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- Feb 25, 2011
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I've thought that Machida has been a tad overrated for a while on these boards but I've always been intrigued by the matchup quandaries his style creates. That said, he's 36, has been fighting for a long long time and he's fluctuated a great deal in weight throughout that time. I agree that he should have been fighting at MW a long time ago as that's the division for which his build is most naturally suited. Nonetheless, he's spent the majority of his career at 205 and has fought as heavy as 230 early in his career.
For my money, prime Roy Jones is the most physically talented fighter I've ever seen yet after his successful HW experiment, we saw a considerably eroded guy in the ring when he came back down to his original weight. Weight fluctuation is a bitch, especially as one gets older. Dan Henderson has stated as much, citing that as the reason why he prefers to fight at LHW as he's gotten older. Machida didn't look bad at all and Weidman is an absolute killer but I'd also venture to say that 2009 Machida is better than the current incarnation. Also, history has shown that older fighters who drop to the lightest weights of their respective careers don't necessarily reap the benefits of the weight cut. This part of my argument is only conjecture though so make of it what you will.
But to reiterate, he's 36 and he's been around for a long long time. While he doesn't get hit all that often, he's still been knocked out cold, busted open, choked unconscious, not to mention he's been training in high impact combat for his entire life. He's old in fight years. He's nowhere near as bad as the BJ that showed up last night and he's certainly not Chuck or Big Nog but I don't think it's crazy to suggest that he might be showing a few more cracks than he once did. I certainly don't think he starches Rashad or Thiago Silva in the same manner if he were to fight them today; he's good enough to still beat them, which is damn impressive mind you, but I don't think he asserts the same level of ownership that he did when he stepped in the cage against those guys. He's still a top guy but he's not a p4p guy nor is he a likely future champ. With all due respect, I think he's at the threshold of the "also-ran" stage of his fighting career. No shame; it happens to everyone who fights long enough.
PS I scored the fight 49-46 Weidman. 1,2,3,5 Weidman, round 4 to Lyoto.
For my money, prime Roy Jones is the most physically talented fighter I've ever seen yet after his successful HW experiment, we saw a considerably eroded guy in the ring when he came back down to his original weight. Weight fluctuation is a bitch, especially as one gets older. Dan Henderson has stated as much, citing that as the reason why he prefers to fight at LHW as he's gotten older. Machida didn't look bad at all and Weidman is an absolute killer but I'd also venture to say that 2009 Machida is better than the current incarnation. Also, history has shown that older fighters who drop to the lightest weights of their respective careers don't necessarily reap the benefits of the weight cut. This part of my argument is only conjecture though so make of it what you will.
But to reiterate, he's 36 and he's been around for a long long time. While he doesn't get hit all that often, he's still been knocked out cold, busted open, choked unconscious, not to mention he's been training in high impact combat for his entire life. He's old in fight years. He's nowhere near as bad as the BJ that showed up last night and he's certainly not Chuck or Big Nog but I don't think it's crazy to suggest that he might be showing a few more cracks than he once did. I certainly don't think he starches Rashad or Thiago Silva in the same manner if he were to fight them today; he's good enough to still beat them, which is damn impressive mind you, but I don't think he asserts the same level of ownership that he did when he stepped in the cage against those guys. He's still a top guy but he's not a p4p guy nor is he a likely future champ. With all due respect, I think he's at the threshold of the "also-ran" stage of his fighting career. No shame; it happens to everyone who fights long enough.
PS I scored the fight 49-46 Weidman. 1,2,3,5 Weidman, round 4 to Lyoto.
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