If they had never fought, would you consider Evans a bad match-up for Machida?

[Aquabot]

^^^ This is my view as well. Not only did I think he was going to win but I thought we were about to witness another Anderson Silva like run only in the LHW division. And then Shogun KTFO out of him and that was that.

 

[AP_RESURRECTION]

i think they've both gotten better, esp rashad since then, personally

but machida is a disaster matchup for him - rashad has good striking to be confident but not good enough to win - he'll get dropped i think or gas out trying to take him down

 

[mcclarse]

I still think Rashad is a bad match-up for Machida if he actually comes in with a game plan that is something other than trying to be Muhammad Ali.

 

[Fyreborn]

sorry but a counter superman punch after faking machida ended the fight. I know the elbow was brutal but the punch was beautiful. Machida was hurt as hell.

I thought is was pretty obvious what I was saying there - the cut ended the fight because Machida was fighting mostly blind after it. You really think it's some sort of complete coincidence he got dropped almost immediately after the cut happened??

Machida himself admitted he lost his confidence after the cut. Also the punch that Jones countered was a wild hook by Machida - that's clearly not Machida's normal way of fighting.

On top of that, the distance that Machida was throwing that hook from was very poor - Machida normally has great distance, but the cut probably affected his ability to judge distance accurately.

I think Machida went into desperation mode after the cut because he probably figured that unless he landed a big haymaker, he was going to lose due to not being able to see shit. Jones easily countered Machida's wild haymaker thus dropping him, then choked his ass out.

Of course all this means little, I still think Jones would have won the fight anyway, he's the superior fighter to Machida. But to say the cut played no part in the finish is absolutely silly, IMO.

 

[NoBiasJustMMA]

No wrestlers are generally easier fights for Machida because he has great TDD and better striking and distance control than most of them. If you are a wrestler and want a chance at beating Machida, you have to have, good timing(Rashad doesn't have it), a great chin(Rashad doesn't have it) and great stand up.(Rashad doesn't have it)

I think of all the wrestlers at LHW Henderson is the most likely one to beat Machida due to his chin, timing and stand up. Rashad has better takedowns than Henderson but I don't think Machida will be beaten by getting taken down and kept down.

 

[chuckycol]

I thought is was pretty obvious what I was saying there - the cut ended the fight because Machida was fighting mostly blind after it. You really think it's some sort of complete coincidence he got dropped almost immediately after the cut happened??

Machida himself admitted he lost his confidence after the cut. Also the punch that Jones countered was a wild hook by Machida - that's clearly not Machida's normal way of fighting.

On top of that, the distance that Machida was throwing that hook from was very poor - Machida normally has great distance, but the cut probably affected his ability to judge distance accurately.

I think Machida went into desperation mode after the cut because he probably figured that unless he landed a big haymaker, he was going to lose due to not being able to see shit. Jones easily countered Machida's wild haymaker thus dropping him, then choked his ass out.

Of course all this means little, I still think Jones would have won the fight anyway, he's the superior fighter to Machida. But to say the cut played no part in the finish is absolutely silly, IMO.

i didn't say the cut played no part in the finish.

 

[Tyrannosaurus rex]

Rashad is a tough matchup for anyone.

But Machida is a great anti-wrestler.

 

[HaulParris]

Excellent question, TS. I would honestly have to say that I would favor Evans (grappler beats striker and all that).

 

[Unhinged]

Nope, never did.

 

[chaoticmayhem]

If Rashad uses his superior wrestling I think he can beat Machida. I don't think he wins the stand up battle though. It's all in the game plan like most things in life when talent level is pretty even.

 

[Patman]

...cannot be unseen.

But seriously, yes, I do think Rashad could give Machida some trouble with a smart gameplan. If Rashad goes in there with a wrestling mindset, he can win a decision.

 

[JoseAldoKillaBe]

Well, every fighter that fought Machida with a wrestler mentality lost to him. Just saying.

 

[Patman]

Well, every fighter that fought Machida with a wrestler mentality lost to him. Just saying.

Jon wanted the fight on the ground more than he wanted it standing.

 

[ermac88]

The reality is Machida was a riddle when he faced Rashad, since then machida has been figured out and suffered repeated losses.
Rashad has only gotten better. If they fight again, Rashad wins

 

[trane]

The reality is Machida was a riddle when he faced Rashad, since then machida has been figured out and suffered repeated losses.
Rashad has only gotten better. If they fight again, Rashad wins

Rashad does not have the skillset to beat Machida and you are delusional if you think otherwise.
Just because others have beaten Machida does not mean Rashad is good enough to beat him.

 

[sprucelees]

My guess would be that he would have a tougher time with strikers and not so much with wrestlers/BJJers

 

[JoseAldoKillaBe]

Jon wanted the fight on the ground more than he wanted it standing.

He didn't even try a takedown before tagging Machida really hard.

 

[marvinparsons]

This is an interesting to consider since Rashad has asked for a rematch.
In retrospect this question may sound silly. But try to remove the memory of their fight from your mind...

Machida has a special fighting style. However, he seems to fight at his worst against guys that can pressure him against the cage and limit his movement. Like by covering space and staying active on the feet while not giving counters. I imagine Rashad can to this with active footwork and his good reach.

Even Tito Ortiz was succesful in doing this. Machida's natural response to this is the knee to the plexus. Against a fast wrestler like Rashad that could land him on his back.

Also consider the fact that there's more tape on Machida (losing), which can help develop a good game-plan.

inb4shadface

tl;dr: Forget their first fight and imagine if they fought now, would you consider Rashad a bad match-up for Machida?

The last time they fought Evans seemed to be in love with his striking having knocked out Chuck Lidell. That is a bad decision against Machida. Evans does not have great striking defense (was tagged by Griffin, Liddell, T Silva, Rampage) and mostly boxes, not using his feet as a weapon that often, Sean Salmon notwithstandding. He also needs to be in close to his opponent to get to work. This is a recipe for how to lose against Lyoto Machida. You can't get close to him by wading in without getting countered, he is too quick. You need to move quickly, which Evans is not good at. Evans is unlikely to win on the feet. Can Evans take Machida down for three rounds and win that way? Or grind him against the cage? THIS is the only open question, although Machida's history suggests this is likely not possible. He has very good TDD and is "elusive." Machida should be a heavy favourite if the two were to fight again.

 

[dns2344]

"In retrospect this question may sound silly. But try to remove the memory of their fight from your mind... "

This is why none of us should ever make predictions on here. Any perceived logic or opinions on how the fight will go is never more than a guess.

Isn't there something to be said about doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results? I forget

 

[ermac88]

Rashad does not have the skillset to beat Machida and you are delusional if you think otherwise.
Just because others have beaten Machida does not mean Rashad is good enough to beat him.

machida was a puzzle,since figured out he's lost repeatedly. Rashad is probably the number two after Jones