How GOOD was Lyoto Machida Actually?

Lyoto Machida seemed destined to become a great MMA fighter. The Japanese Brazilian fighter had a dominant rise in the sport of MMA. He outclassed his opponents on the feet with the help of his karate experience and this led to him racking up wins and barely losing rounds. once he captured UFC gold, it really looked like he would hold onto it for a long time, but he lost it after one title defense and, although he came close to regaining it at both light heavyweight and middleweight, he couldn't and today he is a shell of his former self so how

good

was leo tomasita

actually

hello guys I'm kion and today we're going to talk about

lyoto

the dragon

machida

and this video is possibly the most requested of all time and I understand why because at its best moment Lyoto was an absolute machine, he was a tactical fighter but very dangerous because one mistake with him can lead to a very real knockout, but as amazing as he was, his time at the top was short lived, so in this video we will take a Watch his mma career to really understand how

good

he was, but first thank you to the undisputed members of my patreon, they get the added benefit of a shout out before each video, but even intro members get early access and video to the podcast by kyon kumar.

Plus, all the money goes to charity. Now let's get to it. Lyoto started his MMA team on May 2, 2003 at the age of 24. He is the son of Yoshiza Machida, who is a high-ranking boss of the Brazilian branch of the Japanese Karate Association, so at the age of three Lyoto began training and his training expanded to Brazilian sumo jiu jitsu, boxing and muay thai sumo. first fight in mma was against kengo watanabe although

lyoto

had his moments on the feet with some kicks he showed his skills on the ground securing takedowns by throwing ground and pound and attempting submissions after three rounds, lyoto won by unanimous decision four months later he fought stephen bonner and in this fight layota showed his blows counterattacking with punches and kicks, this included the left hand that knocked down stefan, it was one sided affair and with a big cut under bonner's eye the doctor stopped the fight on new year's eve 2003 lyoto he fought rich franklin lyoto controlled the action both on the feet and on the ground he even knocked rich down at one point with a left hand and although lyoto survived and would connect with the knee and punches in the second the fight ended after this victory , fought Michael McDonald and it was a quick match as Lyoto secured the takedown and finished Michael with a forearm choke Two months later, Lyoto fought Sam.

Greco Sam looked good as his speed and strength really posed a problem for Lyoto. Both men had their moments on the feet and although lyoto secured takedowns and spent time on top he also suffered a setback a couple of times, it was a competitive fight but in the end lyoto won by split decision after this victory he fought the former ufc welterweight champion bj penn at openweight bj weighed in at 191 pounds while leota got 225 credits to bj for making this fight competitive as he had his moments on the feet and on the ground but so did lyoto especially later in the fight, when BJ began to slow down after three rounds.

Lyoto won by unanimous decision. A month later he fought Dimitri Wunderle and the action was wild when they were on broadcast as the two went back and forth, but Lyota had the advantage. He gained the advantage by securing takedowns and at one point he floored Dimitri with a left hand and came close to finishing him off. Dimitri survived but was exhausted and this forced the referee to stop the fight after this victory. Lyoto fought Vernon White and Lioto put in a dominant performance. By controlling the action on the feet and on the ground, after three rounds he won by unanimous decision.

This eight-game winning streak led the UFC to sign Lyoto, so he made his debut with a promotion on February 3, 2007. His first opponent was Sam Hoker and Layota did very well on the feet for most of the fight, at one point sam went down with a left hand and in the end lyoto won by unanimous decision at ufc 70, he fought david heath and once again lyoto dominated on the feet, this included a knee bombardment that took credit away from david not to get out of this, but after three rounds, lyoto won by unanimous decision after earning a victory against kazuhiro nakamura at ufc 76, yoto fog's remote control, thierry sokuju despite the strong start of sokuju, who connected in the fueled and ensured the demolition.

Lyoto reversed it and once they got back up, he started landing as well, eventually dropping Sokuju with a left hand and finishing him off with an arm triangle choke at UFC 84. Lyoto fought the former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion , Tito Ortiz. Tito's game. The plan was to take down the fight, but Leota denied his attempts and even secured the takedown of his own. He also came close to finishing Tito in the third with a knee to the body, but Tito survived and locked in a triangle choke that looked very tight, but Leota survived and ended up winning the fight by unanimous decision.

This victory earned him a personal check from UFC President Daniel White for defeating Tito Ortiz. yes, dana really hated tito in ufc 94. lyoto fought thiago silva. The two strikers went toe to toe but it was Lyoto who found early success as he dropped Thiago with a knee and a left hand and once the two got back up, Lyoto connected with more punches that dropped Thiago again. Leota eventually won the fight by knocking Thiago to the canvas and finishing him off with a big blow. This winning streak card skyrocketed into the UFC light heavyweight championship, so at UFC 98 he fought champion Rashad Evans after feeling on the feet.

Lyoto dropped Rashad with a left hand, driving him to the ground and punching, and although Rashad survived, he continued to fire. lyoto's feet finally took him down again with more punches kesha got up and was in survival mode before he was doubled over by a left hand making lyoto

machida

the new ufc light heavyweight champion and honestly it looked like the start of a reign long and dominant. The first title defense fell four months later against 2005 Pride Middleweight Grand Prix champion Mauricio Shogun Hua, and this was a very competitive fight as both men went back and forth on the feet.

Lyoto connected with punches, kicks and knees but so did Shogun and this led to Lyoto absorbing the most damage in his MMA career was crazy to watch because like I said he seemed unstoppable at this point but Shogun did very well. closing the distance and attacking from the outside with kicks in the end it was close, but it was Lyoto, who won by unanimous decision, which was seen as controversial since many believe that Shogun did enough to win that night and that included Dana White, so of course in the rematch the media was booked and that came down to UFC 113 and although Lyoto found early success with his striking and takedowns he was knocked down by a right shogun who mounted him and threw more punches which ended the fight making it In Layotto's first loss in MMA Lyoto returned at UFC 123 to fight former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton Rampage Jackson for the most part Leota controlled the action on the broadcast and nearly finished the fight in the final round.

He also secured the takedown. He had some success in the clinch and also took down the fight. It looked like it was going to be a decision win for Lyoto, but the judges awarded the split decision win to rampage, which was a shock to many, including rampage, who felt he had lost a fight after losing two in a row. Lyoto fought former UFC light heavyweight and heavyweight champion Randy Couture. Randy tried to stop the fight, but was denied. This led to a crane kick from Lyoto that immediately put Randy out. It was a beautiful knockout that sensei Steven Seagal claims he helped with.

Although Lyoto was linked to matchups with Rashad Evans and Phil Davis, he ended up receiving a title shot. at ufc 140. his opponent was champion jon jones lyoto was seen as a big test for jon and showed that by connecting with a left hand this had jon in trouble which was crazy to see at the time but he survived and Once he secured the takedown in the second round, he began to connect with big elbows from the top once the action picked up again, Lyoto was taken down by a left hand, leading to a guillotine choke from Jon that put Lyoto put to sleep Eight months later, Lyoto fought Ryan Vader and For most of the fight, it was Ryan who pressed forward with strikes while Lyoto waited for an opening.

This continued into the second round, where Ryan came forward once again, but this time he was caught by a right hand that knocked him out. This victory left another title shot for lyoto, but because the fight was on short notice, lyoto declined, so he returned to ufc 157 to fight former strikeforce light heavyweight champion dan henderson, it was not the More eventful fight, but for the most part, Lyoto was controlling the action on the feet Both men also knocked each other down and after three rounds Lyoto won by split decision at UFC 163 Lyoto battled Phil Davis for most of the fight lyoto was landing on his feet with the most significant shots phil's only significant offense was a couple of takedowns, ground and pound and for the judges that was enough to award him the unanimous decision which was very controversial as many people including Dana White, they thought Layoto should have won regardless of Lyoto being third and fourth in his last seven fights, so in his next fight he went down to middleweight his first opponent at 185 was Marc Muñoz and Lyoto made a statement by finishing mark in the first with a kick to the head four months later he fought former strikeforce light heavyweight champion gegard mousasi and lyoto looked good landing more punches and kicks throughout the five rounds in the end he won by unanimous decision this streak of two Back-to-back wins led to his shot at the middleweight championship at UFC 175.

His opponent was champion Chris Weidman. After being beaten and wrestled for the first three rounds, Lyoto began to come loose in the fourth and Chris began to fatigue in the final round. lyoto seemed very close to finishing the fight but he couldn't and in the end chris won by unanimous decision after this loss he fought cb dalaway and it took lyoto 62 seconds to finish the fight with a body kick and punches. Four months later, he fought former Strike Force middleweight champion Luke Rockhold. Lyoto looked good at first landing some punches, but then he took him down with a right hand and got hit.

He was tired at the start of the second, which made it easy for Luke to finish him off with a rare naked choke. Two months later, Lyoto fought Yoel Romero after operating on the feet for the first two rounds. They all secured the down in the third and ended the fight. with brutal elbows, Lyoto was set to return on April 16, 2016 to fight Dan Henderson for the second time, but before the event he failed his pre-fight drug test due to the use of a banned substance, so Usada gave him an 18-month suspension. and after two years of inactivity, lyoto returned and fought derek brunson.

Lyoto was knocked down by a left hand before taking more hits to the ground that left him out after losing three in a row, he fought Eric Anders Lyoto landed a lot of kicks and knees throughout the fight but Eric landed some hard shots and secured a couple of takedowns it was a close fight that could have gone to eric but in the end lyoto won by split decision at ufc 224 lyoto fought former ufc light heavyweight champion vitor belfort and lyoto went back in time with this performance when he knocked out vitor with a front kick to the face, it was beautiful despite this two-win streak, Lyoto left the UFC and signed with Bellator.

His first fight with the promotion was against former Bellator middleweight champion Rafael Cavallo for the most part. The fight went back and forth on the feet and as time went on, Lyoto seemed to be slowing down, but in the final round he scored two takedowns and came close to locking in a guillotine at the end. Lyoto won by split decision at Bellator 222. He fought Chelsea at light heavyweight and for the most part Lyoto was dominant on the feed, he connected with a flying knee that dropped Chael and the fight looked over. Chael took more hits and was able to survive until the end of the round.

In the second round, Lyoto landed another flying knee, Chell went down and after some ground and pound, the referee intervened three months later, Lyoto returned at 185 to fight former Bellator middleweight champion Gegard Mousasi, becoming their second meeting. Both men threw a bunch of kicks at each other. another with Lyoto having the advantage in that department, but it was the gay guard who let his hands go the most and although he ended the fight on top, Lyoto locked in a tight guillotine before time ran out.After three rounds, Gegard won by split decision at Bellator 245. Lyoto moved back up to 205 to fight former Bellator light heavyweight champion Phil Davis, making it their second meeting.

This was the kicking battle for the most part, the biggest hit he took was a right hand from Phil that staggered Lyoto and as the fight continued. Phil started throwing more punches, it was a close fight but in the end Phil won by split decision seven months later, Lyoto entered the Bellator light heavyweight world grand prix in the quarterfinals he fought the Bellator heavyweight champion, Ryan Vader, during their second meeting. Lyoto looked good. early by punching ryan and rocking him with a head kick before the end of the first round, the kicks continued into the second round before ryan secured the takedown and began throwing dirt and punching, this sapped Lyoto's energy throughout. big and for the rest of the fight it was All Ryan, who controlled the action with his wrestling, he also had some moments on the feet and after five rounds he won by unanimous decision.

This was Lyoto's most recent fight. I could see him fight more in Bellator since he was still in his last three losses. competitive, but at the age of 42 and soon to be 43, I think his best days are behind him and with everything he has accomplished, I don't think he has anything left to prove after being 26 and 11 in the career he saw . he became the ufc light heavyweight champion how good fueyoto machida

actually

in his prime he really seemed unstoppable many including me believed he was going to be the next anderson silva the next best brazilian mma fighter and a wrestler whose name would come up in the conversation about goats.

His experience in karate translated perfectly into the In fact, I would say that he was the first to popularize it in the UFC. I mean, his karate stance alone is iconic and I know that a fighter like George St. Pierre showed off his karate skills long before, but it was Lyoto who really carried it. In my opinion, another level, since that was his main focus, he could compete only with kicks and he hit his opponents with them from head to toe, they were fast and difficult to anticipate and when he connected to the head it was deadly and because Furthermore, we got to witness some legendary finishes from him and he was also one of the best at avoiding extra shots after knocking out his opponent.

Overall, his kicks were perfect for maintaining distance and that was a big part of his game plan. He preferred to attack from the outside but even in close quarters he had some deadly knees, unless he had a wounded fighter he usually did not rush to attack but instead waited for his opponents to do so and this left them open to attacks from Lyoto. especially countered by his left hand which had a lot of power, he had a high fighting IQ as he was very efficient with his attacks and avoided taking damage and after going 15-0 in capturing UFC gold, there was an aura of invincibility surrounding Lyoto, it really seemed. like no one was going to find out, but then he fought shogun hua, who was not only a good striker, but also wasn't afraid to close the distance and take some shots, and even though he lost their first matchup, he doubled down.

His game plan in the second fight was him loosening his hands even more and he was also more confident, which is huge since most of the fighters feared Lyoto. All of this led to the Shogun's victory and it was this defeat that really changed the Lyoto doll with that invincible aura. what he once wore diminished, it was like he was human again, yes he was still dangerous, but his opponents were definitely more confident now because they were no longer facing an unsolvable puzzle and now more fighters were figuring out how to beat him unless they Shogun being patient against Lyoto was huge in avoiding his counterattacks and this really showed later in his career as he barely landed any punches due to his opponents not getting too close, so I wish he would focus more on his boxing, especially when moving forward and despite how good he is on his feet, he had problems when he was on his back despite his BJJ skills, especially against grapplers, he would have a hard time getting back up and would also take a lot of damage when he was on the ground. ground and if he survived all of this he was still at a disadvantage as all his energy was diminished which led to sloppy strikes that were easily telegraphed by his opponents and this is why I wish he had concentrated more on his jiu jitsu as it would have been more risky. deal with him, especially since he did well in securing takedowns, but he wasn't really a threat with his throws, as his bread and butter was his striking, his lack of evolution definitely caught up with him, especially when the new era of wrestlers emerged and Although he still shows glimpses of his glory days, he's getting older and his stamina isn't what it was.

Regardless of Luyotto having one of the wildest resumes I've ever seen, most fighters face each other without names at the start of their careers, but Lyoto faced top talent from the beginning and that has continued until now and although his career as champion did not last as long as expected in his heyday, Lyoto was out of this world, which is why he would give his career in mma a 9 out of 10. He paved the way for karate fighters in the UFC because he showed how effective he could be and with many of today's best fighters showing off their karate skills in the cage, I can't help but always think about how It all started with Lyoto, the Machida dragon.

My name is kion and this is my opinion about Lyoto, the dragon Machida, do you agree, do I disagree or do you have anything else to add? Please write in the comments below because I love reading it. If you like this video, please like and subscribe. Check out my channel for more content like this, but that's a lot for now, so I'll see you in the next one.