franklin, 14-0 at the time, probed for openings and found the mark with a few left hands, but he was otherwise unsuccessful in cracking the karate black belt’s code. Machida clipped him with a straight left to the temple, backed him to the ropes and unleashed a front kick to the face before burying the Cincinnati, Ohio, native with another left and a volley of follow-up punches. Franklin remained on his back for a few moments before rising to his feet and congratulating the first man to defeat him. A year and a half later, he captured the Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight crown. Franklin was the first of six future, current or former UFC champions Machida has beaten.
2. The Rise
Machida made certain Rashad Evans’ stay at the top of the light heavyweight division was brief -- it lasted just 147 days -- and ended his reign with power, patience and precision in the UFC 98 headliner on May 23, 2009 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The unbeaten Machida dominated the match from the start, as he delivered three knockdowns against the champion and finished him with a brutal left hook. The final blow left Evans unconscious against the cage and brought a rousing conclusion to the first title bout between two undefeated fighters in Ultimate Fighting Championship history. With the exception of a brief second-round flurry, Evans never moved close enough to land anything of consequence against the elusive Brazilian. He met his end 3:57 into Round 2. For Evans, the first taste of defeat was a vicious one.
3. The Fall
Mauricio Rua kept the judges out of the equation the second time he faced “The Dragon,” as he knocked out the previously unbeaten Machida 3:35 into the first round to capture the light heavyweight championship at UFC 113 “Machida vs. Shogun 2” on May 8, 2010 at the Bell Centre in Montreal. For many, it will be remembered as a night when justice was served, this after Machida took a controversial unanimous decision from Rua at UFC 104 the previous October. “Shogun,” who battered the Shotokan karate savant with kicks to the leg and body the first time the two met, waited seven months for his shot at redemption, and he made the most of it. Rua ate some knees to the body and succumbed to a pair of takedowns early in Round 1. However, the 2005 Pride Fighting Championships middleweight grand prix winner dropped Machida with a right hand to the side of the head in a close-quarters stand-up exchange, followed him to the ground and moved immediately to mount on the dazed defending champion. A series of unanswered punches from the top left Machida limp, as Rua rose victoriously from his fallen foe, his arms raised skyward.
4. Retiring a Legend
Machida borrowed a page from the Keisuke Miyagi playbook, as he knocked out hall of famer Randy Couture with a spectacular jumping front kick in the second round of their UFC 129 encounter before a crowd of 55,724 at the Rogers Centre in Toronto on April 30, 2011. Couture, in his final Octagon appearance, bowed out 65 seconds into Round 2. Machida kept Couture at bay with straight lefts, quick combinations and knees and kicks to the body throughout a one-sided first round. The 47-year-old Couture, one of the sport's most decorated competitors, tried in vain to secure clinches. Machida shrugged off those attempts without much trouble. In Round 2, Machida waited for the opening. His “Karate Kid” crane kick found its mark with stunning precision and pace, knocking the dazed Couture backward. Machida pounced to finish, but referee Yves Lavigne beat him there, saving “The Natural” from further punishment. Afterward, Couture, a five-time UFC champion, announced his retirement.
5. Just Short
Chris Weidman withstood his first real brush with adversity July 5, 2014, and it took the form of Machida. Weidman kept his grasp on the Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight title with a unanimous decision over “The Dragon” in the UFC 175 headliner at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. All three judges scored it for Weidman: 49-45, 48-47 and 49-46. Relentless forward movement, an active kicking game and multiple takedowns provided Weidman with his path to victory. He dictated much of the first 15 minutes, as he took away the Brazilian’s lateral movement with constant pressure and opened a cut near Machida’s right brow with a right hand in the third round. “The Dragon” made his move in the fourth, where he began to reap the rewards from his commitment to body kicks. The champion slowed just enough to afford Machida the opportunities he needed to get back in the fight. In the fifth round, Weidman showed his mettle. The Serra-Longo Fight Team representative battled through fatigue, staggered Machida with a standing elbow and delivered his final takedown. Weidman briefly achieved mount before transitioning to the challenger’s back and applying some healthy ground-and-pound. A finish did not develop, but a hard-fought win was sealed. Machida’s last-second volley fell short, as he failed to become just the third man -- Conor McGregor later became the third -- in UFC history to win championships in two weight classes. The defeat was Machida’s first at 185 pounds.
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