(pic from here)
Lyoto Machida’s second round knockout of Rashad Evans was the best fight I’ve seen. Not only did he take out an accomplished fighter at the top of his game, he also took him out using some highly technical karate. Well before the fight, I called it correctly by saying that “Rashad [wouldn't] know what hit him,” but even I was shocked by the quickness and excitement of what I saw. When Rashad went down, the entire crowd in the sports bar erupted. No one saw it coming.
The guy two seats down from me was shouting throughout the first round, “C’mon, do something!” He was clearly on the other side of the Machida divide because I thought Machida was doing something, even if there wasn’t much physical contact. I was loving every second as Machida tested Evans and broke his will. There weren’t many punches thrown in Round One, but as Sun Tzu might say, it was in Round One where Machida won the fight without fighting. The same guy yelling “Do something” changed his tune when Machida’s left hand crumpled Evans in Round Two.
The unique thing about most Machida fights is that Machida exemplifies the one punch/one kill philosophy of karate. He doesn’t physically tire or wear down his opponents. He simply goes in, comes out, goes in, comes out. He punches or kicks his opponent every time he goes in, and he rarely gets hit. He’s efficient. Over the course of a round, he damages the confidence of his opponent until he connects with a shot or combination that knocks his opponent out. It’s like watching a game of chess where each strike is an attempt at checkmate.
I think Machida is going to be at the top for a long time. I’ve heard people say that Rampage is getting the next title shot. I love watching Rampage fight and deliver–but he too has no chance. Mixed Martial Arts has entered a new era.
By the way, this is why he’s the best:
“Now that I have become a champion, the real works begins,” Machida said. “My goal is to go out there and become a better fighter every time I step into the Octagon.
“When I go back home, my father will analyze the tapes with my brothers and see what mistakes I made and try to improve.”
He’s the best in the sport right now, better than Rampage, better than Spider, and with his attitude and commitment, he will only get better. I’m looking forward to seeing the new champion’s future fights.
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I also wanted more rice than what could fit inside the wrap....
I finally got around to watching a video of this fight, and I have to say that I was quite shocked at how one-sided this fight was given how it’s such a hyped up match. Evans wasn’t just defeated, he was destroyed. I was also surprised at how much striking, dodging, and footwork was involved. Now I don’t follow the UFC, and I don’t know anything about MMA, but the few times I’ve watched, it’s usually two buff sweaty men molesting each other on the floor until one of them suddenly gets his lights punched out. Makes me wonder why more women don’t watch it.
Leon,
That was the beauty of this fight. I seriously think it was the best fight I’ve ever seen. What appealed to me was the fact that it was skill above chance or even conditioning. Machida just kept going in and out, hitting while hardly getting hit.
There was a good pre-fight analysis of Lyoto Machida’s intelligent style here:
http://www.cagetoday.com/joe-rogan-breaksdown-lyoto-machida-vs-rashad-evans-at-ufc-98-video/
It was an amazing fight, and a real accomplishment. Rashad is an incredible wrestler and very well-rounded and Lyoto made it look easy. Machida was always a force, even back when he was fighting in Heroes in K-1 and knocking out Rich Franklin like it was child’s play. Now he’s just recognized as the real force he is in the ring. I love his block-catch-counter strike style and his foot-work and unorthodox movement. He is going to be a very big problem for a lot of fighters. I now hope to see Cung Le in the UFC and eagerly await the arrival of Judo legend Yoshihiro Akiyama. Both of whom are fantastic fighters. Le in particular could have the kryptonite in his massively unorthodox San Shou for Anderson Silva’s brilliant (but very conventional) muay thai. I think Silva is prime for a decent striker to capitalize on, at the moment, because he’s been getting used to fighting very poor strikers (who are tremendous grapplers) and it might be weakening his defensive skills and reaction time. Le could take advantage of that particular problem with his experience and aggressive offense.
Cung Le in the Octagon would be awesome. Something that Joe Rogan mentioned in the Machida fight was that the UFC’s level of striking is generally inferior to that of professional karate, K-1, and all those other big tournaments. It would be excellent to see how Cung Le could do against Anderson Silva. Silva has been unchallenged in his last few fights, and if Dana has to bring in someone to challenge him, I think it’s a good move.
Cung Le talks about a Silva fight here:
http://mixedmartialartvideos.com/cung-le-talks-ufc-anderson-silva-and-injury-video/
Machida-Rua II coming up. The last one was very close. I don’t feel like making a separate post today, but I’ll predict that Machida KO’s Rua in Round 4 or 5. I think this one will go to KO. It could go either way, but my money is on Machida. He’s too smart to make the same mistakes twice.