# Who will dethrone Machida



## JayDubs911 (May 22, 2008)

Wait for Poll

i think shogun has the best chance he can gt lucky and ko him and he is well rounded to hopefully survive machidas barage., maybe forrest if he can take him down, i don;t give page much chance he is too one dimensional. if forrest could take him out by damaging his legs with kicks, Lyoto will be able to.

MOD HOW DO I EDIT POLL, FORGOT TO PUT SHOGUN RUA, ARRRGHHHHH WHY CANT YOU EDIT IT!!!!!!!!

If you wanna vote for shogun for now vote for jake o'brien and hopefully a mod will change it


----------



## diablo5597 (Nov 12, 2008)

you forgot shogun in the poll. Shogun has the best chance in the division right now but would lose. A. Silva has the best chance of anyone but won't fight him. Jon Jones in a few years might be amazing. Machida will hold that belt for a long long LONG time. Years and years.


----------



## osmium (Mar 6, 2007)

Shogun.


----------



## M.C (Jul 5, 2008)

I don't see anyone at LHW that will be able to take him.

Rashad had and still has the best chance at beating Machida, however, we all saw how that fight went.


----------



## michelangelo (Feb 1, 2009)

1. Brock Lesnar. Maybe.

2. Fedor. Probably.


----------



## InAweOfFedor (Aug 13, 2008)

Machida is on another level at the moment and imo no one will touch him for some time.

I thought he would win but he made it look very easy.


----------



## sNuFf_rEaLiTy (Feb 2, 2009)

the first well rounded UFC LHW fighter who decides to add shotokan karate to his skill set.


----------



## Alex_DeLarge (Sep 5, 2006)

It's funny how people are picking Shogun because he's the only LHW fighter in the UFC, other than Rampage, who is a big name and is coming off multiple wins.


----------



## Hazflo (Oct 17, 2007)

i think Jackson, Shogun or maybe Vera. they all hit hard and have good chins and are willing to trade. of the 3 i think shogun has the best chance of winning Rampage has the tools but until he checks leg kicks and starts going 4 TD's again his to predictable and Vera dunno TBH i just think his slick striking would at least give Machida problems


----------



## nissassagame (May 6, 2008)

I know the guy who will beat Machida. His name is....Nobody.


----------



## DropKicker (Apr 16, 2009)

Shogun has potential but only a puncher's chance if for some reason he gets Machida to play into that crazy swing for the fences chute box style. But than again Shogun's more patient now from his pride days judging from his last fight in the Liddell KO, so who knows. Another up * coming fighter i would have to say is Jon Jones. He's got a weird ass style that fighters havent figured out yet. Peep his fight against Bonnar, he practically punked him in that match like a bully.


----------



## elardo (Jul 8, 2007)

I think it's because Shogun was regarded as the best LHW before his loss to Griffin and multiple surgeries. Now he's looking close to his old form, which is dangerous to all LHW fighters. I don't think that any Shogun fans are riding off his win against Coleman. But we all know he can be a dangerous and explosive fighter.


----------



## crispsteez (Jul 1, 2008)

Alex_DeLarge said:


> It's funny how people are picking Shogun because he's the only LHW fighter in the UFC, other than Rampage, who is a big name and is coming off multiple wins.


i doubt that's the only reason people are choosing shogun. who would you choose out of the current ufc roster?


----------



## LightweightFighter (Jul 10, 2006)

Rich Franklin is probably like "oh shieet..."

So Anderson Silva beat his ass and he want to move up to lightheavyweight. Then he finds out lightheavyweight have a just as a dominant champion in Machida who is 10x better than the last time they fought where Franklin also got his ass beat.


----------



## Flukypuncher (Aug 2, 2008)

I think Jardine's unorthodox style could give him some issues but honestly the division is so stacked that we can't predict who will defeat him .


----------



## TERMINATOR (Jul 6, 2008)

rampage of shogun have the best chance imo.


----------



## enceledus (Jul 8, 2007)

lol at someone picking chuck liddell.... chuck would just get another ko and further disillusion himself


----------



## mmawrestler (May 18, 2008)

I think the only person that stands a chance is Anderson Silva


----------



## M.C (Jul 5, 2008)

No one will beat Machida for a long, long time.

The only person who stands a chance is Anderson, and they already said they will not fight each other.


----------



## judodude (Mar 27, 2009)

Shogun has by far the best chance IMO!


----------



## SlaveTrade (Apr 27, 2007)

Rampage Jackson.


----------



## name goes here (Aug 15, 2007)

Shogun. He always gets the takedown, and is the most aggressive. Yes he hasn't been his old self, but he could come back. Not a lot of chance but more than others who come to mind. A.Silva could take him too.


----------



## pt447 (Sep 1, 2006)

Nobody will dethrone him. I know it's a silly claim to say he will go undefeated... but if you have ever watched the guy fight you have think so at least a little. Just like Anderson is on another level, and Fedor is in another dimension, Machida is that good, and he may be the best of all three!

How can anyone here honestly think they have a clue who will beat him? Everyone knew he'd lose to Rashad, and I hate to break it to anyone, but Machida spent the first round studying him, and picked him apart in 2 seconds when he chose to in the second. Why are people so afraid of admitting they have a phenom in front of them when they see one? Machida is going to be champ for *at least* as long as Anderson!


----------



## name goes here (Aug 15, 2007)

I don't think people are denying that, it's just fun to think of who is closest. Still I don't think Machida's run at the top will be as long as Fed's or GSP's


----------



## King JLB (Apr 28, 2009)

Fedor or Chuck Norris.

Jon Jones has a pretty confusing style, if he can keep up his winning ways in a few years he may be ready.

To all of those who said Vera... really? I never understood his hype and he stopped showing any type of promise after losing to Sylvia.


----------



## Emericanaddict (Dec 31, 2006)

The only logical choice for me is Forrest because that dude can just pull off crazy upsets. Im not saying he even has a great chance just the best chance IMO cause he is so big and has the ability and tactility to turn Machida's game back on him when Machida comes in to range.

I can see Forrest possibly catching a limb taking Machida down and maybe pounding him out with his top game. theres virtually no chance it will happen but it's the only thing I can come close to envisioning right now


----------



## HexRei (Apr 27, 2007)

I cannot imagine anyone in the current LHW division taking the belt from Machida decisively. However, he does go to decision fairly often and anyone can lose a bad decision, so you never know.


----------



## TALENT (May 21, 2008)

HexRei said:


> I cannot imagine anyone in the current LHW division taking the belt from Machida decisively. However, he does go to decision fairly often and anyone can lose a bad decision, so you never know.


I really think he is trying to change that part about his fights. He seems to want to finish fights now (at least that what his interviews give the impression of).


----------



## HexRei (Apr 27, 2007)

Agreed. I read the interview with his dad, and daddy machida said he has been stressing to baby machida that he's gotta start finishing fights


----------



## nyc05 (Oct 1, 2008)

I honestly can't think of any LHW that could do it. Obviously Rampage has a chance because of his devastating knockout power, but being so still and stiff a target, Machida will be too fast and too elusive for Rampage to nail the big shot. I think Machida picks him apart for the entire fight, possibly catching 'Page on the way in or winning a decision.

Shogun would be the most interesting challenge, IMO. I don't quite know how I see the fight going, but I'd put my money on The Dragon.

Machida is just crazy good right now. In addition to his speed, unpredictability, and his elusiveness, he now is fighting aggressive and showing he's got power. I would not want to fight this man right now if I was anyone in the LHW division.


----------



## rnv18 (Apr 15, 2007)

Someone thats we dont hear about yet. Or just any fighter that lands a lucky pumch.


----------



## w0rM (Dec 29, 2008)

Nobody currently has the skills to dethrone lyoto


----------



## Danomac (Oct 15, 2006)

Well, from what I saw last night, it's hard to pick anyone. Rashad is ******* fast and also a great counter puncher and Machida was still able to be quicker and more accurate and actually KO a guy that some thought had a granite chin. I'm not picking anyone because the only other guy who seems to be consistent at LHW is Rampage and that guy fighting Machida? Gonna look silly.


----------



## cultlegend (Jan 18, 2009)

Jon Jones is gonna dethrone Machida but not any time soon, Maybe in 5 years time.


----------



## AceofSpades187 (Apr 18, 2009)

man I dont want the same lhw champ for to long so hopefully some1 gets a lucky punch


----------



## LetoAtreides82 (May 24, 2009)

Can't Cung Le move up to light heavyweight and fight Machida, I think it's only twenty pound difference? That'd be an interesting fight, Sanshou master vs Karate master.


----------



## Drogo (Nov 19, 2006)

Look at Machida's past, who has given him trouble? The only time he has ever lost a round was to Sam Greco. He lost that round because Greco controlled him on the ground (not sure if Greco took him down or reversed on the ground). Greco is a kickboxer and not known for his ground game and Greco is huge, a genuine HW at about 250lbs. 

The guy who is going to give Machida trouble is a huge guy with a decent ground game. The problem is getting him down. I think Greco reversed Machida after Machida took him down, I'll have to watch that fight again. The problem is that Machida is so quick and has such good movement that if he doesn't want to go down I don't think he will.

In any case the LHW who fits that description (large, decent ground game) the best is probably Forrest Griffen but I don't think Machida would let it go to the ground.

Actually Sobral fits it well too but he isn't in the UFC so I don't see him fighting Machida anytime soon.


----------



## ZENKI1 (Apr 19, 2009)

Alex_DeLarge said:


> It's funny how people are picking Shogun because he's the only LHW fighter in the UFC, other than Rampage, who is a big name and is coming off multiple wins.


Its funny that you assume thats why people are choosing him..

I pick Shogun because I think he has the tools to create problems for Machida like Bj Penn did.


----------



## 420atalon (Sep 13, 2008)

I think Evans could take him in a rematch. He did good but made a little mistake and got caught. His strategy was working and he was starting to get Machida's timing down. He was somewhat succesful in countering a couple of Machida's kicks and there were a couple flurries where he almost landed punches that would have dazed Machida.

With a couple slight changes I think he could take him. Those changes being

1) Aim for a take down when countering Machida's high kicks, looking for a knee or punch was putting him off balance and Machida nearly made him pay on one of them.

2) Work on leg kicks to Machida's lead foot. Need to work on southpaw stance for this and need to be careful for a quick left counter by Machida. He could start to use these leg kicks in combos or as fakes to get Machida to jump in with a counter.


----------



## purple_haze (Oct 24, 2006)

wow machida...i honestly don't know who else will give machida problems..i really don't know about shogun who is still only one fight after being the living crap out of liddel but rashad did the exact same and was devastated by machida in convincing fasion...


----------



## ZENKI1 (Apr 19, 2009)

420atalon said:


> I think Evans could take him in a rematch. He did good but made a little mistake and got caught. His strategy was working and he was starting to get Machida's timing down. He was somewhat succesful in countering a couple of Machida's kicks and there were a couple flurries where he almost landed punches that would have dazed Machida.
> 
> With a couple slight changes I think he could take him. Those changes being
> 
> ...


LOL what fight was you watching? Sugar didnt do anything good.. lol


----------



## Alienspy (Jan 30, 2007)

420atalon said:


> I think Evans could take him in a rematch. He did good but made a little mistake and got caught. His strategy was working and he was starting to get Machida's timing down. He was somewhat succesful in countering a couple of Machida's kicks and there were a couple flurries where he almost landed punches that would have dazed Machida.
> 
> With a couple slight changes I think he could take him. Those changes being
> 
> ...


Machida is the king of timing and distance. If you watched the fight whenever mach did that front foot feint where he'd stomp the ground , he waited to see rashad's reaction. Pretty much just figured rashad out in the first round. When he had it figured out the timing , Rash couldnt even counter the kicks , cause they came out of no where he. Watch the first kick, he just threw it and rashad never seen it coming. I highly doubt rashad win on a rematch. Yea rashad will come back better, but then so will machida lol.


----------



## 420atalon (Sep 13, 2008)

ZENKI1 said:


> LOL what fight was you watching? Sugar didnt do anything good.. lol


Watch the fight again...

Evans didn't land anything big and was taking the worst of things but the thing is that he was starting to get Machida's game down.

Twice he caught Machida's high kicks, the first time he was able to land a decent knee afterwards, the second time he was off balance and Machida pushed him back to the cage. But the important thing is that Evans was showing he could counter it and it was making Machida wary of continuing with the lead high kick.

There were two times where they traded punches and in the one Rashad came quite close to landing a good uppercut and the other he came close to landing a decent right hook.

Most of the Rashad hatters on here won't notice things like this or know how Rashad plays with his opponents to get their timing down(which he was doing, obvious in his ability to counter) then starts to land more of those punches. This fight other then styles was going no differently then the Liddel or Forrest fights.

Machida landed the first clean counter punch and it rocked Rashad enough to end the fight. It could have easily gone the other way.

Edit: ^ Rashad was able to counter Machida's high kicks, he started doing it near the end of the first round and into the 2nd... if this fight went on longer you would have noticed Machida slow down on the lead high kicks that were knocking Rashad around early in the first.


----------



## ZENKI1 (Apr 19, 2009)

420atalon said:


> Watch the fight again...
> 
> Evans didn't land anything big and was taking the worst of things but the thing is that he was starting to get Machida's game down.
> 
> ...


lol.. Im not a Sugar hater .. Ive liked the guy since day one when majority of everyone I knew wrote him off on the tuff show.. He did have a few times when he was able to counter but that wasnt him being able to get Machida's pattern down it was jus a case of action causes a reaction. I think he was screwed from the get go because of his corners the all great wizard's game plan.


----------



## jmneo (Jan 16, 2008)

420atalon said:


> Watch the fight again...
> 
> Evans didn't land anything big and was taking the worst of things but the thing is that he was starting to get Machida's game down.
> 
> ...


Damn i must have been watching the wrong channel!! What channel was this fight on? The fight i saw was rashad getting beat down...But i guess he got machida's timming down now, huh?


----------



## Guy (Feb 17, 2008)

Shogun would most likely beat him. His BJJ is extremely good and he has an array of crazy submissions not to mention good, but sloppy striking.

Rampage might beat him if he slammed the hell out of him a couple of times, but he probably wouldn't.

Ricardo Arona would beat him, I'm sure of it. So would Lil Nog and Babalu would probably beat him as well. The UFC LHW division has almost no submission specialists, just a bunch of strikers.


----------



## unclehulka13 (Nov 17, 2008)

Guy said:


> Shogun would most likely beat him. His BJJ is extremely good and he has an array of crazy submissions not to mention good, but sloppy striking.
> 
> Rampage might beat him if he slammed the hell out of him a couple of times, but he probably wouldn't.
> 
> Ricardo Arona would beat him, I'm sure of it. So would Lil Nog and Babalu would probably beat him as well. The UFC LHW division has almost no submission specialists, just a bunch of strikers.


Babalu, the guy that got destroyed by Chuck? lolololol


----------



## Drogo (Nov 19, 2006)

420atalon said:


> Watch the fight again...
> 
> Evans didn't land anything big and was taking the worst of things but the thing is that he was starting to get Machida's game down.
> 
> ...


I've watched it a couple times and Rashad lands one decent shot the entire fight, a right hand counter at 3:24 of the second. He lands one decent leg kick to the body a little after that. Other than that he has nothing even close and that isn't enough to convince me that it could have easily gone the other way.


----------



## ZENKI1 (Apr 19, 2009)

unclehulka13 said:


> Babalu, the guy that got destroyed by Chuck? lolololol


Get off the bandwagon and go educate yourself some.


----------



## 420atalon (Sep 13, 2008)

jmneo said:


> Damn i must have been watching the wrong channel!! What channel was this fight on? The fight i saw was rashad getting beat down...But i guess he got machida's timming down now, huh?


Rashad was getting beat down???

Other then the finishing flurry and the slip that led to a little bit of punishment near the end of the first round the fight was fairly close. I would say that Machida was picking Rashad apart slowly but there was definitely no beat down going on.

Both guys were always only 1 punch away from ending the fight. Machida had the advantage earlier in the fight when Rashad was trying to get his timing down but Rashad was slowly getting this and making things more even. The 2nd round you could say was pretty much a draw until Machida dropped him as they were both landing shots about evenly. 

This is probably the most even fight we have seen that included Machida. It wasn't a one sided affair like the Tito or Sokoudjou fights. That itself I would say is an accomplishment.


----------



## Alienspy (Jan 30, 2007)

Btw anyone have the punch counter stats on the fight? I lost the website. I counted 2 good hits rashad threw, but i'd like to see what they counted on there machine.


----------



## ZENKI1 (Apr 19, 2009)

420atalon said:


> Rashad was getting beat down???
> 
> Other then the finishing flurry and the slip that led to a little bit of punishment near the end of the first round the fight was fairly close. I would say that Machida was picking Rashad apart slowly but there was definitely no beat down going on.
> 
> ...


Jus stop... STOP it now! Your digging your hole so deep your gonna end up in china with aflaming red square ass.. I c it coming.. IM only trying to protect a fellow fan.


----------



## Alienspy (Jan 30, 2007)

Anyway , everyone talked about rashad's hand speed , no doubt its fast. But anyone see the 3 punch counter combo mach threw at him? All 3 landed with blinding speed almost right after rashad threw his punch , his counter speed is just amazing. I think really that answered alot of questions about the speed section.


----------



## UFC on VHS (Dec 16, 2008)

I put Rampage becuase after him I don't know.

Rampage 
Forrest Griffin
Rashad Evans (rematch)

They all have a good chance of beating him but man I gotta say I was ******* IMPRESSED last night with Machida's performance.

I can't believe im a Machida fan..


----------



## ZENKI1 (Apr 19, 2009)

UFCFAN18 said:


> I put Rampage becuase after him I don't know.
> 
> Rampage
> Forrest Griffin
> ...


I can't believe you have Forrest listed.. :wink01:


----------



## coldcall420 (Aug 2, 2007)

Nobody from that list will beat Machida and Shogun wont either.....:thumbsup:


----------



## Evil Ira (Feb 9, 2009)

I cannot see a single guy on that list beating 'The Dragon'.


----------



## Evo (Feb 12, 2007)

The person I give the best chance of beating Machida is Forrest. No particular reason for it, just out of all the folk he's the only one I see really pulling it off, except for rampage maybe.


----------



## Alex_DeLarge (Sep 5, 2006)

LetoAtreides82 said:


> Can't Cung Le move up to light heavyweight and fight Machida, I think it's only twenty pound difference? That'd be an interesting fight, Sanshou master vs Karate master.


That fight would be a joke and not even worth discussing.


----------



## swpthleg (Dec 31, 2006)

mmawrestler said:


> I think the only person that stands a chance is Anderson Silva


Quoted for truth.

But I voted for the last one.


----------



## Brainshank (Nov 25, 2008)

Great thread, I was gonna start the poll myself. You forgot to add Chuck Norris and Fedor, though.

Right now I think Rampage has the best chances, but isn't a serious threat. Jones will be a danger if he evolves to his potential and improves his tank, so Machida will have to watch for him in the year 2012...


----------



## _RIVAL_ (Mar 7, 2008)

Machidas style is absolutly perfect for MMA and he has it mastered right now. I think he'll hold onto the belt for a few fights.

I don't see anyone ahead of the class at this point.

Which is saying alot about Machidas skill set because the LHW division is absolutly stacked in the UFC right now.


----------



## coldcall420 (Aug 2, 2007)

Brainshank said:


> Great thread, I was gonna start the poll myself. You forgot to add Chuck Norris and Fedor, though.
> 
> Right now I think Rampage has the best chances, but isn't a serious threat. Jones will be a danger if he evolves to his potential and improves his tank, so Machida will have to watch for him in the year 2012...


 
Lmao......:thumb02:


----------



## Tepang (Sep 17, 2008)

lol at the people thinking "page" has a chance rofl thanks for the laugh hahaahahahahahahahaahaahahahahahahahahahahahahaha


----------



## unclehulka13 (Nov 17, 2008)

ZENKI1 said:


> Get off the bandwagon and go educate yourself some.


Ya babalu is good. Won his Strikeforce belt by a cut, has beaten a bunch of cans, and Shogun. I for one think this man could do nothing.


----------



## jmneo (Jan 16, 2008)

Tepang said:


> lol at the people thinking "page" has a chance rofl thanks for the laugh hahaahahahahahahahaahaahahahahahahahahahahahahaha


Page always has a chance with his power....I think he is to slow and will never do it, but if he connects GAME OVER!


----------



## swpthleg (Dec 31, 2006)

Tepang said:


> lol at the people thinking "page" has a chance rofl thanks for the laugh hahaahahahahahahahaahaahahahahahahahahahahahahaha


Oh, I get it! You put a bunch of hahahas so we would get that you were laughing!

Brilliant!


----------



## jmneo (Jan 16, 2008)

unclehulka13 said:


> Ya babalu is good. Won his Strikeforce belt by a cut, has beaten a bunch of cans, and Shogun. I for one think this man could do nothing.


Didnt babalu go the distance with Fedor way back...01 i think


----------



## Sekou (Oct 25, 2008)

A Bj Penn type fighter... a laShogun or Jon "Bones" Jones


----------



## Silly_Mo (May 19, 2009)

420atalon said:


> Watch the fight again...
> 
> Evans didn't land anything big and was taking the worst of things but the thing is that he was starting to get Machida's game down.
> 
> ...


I'm about to watch the fight now...but did Rashad even attempt any takedowns. I mean seriously...I know he didn't just go out there thinking he was gone knock dude out and let ole boy Bruce Lee his ass


----------



## Toxic (Mar 1, 2007)

I have no idea, its funny how this year the LHW division got so much shallower, Liddell's gone, Wandy is on his way to MW, Thiago Silva got decimated, Rashad layed a beating on Forrest only to turn around and be destroyed by Machida. Honestly I have no idea because I thought Rashad's speed and athleticism would carry him though and they never.


----------



## unclehulka13 (Nov 17, 2008)

jmneo said:


> Didnt babalu go the distance with Fedor way back...01 i think


10 mins. Yes, but It's not hard to run.


----------



## Hawkeye6287 (Mar 25, 2008)

If Machida fights like he did last night no one at the moment has the skills to beat him. The only way page can beat him is to risk some shots and go for the take down - if he gets it maybe he can pound him out. Most likely he will stand with all his weight on the front leg like he always does and throw some big shots that unfortunately will hit only air against Machida. Lyoto will pepper him unitl page is seein stars.

Rashad has some of the best footwork in the division and until I saw that 3 punch combo from Machida, i reckoned he had the quickest hands and he could hardly land a blow. The fact that people are saying how well Rashad did when he landed one shot to about 20 and ended in a sleeping pile on the floor should say alot. 

Shogun's punches are too sloppy and he sticks his chin in the air when he comes forward, Machida is accurate enough to put him to sleep without alot of trouble. 

Forrests length might give him something to think about, but he throws those kicks lazily sometimes and Lyoto likes to catch and sweep. Also Forrest chases a bit which Machida would love, might go the distance but i dont think Forrest isn't quick enough to catch him with anything big, and Machida will land the better shots. Whether he can get inside Forrests long limbs would determine if that fight gets finished or not - reasonably even on the ground i reckon. But 9/10 Machida takes that fight.

The only person who has the speed, precision and footwork to give Machida some trouble is Anderson Silva and we all know that fight wont happen. Although I have some image of them doing it privately in a shed like in Any Which way you can (if anyone seen that film) just to see who;s better. 

Not hating on anyone as I really like all the fighters I mentioned - just thats the way I see it. Unless Lyoto has an off night I can;t see anyone beting him at the moment.


----------



## coldcall420 (Aug 2, 2007)

Silly_Mo said:


> I'm about to watch the fight now...but did Rashad even attempt any takedowns. I mean seriously...I know he didn't just go out there thinking he was gone knock dude out and let ole boy Bruce Lee his ass


 no takedowns, never even got close.....


----------



## Rygu (Jul 21, 2008)

Judging by the 2 who think Jake O'brien will be the first to defeat Machida..... i assume 2 members in mmaforum are legally retarded. Kind of cute though.


----------



## Silly_Mo (May 19, 2009)

name goes here said:


> Shogun. He always gets the takedown, and is the most aggressive. Yes he hasn't been his old self, but he could come back. Not a lot of chance but more than others who come to mind. A.Silva could take him too.


Yeah I think if anybody...it would be Anderson Silva, but he would probably need a LHW tuneup fight or too.


----------



## Nick_Lynch (Feb 3, 2008)

It'll be a loooong time before we see someone dethrone 'The Dragon'. Even then, he might retire with the belt (5-6 years from now)


----------



## Silly_Mo (May 19, 2009)

coldcall420 said:


> no takedowns, never even got close.....


Yeah I watched it. And the couple of times they did clinch...Lyoto was the only one trying to grapple a little bit. Rashard was trying to wriggle away and throw shots. Bad gameplanning and execution by Rashard and his camp. Plus Machida was just way better.


----------



## crispsteez (Jul 1, 2008)

unclehulka13 said:


> Ya babalu is good. Won his Strikeforce belt by a cut, has beaten a bunch of cans, and Shogun. I for one think this man could do nothing.


right now, i can't see anyone beating machida standing so a fighter's best bet would be to get the fight to the ground and have good enough jitz to avoid machida's sweeps and maintain top control and/or go for subs. Babula has good enough juijitsu, but getting the fight to the ground would be tough and he'd probably be dumb and try to stand with lyoto and get knocked out. he's definitely no schmuck, though. i'd say rogerio has a good shot at beating lyoto but i forgot they train together. in the ufc shogun probably has the best shot. maybe page because if machida threw a flurry like he did to end the evans fight, page would cover up much better than rashad and could catch him with a hook. doubtful, though. rogan was right when he said welcome to the machida era.

edit: i forgot about hendo, but he has a solid chin and could probably control machida in the clinch and get the fight down because of his greco base. don't know if he could avoid the sweep, though.



rygu said:


> Judging by the 2 who think Jake O'brien will be the first to defeat Machida..... i assume 2 members in mmaforum are legally retarded. Kind of cute though.


the OP said to vote for jake o'brien in place of shogun until a mod edited the poll.


----------



## Rygu (Jul 21, 2008)

crispsteez said:


> the OP said to vote for jake o'brien in place of shogun until a mod edited the poll.


Oops, my bad. Previous statement retracted.


----------



## Toxic (Mar 1, 2007)

You know I have been racking my brain and the best answer to this I can come up with is Keith Jardine, Machida reads everyone like a book and is such an unconventional fighter so who better to face him than somebody like Jardine who is probably the hardest person to read and he has seemed almost impossible to get the timing down against him because he is so unorthodox. Not saying Jardine can beat him but I think he is the guy with the best chance at it.


----------



## coldcall420 (Aug 2, 2007)

Toxic said:


> You know I have been racking my brain and the best answer to this I can come up with is Keith Jardine, Machida reads everyone like a book and is such an unconventional fighter so who better to face him than somebody like Jardine who is probably the hardest person to read and he has seemed almost impossible to get the timing down against him because he is so unorthodox. Not saying Jardine can beat him but I think he is the guy with the best chance at it.


 
GTFO.....if your serious your scaring me Toxic....might need to hand in your credentials......:confused05:


----------



## HexRei (Apr 27, 2007)

Keith Jardine Is Going To Be The Next Lhw Champ


----------



## Toxic (Mar 1, 2007)

coldcall420 said:


> GTFO.....if your serious your scaring me Toxic....might need to hand in your credentials......:confused05:


Who has a better chance? Rampage is pure straight ahead power and will be picked apart handidly, Forrest doenst have the jaw for it, who do you think has a chance? I seriously think the fact Jardine is almost impossible to read and is so unothordox may give Machida problems, like I said Im not calling it by any means but right now he is the guy Id give the best chance to.


----------



## coldcall420 (Aug 2, 2007)

Toxic said:


> Who has a better chance? Rampage is pure straight ahead power and will be picked apart handidly, Forrest doenst have the jaw for it, who do you think has a chance? I seriously think the fact Jardine is almost impossible to read and is so unothordox may give Machida problems, like I said Im not calling it by any means but right now he is the guy Id give the best chance to.


 

Seriously...no one....not even Anderson Silva......get used to seeing that belt around his waist.....:thumbsup:


----------



## M.C (Jul 5, 2008)

Toxic said:


> You know I have been racking my brain and the best answer to this I can come up with is Keith Jardine, Machida reads everyone like a book and is such an unconventional fighter so who better to face him than somebody like Jardine who is probably the hardest person to read and he has seemed almost impossible to get the timing down against him because he is so unorthodox. Not saying Jardine can beat him but I think he is the guy with the best chance at it.


I agree.

I feel the unorthodox style of Jardine would work best against Machida. With that said, I would not pick Jardine to win.

Also, I don't think it'll really come into relevancy as I never see Jardine getting a title shot.


----------



## coldcall420 (Aug 2, 2007)

Michael Carson said:


> I agree.
> 
> I feel the unorthodox style of Jardine would work best against Machida. With that said, I would not pick Jardine to win.
> 
> Also, I don't think it'll really come into relevancy as I never see Jardine getting a title shot.


 you guys are losing your minds...jardie would stil try to engage...then it would be over....WTF...he lost to wandy who lost to rampage who lost to forrest, who lost to rashad who lost to machida........no on jardine:thumbsdown:


----------



## CornbreadBB (Jul 31, 2008)

God....on a good day.



I think Jardine could honestly pose a threat to anybody just because of his style and his main weakness is the aggressive strikers. (Precisely what Lyoto is.....) That being said, I don't think there is anyway in hell he would beat Lyoto. Anyone though....hmmm.....I don't know....closest right now is probably Shogun.


----------



## Toxic (Mar 1, 2007)

Dont get me wrong Cold I think Jardine is a mid level fighter at best but his timing and movement are so akward that he may hold the key to catching him, I could be crazy but I think its gonna take somebody unorthodox to beat Machida somebody who moves akwardly and whose timing is off. Top two IMO would be Jardine and possibly Jon Jones but I think Jones is along way off being ready to fight at that level.


----------



## coldcall420 (Aug 2, 2007)

CornbreadBB said:


> God....on a good day.
> 
> 
> 
> I think Jardine could honestly pose a threat to anybody just because of his style and his main weakness is the aggressive strikers. (Precisely what Lyoto is.....) That being said, I don't think there is anyway in hell he would beat Lyoto. Anyone though....hmmm.....I don't know....closest right now is probably Shogun.


 
remember the movie Me Myself and Irene........when Jim carey tries to fight the guys at the gas station that play softball, and he throws his fists up and is moving around all awkwardly......that is Kieth Jardine...plus why would he get a shot he fell back in the line with his last loss.......


----------



## Shoegazer (Jun 23, 2007)

You know, I started reading this thread and the first thing that popped into my head was someone potentially as weird and unorthodox, if not as good, as Machida...and that's Jardine. Reading/timing Jardine is like trying to guess what piece of furniture an epilpetic will fall on. I could see Machida going in for one of his brilliant, lightning-fast precision strikes and herky-jerky Jardine has one of his spastic out of nowhere jabs...catches Machida and knocks him out. 

Toxic beat me to it though.


----------



## WarMachida (May 24, 2009)

Rampage? I mean seriously people? I would be ver surprised if Machida loses to him, there is just too much difference in speed and striking...plus can you imagine what Ryu will do to Page's legs?


----------



## MooJuice (Dec 12, 2008)

shogun or forrest, imo. I think leg kicks will be the key to cracking lyoto. Slam a shin into that leading leg that he leaves so far out there a few times, and see how his quickness, movement and power handle after that.

Obviously his opponent is going to have to avoid getting punched while he's going for the leg, but i honestly think that the best chance people have of taking out lyoto is by smashing his front leg first, and then using the decline in movement, quickness and power to try and fight a better fight than him. At full power i don't see many people who could answer lyoto, excluding anybody who can either pin him against the cage and flurry like a madman, or someone who lands a lucky blow and puts machida somewhere that he's never been before.

Also, while we know that machida always seems fresh at the end of three rounds, he still hasn't faught more than 15 minutes. I know it's completely unlikely, but if he gets into a tough fight with someone it'll be interesting to see how he fights after 20 minutes or so. (although i personally think he'll be fine.)


----------



## rogi (Aug 26, 2007)

Jose Conseco...mark my words.


----------



## RyanRJL (Jan 31, 2009)

Jon Jones will after a few more fights. I think someone needs to have a large reach advantage to beat lyoto and Jon Jones has a 10.5" reach advantage!

Plus Jones is very unorthodox and a very strong wrestler


----------



## Zenhalo (Sep 9, 2006)

1. Brock Lesnar. Maybe.




I'm thinking Brock would have to cut off a leg to make weight.

BTW- I was thinking that a Babalu matchup would be interesting- but as he's not in the UFC and was kicked out- I see that as a moot point. Babalu appears more patient than he was a few years back- I still think he takes too many punches working it to the ground and would get caught by Lyoto. If it got to the ground- I see it as advantage strongly for Babalu.


----------



## Mauricio Rua (May 27, 2009)

Jardine is too reckless and aggressive to be able to beat Machida. His striking has never been crisp.

Anderson would be the perfect match for Machida. Anderson is very patient and wont do anything crazy on Machida. Not to mention Anderson has the best strike accuracy in MMA. But we all know they will never fight each other.

Shogun also has the skills to beat Machida. His MuayThai is of top level. His a very well rounded fighter. Wrestling, MuayThai, Western Boxing, BJJ Black Belt. Shogun is also patient and knows when to be aggressive and go for the kill. But for now he needs a few more fights against top 205'ers. Shogun vs Evans would be perfect for him. That's the match he needs right now to prepare himself.


----------



## Rammsoldat (May 24, 2009)

WarMachida said:


> Rampage? I mean seriously people? I would be ver surprised if Machida loses to him, there is just too much difference in speed and striking...plus can you imagine what Ryu will do to Page's legs?


i see rampage getting his legs kicked out from under him unfotunatley, dont think he will be getting his belt back off machida at all.


----------



## the ultimate (Mar 5, 2007)

I'm not sure at all. Rampage is a great match-up for Machida because he's aggressive, focuses on stand-up, not the quickest and an easy target so unless Rampage catches him with a huge shot, Machida wins in a decision.

Shogun would probably lose as well. He is extremely aggressive and that will be play into the hands of Machida who would stopo him in the third or fourth round. 

Machida would knock out Jardine, if his chin was better then he would be an elite 205'er. 

I think Machida would probably knock Griffin out as well but Forrest has said that he doesn't want to fight him.

Machida just looks unstoppable.


----------



## jdun11 (Apr 23, 2006)

I think Shogun has all the tools to do it. But it will be tough. I think he can take Lyoto down and once there, Lyoto is no longer a mystery.

My long shot, is Randy Couture. If I was him, if he beats Nog he should ask Dana to fight the winner of Rampage and Machida. I think Randy has the tools to beat Machida, if he can clinch and dirty box with Machida he has a chance.


----------



## HexRei (Apr 27, 2007)

although i dont see randy beating machida, that would be a huge fight for both guys and i'd love to see it happen.


----------



## Toxic (Mar 1, 2007)

Mauricio Rua said:


> Anderson would be the perfect match for Machida. Anderson is very patient and wont do anything crazy on Machida. Not to mention Anderson has the best strike accuracy in MMA. But we all know they will never fight each other.



I honestly think Machida is more accurate than Anderson.


----------



## neoseeker (Jun 16, 2007)

Another vote for Shogun, the most versatile LHW in the UFC. I seriously believe he's getting his confidence back and at 27 y/o he is a force to be reckon with.


----------



## Fedornumber1! (Jun 18, 2008)

michelangelo said:


> 1. Brock Lesnar. Maybe.
> 
> 2. Fedor. Probably.


Maybe? Probably? Please they would kill Machida



Prolly Shogun or Forrest if he gets his shit back together but I dont think Machida will be losing for a long long time


----------



## Zenhalo (Sep 9, 2006)

Fedornumber1! said:


> Maybe? Probably? Please they would kill Machida
> 
> 
> Yes- and a fighter 60 lbs heavier than Brock would kill Brock.


----------



## Fedornumber1! (Jun 18, 2008)

Zenhalo said:


> Fedornumber1! said:
> 
> 
> > Maybe? Probably? Please they would kill Machida
> ...


----------



## Silly_Mo (May 19, 2009)

Toxic said:


> You know I have been racking my brain and the best answer to this I can come up with is Keith Jardine, Machida reads everyone like a book and is such an unconventional fighter so who better to face him than somebody like Jardine who is probably the hardest person to read and he has seemed almost impossible to get the timing down against him because he is so unorthodox. Not saying Jardine can beat him but I think he is the guy with the best chance at it.


Didn't Rashard beat keith Jardine's ass already. And we see what happened to him. If Cung Le got some MMA fights under his belt.....maybe in a year he could do it....those throws are sick.


----------



## coldcall420 (Aug 2, 2007)

jdun11 said:


> I think Shogun has all the tools to do it. But it will be tough. I think he can take Lyoto down and once there, Lyoto is no longer a mystery.
> 
> My long shot, is Randy Couture. If I was him, if he beats Nog he should ask Dana to fight the winner of Rampage and Machida. I think Randy has the tools to beat Machida, if he can clinch and dirty box with Machida he has a chance.


 
Lyoto has plenty of game off his back...you just never see him there..in his earlier career he fought on the ground alot more when he was less confident in his karate......he has a black in bjj not sayn it measures Shogun but I'll bet you anything Shogun losses to Machida if they fought.......:thumbsup:


----------



## CroCopPride (Jan 13, 2007)

osmium said:


> Shogun.


/thread

i cant wait to see that fight


----------



## putmeonhold (Jul 10, 2006)

2 words - Matt Hammil lol


----------



## chilo (May 27, 2007)

War Shogun!


----------



## SideWays222 (Sep 9, 2008)

Duhhhhh Rich "ACE" Franklin

Rich never loses twice to the same person.... OH WAIT >_<

Anyway
Still him.


----------



## Servatose (Apr 21, 2008)

I can't really imagine anyone with their current skill-sets beating Lyoto.


----------



## ELITE-MT (Jan 12, 2007)

A few people on the list have a punchers chance(very small chance) but I'd really like to see him and Jon Jones got at it. Sure Jones has a way to go but I like his style!




...and Bader..seriously?


----------



## Gluteal Cleft (May 12, 2007)

Whoever can succesfully use leg-kicks against him.

Machida's style is about speed - he uses it to stay away from his opponent, and he uses it to strike quickly and get out. He also leans back and leaves his front leg pretty far forward.

Whoever can succesfully chop away at his legs and slow him down will be the first to dethrone him, then once the cat is out of the bag, all of his opponents will start doing it.


----------

