Are We In The Year Of The Dragon aka Lyoto Machida?

Are we in the ~~Year~~ Era of the Dragon aka Lyoto Machida?

Lyoto “Dragon” Machida has very quietly become one of THE Rock Stars
of MMA and the UFC in particular.

Just the other day I was talking to a friend about how and why Machida
got to where he is today.

Here are my Top 7 Reasons:

1. The Light-Heavyweight Division is undisputedly considered the UFC’s
Rock Star Division and the 31 year old Lyoto Machida is currently
their World Champion with a clean 15-0 record.

2. Machida is ranked as the #4 Pound for Pound Fighter in the world
(he only trails George St. Pierre, Anderson “Spider” Silva and Fedor
“The Last Emperor” Emelianenko)

3. Machida’s fighting style in considered semi-orthodox (whatever that
means), by some even boring. He is an extremely efficient counter-
striker with a hit rate of a whopping 65 percent, compared to the
“industry average” of around 35%.

4. His patience in the ring/Octagon drives his opponent nuts, causing
them to take the initiative and make costly mistakes.

5. Machida has not taken the blows (= punishment) many other UFC
titleholders experience to stay at the top.

6. Machida’s arsenal of tools is rather impressive. He has mastered
Shotokan Karate, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Muay Thai and even Sumo.
And somehow Machida is able to make all this work together to get
the job done.

7. With his English language skills quickly improving, Machida is becoming
extremely marketable in English-speaking countries, especially the U.S.,
where his fan base is growing by the day.

UFC President Dana White knows a winner when he sees one.

He is saying that Machida’s upcoming fight against Mauricio “Shogun” Rua
has the potential to be one of best UFC Light-Heavyweight matches in the Octagon.

Agree or disagree?

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