Lyoto Machida Responds to Critics: "My Style Made Me a Champion"

For quite a long while, it was hard to be a fan of former ufc Light Heavyweight Champion Lyoto Machida. Then he heinously knocked out both Thiago Silva and Rashad Evans, and earned the respect of a lot of his detractors. Then he pulled through a highly controversial decision win against Mauricio Rua only to lose the immediate rematch by first-round KO. With that loss, the vultures have begun circling once again, claiming that Machida’s style is “boring” and that he’s afraid to fight. Basically, they’re not saying anything Machida hasn’t heard before. And according to the man himself, he couldn’t care less.

Here’s what “The Dragon” had to say in a new interview with MMA Weekly: “Everyone has their own opinion. But my style made me a champion… I knew one day I could lose like everyone else. Now, I feel like I’ve learned a lot from that loss and it’s taken a lot of pressure off my back… Part of this game is that you win some and you lose some.”

I’ve said it before, but it does bear repeating since so many fans have hopped off the Machida bandwagon and gone right back to criticizing him: I’ve been a supporter since day one. The first time I ever saw Lyoto Machida, I knew big things were in store for “The Dragon”. People would try to strike him, to hurt him, and he simply wouldn’t be there by the time they had completed their strike. I wholeheartedly believe that a true sign of dominance is to inflict maximum damage on your opponent while taking minimum damage to yourself. I can appreciate a wild brawl where both guys land big and swing for the fences, many fights like that even end up on my “Fight of the Year” lists. But when I look at Lyoto Machida, I see one of the smartest Octagon generals ever.

I get that Mauricio Rua gave Machida a lot of trouble and caused him plenty of setbacks. But all great champions lose. It’s the ones that come back from defeat, better and deadlier than ever, that are the true champions. And Machida has done quite a lot to make me firmly believe that he’ll fully be able to live up to that higher standard. Machida was gracious in defeat, honest in admitting his mistakes, and seems to be incredibly focused on becoming the best fighter possible. That’s a champion with or without a belt, and that’s the chief reason why I think Machida will take it to Quinton Jackson and ultimately knock him out.

But I’ve said this several times as well: Machida is going to have his hands full. I think “Rampage” will play into Machida’s counter-striking style and ultimately get KO’d for his efforts, but there’s always a possibility that Rampage could score a big punch. Even while gassed out and dealing with a huge amount of ring rust, Jackson still found a way to put Rashad Evans in a heap of trouble at one point in their recent, much-hyped encounter. “Sugar” could even be criticized of playing it safe and grinding out a decision in order to avoid Rampage’s strikes.  No matter what problems he has going into a fight, you can never fully count out Quinton Jackson.

But we all know where my allegiance lies, fans and friends. Lyoto Machida isn’t boring, he’s elusive. He fights smart, he hits hard, and he’s an incredibly humble fighter that’s fully dedicated to proving that he’s the best fighter in the world. “The Dragon” isn’t done yet, not by a long shot. And I can’t wait to see him return to form.

And what about you, fans and friends? As we get closer and closer to the pivotal showdown, which former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion are you siding with and why?