Lyoto Machida

Fight of the Day: Machida vs. Franklin

From the Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye Festival in December 2003, here’s current UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida taking on former UFC middleweight champion Rich Franklin. The first part of the fight is above and the second is after the jump.

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Report: Shogun Agrees to Machida Bout

Former PRIDE Fighting Championship standout Mauricio “Shogun” Rua has reportedly agreed in principle to face newly-crowned UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida at a yet-to-be-announced UFC event this fall.

According to MMA Weekly, sources are stating that the bout would likely take place in either October or November. The news comes as a sort of lack of surprise due to the fact that UFC President Dana White released a photo of Rua visiting the Zuffa offices earlier this week and looked to be signing some sort of contract.

“Shogun” nows looks to be challenging Machida in his first title defense on the hells of top contender Quinton “Rampage” Jackson opting to forego a title shot in order to coach against fellow former champion Rashad Evans on the upcoming tenth season of “The Ultimate Fighter”.

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So Who Exactly Are the “TUF 10” Coaches?

UFC President Dana White will make one of his patented “special announcements” tomorrow night during the Spike TV broadcast of the “2009 VGAs First Look E3 Special” at 11 PM ET, and all signs point to it being the naming of the coaches for the upcoming tenth season of “The Ultimate Fighter”.

So who exactly will the coaches be? That’s actually a pretty good question at the moment.

According to Fighters Only Magazine, former UFC light heavyweight champions Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Rashad Evans, who quickly created bad blood between one another immediately following Jackson’s decision win over Keith Jardine in March, will serve as the newest set of coaches. However, Jackson was set to receive the next shot at Lyoto Machida, who defeated Evans for the belt this past weekend.

Here comes the confusing part…

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Video: Lyoto Machida’s Background in Karate

In the above video, which also serves as a preview for Thursday’s “Countdown to UFC 98” episode on Spike TV, light heavyweight contender Lyoto Machida’s background in karate and how he has used it successfully in mixed martial arts thus far is profiled.

UFC 94 Notes: Penn Set to File Complaint With NSAC Over GSP Greasing

If you thought that the war between Georges St. Pierre and B.J. Penn was over, think again. Penn’s camp has informed Sherdog.com that they intend to file a formal complaint with the Nevada State Athletic Commission after officials spotted one of St. Pierre’s cornermen allegedly rubbed Vaseline on his back in between the first and second and then the second and third rounds.

“We are not trying to make excuses, but the NSAC needs to protect the fighters,” Penn told Sherdog.com via text message. “They never notified us or completely wiped his back with water and towels.”

Various reports are circulating that following the conclusion of the first round, Phil Nurse, who has been working St. Pierre’s corner for a number of years, was caught by someone sitting at ringside rubbing Vaseline on St. Pierre’s back and shoulders. It has yet to be confirmed that this person was former UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell, but “The Iceman” was the first to inform UFC President Dana White of the incident after the conclusion of the fight, which St. Pierre won via fourth-round doctor’s stoppage.

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Howard-Wilson, Guida-Diaz Earn UFC 94 “Fight of the Night” Honors

The Ultimate Fighting Championship once again handed out two separate “Fight of the Night” bonuses following the conclusion of Saturday night’s UFC 94 event.

UFC newcomer John Howard’s upset win over Chris Wilson earned both fighters $65,000 for putting on one of the night’s best bouts. Clay Guida and Nate Diaz earned the same for their back-and-forth lightweight on the show’s pay-per-view telecast. Guida ended up handing Diaz his first loss in the UFC by way of a hard-fought split decision, one of eight fights that went the distance on the card.

Rising light heavyweight contender Lyoto Machida earned “Knockout of the Night” honors, and $65,000 as well, for his first-round stoppage of fellow undefeated Brazilian Thiago Silva.

 

 

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St. Pierre Dominates Penn at UFC 94

Georges St. Pierre used superior wrestling and surprising grappling technique to dominate UFC lightweight king B.J. Penn and successfully defend his UFC welterweight belt in the main event of UFC 94 Saturday night in Las Vegas.

What was supposed to be a showdown as even as their original meeting almost three years ago, turned into a one-sided mauling as St. Pierre (18-2) controlled Penn (13-5-1) in every aspect of the fight from start to finish. Penn, renowned for his takedown defense and new-found conditioning, found himself constantly on his back and winded after only the first round.

After three consecutive rounds of dominant wrestling and grappling by St. Pierre, the tide began to really turn in the fourth stanza, when St. Pierre turned up the heat - passing Penn’s guard at will and delivering a non-stop barrage of punishment. When Penn returned to his corner after the continuation of the round, both his trainers and the ringside doctor agreed that the fight should be stopped, and it was.

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Video Preview: Lyoto Machida vs. Thiago Silva

Here’s a little video preview, courtesy of the UFC, for a fight that really isn’t getting as much attention as it probably deserves. Lyoto Machida takes on Thiago Silva in a battle of undefeated light heavyweights in which the winner could receive a title shot down the line. More importantly to some fans, it brings forth an opponent for Machida that may actually be able to push him enough to create an exciting fight.

All Fighters Make Weight for UFC 94

The official weigh-in results for tomorrow night’s UFC 94 event, which takes place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, are below. All fighters successfully made weight.

The event is headlined by a highly-anticipated rematch for the UFC welterweight title between reigning champion Georges St. Pierre and UFC lightweight king B.J. Penn. Undefeated light heavyweights Lyoto Machida and Thiago Silva will collide as well.

Main Card:

Georges St. Pierre (170 lbs) vs. B.J. Penn (168 lbs)
Lyoto Machida (206 lbs) vs. Thiago Silva (206 lbs)
Karo Parisyan (170 lbs) vs. Dong-Hyun Kim (171 lbs)
Nate Diaz (156 lbs) vs. Clay Guida (156 lbs)
Stephan Bonnar (206 lbs) vs. Jon Jones (206 lbs)

Preliminary Bouts:

Jon Fitch (171 lbs) vs. Akihiro Gono (171 lbs)
Manny Gamburyan (155 lbs) vs. Thiago Tavares (155 lbs)
Chris Wilson (170 lbs) vs. John Howard (171 lbs)
Jake O’Brien (205 lbs) vs. Christian Wellisch (206 lbs)
Matt Arroyo (171 lbs) vs. Dan Cramer (171 lbs)

Report: Machida-Silva Moved to UFC 93

A previously planned light heavyweight bout between undefeated contenders Lyoto Machida and Thiago Silva has reportedly been moved to UFC 93 on January 31 in Las Vegas according to Tatame.com. The report cites unnamed sources as confirming the UFC’s decision.

The two were originally scheduled to face off on the main card of UFC 89 on October 18 until Silva was forced to withdraw from the bout due to a lingering back problem. Instead of finding a replacement opponent for Machida, the UFC opted to pull him from the card completely.

Machida has won his first five fights inside the confines of the UFC. His last three wins have come over perennial top-ten fighters in his division. After dispatching of Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou and Kazuhiro Nakamura in consecutive fights, Machida went on to pick up the biggest victory of his career thus far, a dominating unanimous decision over former six-time UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz.

Meanwhile Silva, a product of Chute Boxe who now trains with Florida-based American Top Team, has picked up victories in his first four UFC bouts, all in impressive fashion. Silva busted into the light heavyweight contenders picture after a brutal stoppage of upstart Houston Alexander in November of last year. He last submitted newcomer Antonio Mendes by way of strikes in May.

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