Holy. I…don’t even know what to say about UFC 113. I’m in shock. Complete shock. Almost as if someone knocked me out in the first round.
Where should I start? Let me start positive, then I’ll talk about Koscheck/Daley, then I’ll get sad but analytical, then I’ll try to end positive again. That sounds like a plan. Yeahh…
Congratulations to Shogun Rua. I thought Machida was going to beat him. I respect him as a person and a fighter. I think he’s an exemplary role model, and I’m happy for his win. If anyone wants to see why I respect Rua, check it out at around 4:55 here:
Some dude in his school was fighting outside on the streets, and Rua expelled him. It takes a true sensei grounded in ethics and values to do that, and Rua gets all my respect. For this fight, it was clear that he trained very hard, and I respect him for taking it to Machida for the whole 3 minutes of fighting.
Now let’s talk Koscheck and Daley. Koscheck won a convincing though boring lay and pray against Paul Daley. Yes, it’s not my style of fighting, but Koscheck did what he had to do. After the final bell for the third round sounded and the match was over, Paul Daley avenged his loss by punching Josh Koscheck in the face. What’s ironic is that Daley called Koscheck a “pussy” before the bout, and then he waited until after the match was over and Koscheck’s hands were down before hitting him. As Joe Rogan quipped, it was stronger than any punch he landed during the actual fight.
Paul Daley, fired from the UFC
Less than 30 minutes after the fight, UFC President Dana White fired Paul Daley from the UFC.
“I don’t care if he fights in every show all over the world and becomes the best and everybody thinks he’s the best pound-for-pound best in the world — he will never fight in the UFC ever again,” UFC President Dana White said. “He’s done.”
Daley belongs in jail. That was assault, pure and simple. It was uncalled for, illegal, and thuggish in the highest degree. Since he’s a martial artist, they should charge him with assault with a deadly weapon (although to be fair that deadly weapon didn’t do much damage to Kos’s face.) What a “pussy.” One blog suggests that maybe Daley could join Strikefarce. I think that’s a great idea; Daley should join Strikefarce, Babalu Sobral, and the rest of the Strikefarce thugs.
Anyway, onto the main topic:
The Machida Era is over. As the fight was starting, I told the guy next to me that I’d cry if Machida lost. I had no idea. Machida got KTFO’ed so fast I didn’t have time to shed tears. I was in shock.
Machida didn’t even show up for the fight. There was none of his usual karate moves, no aggressiveness, no establishment of dominance. Rua was swinging for the fences and pushing the action. Twice Rua attempted to take Machida down, but Machida used his sumo (I know it sounds funny saying that) to take Rua down. That’s right–the two takedowns belonged to Machida. He was sitting on top of Rua twice, and twice he let Rua get up. I was flabbergasted. Machida gave Rua no reason to fear him, didn’t punish him for his aggression, and didn’t try to hold him down or punch him from the half mount that he had twice. Rua had his way the whole time. One haymaker landed, and Machida was down. Rua jumped on top and pounded him unconscious.
In this sport, I think it’s hard, especially at the higher weight classes, to maintain dominance. That being the case, I was shocked by Machida. It seems that last fight inflicted some kind of psychological damage on him. It was like watching the post-Rampage Chuck Liddell, who basically showed up in body only after Rampage took him out. Machida lost the fight before the opening bell even sounded. He brought nothing into the cage. It looked like he didn’t even want to be there. One guy at the bar reassured me that he’s coming back. I really don’t think so. I think he’ll still be a top fighter, but he’ll never get back to where he was before. He was defeated permanently seven months ago. 
There’s no one left to watch. Sorry, but it’s true. Rampage is a great talker, but he’s a so-so fighter who has no answer to the leg kick. BJ’s great–when he trains. Anderson no longer cares, and St. Pierre has adopted lay and pray as a strategy (which unfortunately may be the safest way to secure wins these days). Hendo no longer cares enough to train before fights. Maybe Carwin or Velasquez? I’ve just never jumped on that bandwagon. Boring fighters like Chael Sonnen and Frankie Edgar are quickly becoming the norm.
Sigh. Machida, what happened?
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I agree with everything you said. About #1…I think...
Oh well, the Machida era was exciting for the short period of time it lasted. I agree with you: the last fight with Rua did get into Machida’s mind and screw with his confidence.
Most of the time you lose psychologically before you get into the ring. My hats off to Rua.
Man, did I call that one wrong. Oi. It was exciting while it lasted.
Maybe Machida can drop to middleweight if Anderson goes up to light heavyweight. I think his next fight ought to be someone very very very easy, just to get his confidence back.
Lol. I’ve never seen anyone be so consistently wrong when it came to mma predictions. Hopefully, you’re also wrong about the permanent damage inflicted on Machida. I still think he’s a bad match-up for any top LHW besides Shogun. I don’t think Shogun will hold the belt for long either; that’s just the way the 205 division works. There may even be a 2nd rematch without it being for the title.
Haha! My wife also told me to get out of this prediction business. I too hope that I’m wrong about the permanent damage on Machida. I’m still sticking by the prognosis, but hopefully I’ll be wrong again.
For the record, although it was off the blog, I called the Koscheck and Kimbo matches correctly. But no one cares about Koscheck, and a monkey could’ve predicted that Kimbo would lose.
Just saw this. Talk about bad timing…
http://www.fightofthenight.com/news/the-curse-of-the-book-launch-strikes-lyoto-machida/
Anyone can have a bad night. I still find Lyoto to be among the most exciting fighters to watch, and I’m looking forward to seeing him get over this loss and start winning again.
I’m also going to buy his book, just to support him.
As for Shogun, congratulations. I honestly thought Lyoto was going to be king of the hill for a while to come, but it looks like that’s very hard in that division. Best of luck to Shogun.
I was watching this ESPN thing when Rashad says that Machida became aggressive against Rua, and that it was uncharacteristic or something:
http://sports.espn.go.com/extra/mma/news/story?id=5175010
I just rewatched Machida/Evans. If anything I think he was more tentative against Rua. Or more accurately, Rua was just really really aggressive.
Evans was kind of just walking backwards the whole time, and I think that helped Machida plan his attack. With Rua, Machida was on the defensive the whole time.
This was the same thing that Tyson faced. When he was really hot, people were so scared that they backed up and got hit. Douglas figured that he could lose against an opponent who was stepping forward against him. (Holyfield did too, but I thought his punches were dirty since the modus operandi was “clinch and then punch off the clinch.”)
Korean_Karate_Fighter on, “The End of the Machida Era.”
As a karate fighter, my heart sank when Lyoto Machida lost to Shogun Rua. Nonetheless, I must say the Shogun Rua is the better fighter.
I agree with the point in the article that says that psychologically, Lyoto didn’t seem to be mentally up facing Shogun. It was as if the oft stated question of, ‘Solving the Machida Riddle,’ had been turned into, from Lyoto’s stand, ‘Solving the Shogun Riddle.’ And at UFC 113, Lyoto clearly didn’t have the answer.
As a karate fighter, I will admit it may be the end of the Machida Era. Lyoto Machida himself will have to address that in future MMA bouts.
However, one accomplishment that will always stand, one that the recent loss can’t take away from Lyoto Machida–is the proven effectiveness of the Shotokan karate kumite competition style against the typical sports-based MMA fighter.
Korean_Karate_Fighter
Thanks, Korean Karate Fighter!
I think Rua is going to beat Rashad next. This fight game is funny in that just because A can beat B and B can beat C, doesn’t mean that A can beat C. Style-wise, the person with the best shot against Rua right now is probably Rampage, who shouldn’t have gone against Rashad after such a long hiatus.
Machida was psychologically messed up in that first fight. I think he should take a really easy fight before going back up to the top of the division, just to get that confidence back up. He shouldn’t fight an up and comer, nor should he fight any former champions or top fighters. Hopefully with a little bit of rest, he should make a decent recovery.
Korean_Karate_Fighter@”jaehwan” re Machida Confidence.
@jaehwan: Hard to say who could beat Rua. Whomever it may be, they will have to be ready to take him on, stand up to his aggression & versatile striking. Korean_Karate_Fighter has read other accounts of Rua’s performance, and the gist is the preparation Rua did for Machida has ramped Rua up to take on just about anyone who isn’t 100% up to Rua’s skill level. When Shogun Rua is at the top of his game, he truly is a world-class MMA fighter.
Korean_Karate_Fighter, though, parts company with your call for Machida to take an easier fight, to build up confidence. That isn’t how traditional martial arts works. Traditional martial arts, here karate, works by training to defeat an opponent in a physical confrontation–ANY OPPONENT. That’s what Machida should do.
When Lyoto is ready to do that, his recovery period will be over!
Korean_Karate_Fighter
Haha! Now you know why I’m not a karate fighter. I just don’t want poor Machida to get hurt! Well, at least he can take a long break to fully recover from his injuries.
The next fight I want to see is Silva-Sonnen. Hopefully Silva can stand up against the lay-and-pray attacks of Sonnen.
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Frank and Danny and Max,
Jones or Rua? My gut tells me Jones because of his confidence and well rounded technique, but Rua’s experience is FAR superior. Plus, I don’t know how Jones would finish it. He doesn’t have great knockout power, and I can’t see him submitting Rua. I think my bet is Jones wins by decision.
I don’t know about Eddie Wineland/Urijah. I want Urijah to win, but he’s been busted up in his last few fights (not including the Mizugaki fight). If I had money resting on it, I’d have to bet Wineland, but I’ll be cheering for Urijah.
Akiyama isn’t fighting anymore because of the Japan disaster. Marquardt is fighting Dan Miller, who isn’t nearly as exciting as Akiyama.
I don’t know who to root for, I like both Jones and Rua, and both are class acts. Part of me thinks the freak athleticism may win out this time around, but Jones would be a fool to stand with Shogun.
I think Faber should able to pull this one off.
I’m kind of glad Akiyama was replaced, and I think he needs to be in the WW division. Did you see that picture of him next to Okami? They look worlds apart in weight, but both fight in the MW division. I think Akiyama would fare better in WW.
I want to root for the Jersey native in Miller, but I think Nate should be able to pull this one off. I think Jim is the better Miller from the performances I’ve seen.
Holy Jeez, you’re right:
http://teamtakeover.forum-express.com/t1268-pic-of-akiyama-and-okami-promoting-ufc-video-game
Okami is a big middleweight, but that’s ridiculous. I think maybe Akiyama should try welterweight, although I wonder if he has the speed for that division.
Actually I was thinking more this picture:
http://mmajunkie.com/dyn/images/organizations/ufc-japanese-fighters.jpg
I think if Akiyama cut a bit of weight he would fare better. I do think he’s undersized for MW, and that more Japanese fighters need to learn to cut weight to be competitive.
Oh. My.
Well, Okami is also big and strong for a middleweight. I don’t know–I think Akiyama might fare a little better at welterweight, but he also has to work on not getting hit so much. He went head to head with Leben, which was impressive, but the dude just takes a pounding and ends up gassing out in every single fight.
Speaking of Okami, I think he ought to find himself a fight. Silva/GSP will happen before Silva/Okami, and GSP is fighting nex month, which means that even though he is guaranteed a title shot, it might not happen until next year. Dana should put him against a tomato can or even two tomato cans just to keep his skills updated. Dana should still keep that title shot open, even if Okami loses.
I do agree, but who else is there to fight though for Okami? Demian Maia? Rich Franklin? Leben? Honestly Okami is skilled, but he is a bit boring for me. I guess any of the listed would make for an interesting fight, although Franklin might give Okami a run for his money.
Danny,
Okami is a bit boring for EVERYONE.
I don’t like watching him fight at all. That last fight against Marquardt was one of the worst ever, with both guys keeping a firm eye on the clock at all times. Franklin might be a good fight for him. Leben might be fun to see too, or maybe Brian Stann. I just want to see him fight Silva. 
What did you think about Jones vs Shogun?
I’ve been on the Jones bandwagon since the first time I saw him fighting (not his first fight). Still, I didn’t really expect him to bulldoze Rua like he did.
Rua just didn’t look nearly the same as he did when he fought against Machida (both times). I’m honestly not sure if it’s just that it was Jones, or if Rua was off somehow.
There’s also the saying “styles make fights,” so I do wonder how Machida would look against Jones, even if he loses. I am still a Machida fanboy.
(By the way, I kinda wanna see “Mr. Perfect” against Jones. He looks crazy good too.)
Danny,
Jones vs. Shogun was awesome!
I agree with Notty that Shogun didn’t look like himself. He just wasn’t on the attack very much, and Jones was clearly in his element. That said, I do think that Jones would’ve won 9 nights out of ten. He’s just too big and fast.
I think the pre-Rua Machida would have given Jones a run for his money. These days, I don’t know. Machida should’ve beaten Rampage, but he was way too tentative, nothing like the old Machida. I think Rua’s beatdown may have permanently ruined his career.
I don’t know who can unseat Jones. He may be the first LHW to reign for a long, long time.
I do agree Machida would have been the most interesting in terms of match up with Jon Jones. Not sure if he could get over the reach hump either. That reach is killer.
I can see the Jon Jones era as we speak though. They say Phil Davis is a potential contender, I guess I will decide when I watch some fights with him. Could this be a sign of athleticism taking over MMA? This looks like the trend (GSP, Jon Jones, lots of athletic wrestlers taking over)
Oh yes! Athleticism has been part of it for a long time, which is why the Gracies themselves are no longer top contenders. This began way back in the day when Kenny Monday stepped up.
I’m a huge Machida fan, and I think it’s fine that Rua beat him, but maybe it would’ve been good to see him fight Jon Jones before getting rocked. Man, it’s crazy what one knockout can do to a guy. Hopefully some decent competition will step up soon. Rashad is going to get killed!
By the way, I never thought about what they meant by “two inch reach advantage.” They measure “reach” by measuring middle fingertip to middle fingertip when you extend your hands to the side, which is actually closer to “wingspan” than “reach.” I think it makes more sense to measure clavicle to knuckle.
Not the most exciting Fight Night from UFC, but the Korean Zombie had a sick submission last night. Catch the footage if you can! Nice finish to the whole Leonard “I beat Asians via split decision” Garcia vs Chan Sung Jung series.
Holy s@#t! That was amazing! First ever twister in UFC history. That’s a whole lotta significance there.
As a side note, I can’t believe I missed it live!
I was looking for commentary on the Chan Sung Jung Twister, and I learned two things from this post:
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/mma/post/2011/03/gracie-breakdown-chan-sung-jungs-twister/1
1. First, Sergio Non is now writing for USA Today. Congrats to him.
2. The Gracie Academy YouTube Channel got shut down by Zuffa and the UFC for copyright infringement.
B.