Lyoto Machida confident his striking will trump Chris Weidmans wrestling at UFC 173 Chris Weidman may try to get his fight against Lyoto Machida to the ground. Though according to comments from The Dragon, the All American may end up on the canvas whether he wants to be there or not. Styles make fights (duh). Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida has found new life as a title contender, thanks to his drop down to the middleweight division in late 2013. As luck would have it, The Dragon gets to take over for Vitor Belfort (because of this) as one half of the UFC 173 main event, which takes place on May 24, 2014 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The other half is Chris Weidman. The All American won the 185-pound strap by defeating -- and then retaining against -- Anderson Silva in consecutive fights. While he clearly has knockout power, the former collegiate wrestling standout also possesses a stifling ground game. Which Machida tells MMA Fighting, aint no thang: Ed (Soares) called me and said ‘I think they had a problem with Vitor and youll have to fight for the title. I said sure, thats great. Ive fought a lot of wrestlers before, and I know Weidman has a good wrestling, but Im confident on the work Im developing with my team. I believe in my striking game against Weidmans wrestling. Hes complete in every aspect of the game, but Im confident in what I do. Why shouldnt he be? Machida (21-4) annihilated Mark Munoz -- one of the best wrestlers in the middleweight division -- by way of thunderous head kick knockout at UFC Fight Night 30. The Brazilian followed that up by outstriking Gegard Mousasi at UFC Fight Night 36 just last month. Now its on to Sin City for a crack at the crown. Predictions?
Posted on: Tue, 11 Mar 2014 03:52:48 +0000
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