L.A. By Way Of Brazil: Lyoto Machida's Journey To UFC

Former UFC light-heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida’s journey has taken him around the world and made him a star in the sport of mixed martial arts. His career has sent him to Japan, England, and Canada. But his tenure in the UFC has kept him mostly in the United States. The man known as “The Dragon” has taken a liking to the West coast. On Saturday night, Machida will be traveling from the West coast to the East coast for his five round main event against top-ranked middleweight contender Luke Rockhold.

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Living in Southern California the last couple of years, Machida’s seen his career take on a resurgence that has been bolstered since his move. The former champion is 5-2 since 2012 and has continued to face the top ranked fighters in several divisions in that span. At light heavyweight he vanquished top-ten ranked Ryan Bader and Dan Henderson before a controversial decision loss to Phil Davis in Brazil. In 2013, Machida made the move to middleweight where his victories over Mark Muñoz and Gegard Mousasi earned him a 2014 title shot against Chris Weidman. Though the five-round effort was considered by many to be the fight of the year, Machida lost by unanimous decision. To finish 2014, the former champion rebounded with a victory over C.B. Dolloway.

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Saturday’s bout marks a very important career cross-roads for Machida. In the UFC since 2007, Machida has fought five times for a world title. He has not been victorious in a UFC title bout since 2010 when he defended the belt in a controversial decision. The bout with Rockhold is an important one as the former Strikeforce champion represents a new face and contender that has injected new life into the division. Beyond Rockhold, new contenders such as Jacare Souza and Yoel Romero are all vying for a shot at the winner of this spring’s Weidman-Belfort bout for the middleweight title. Should Weidman defeat Belfort, it will be difficult to promote a second bout with Machida when there are new faces to be seen. A win for Machida would more than likely mean a bout with either Jacare or Romero before he is able to compete again for the title. A loss would almost certainly mean another long road back to a title shot, if he can get there. At 36 years old, one can only wonder how many runs “The Dragon” has before Father Time catches up to him.

Jan 15, 2014; Duluth, GA, USA; Luke Rockhold (red gloves) fights Costas Philippou (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at Gwinnett Center. Rockhold wins. Mandatory Credit: Joshua S. Kelly-USA TODAY Sports

As far as the matchup goes, Rockhold provides a stern test for the former champion. A phenomenal kick boxer who has headlined two UFC events already, the former Strikeforce champion is six years younger than Machida and is a well-rounded competitor with plenty of experience. A force on the feet and on the ground, Rockhold also has the distinction of being the last person to defeat number two ranked Jacare Souza. After defeating the brash Michael Bisping last year, Rockhold is neck and neck with Souza for the next shot at the middleweight title. If he were to defeat Machida in emphatic fashion it would almost guarantee a title shot.

L.A. By Way Of Brazil: Lyoto Machida’s Journey To UFC

By Gabriel Gonzalez | Apr 18, 2015

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