Here's my take on Machida:
Lyoto Machida...unappreciated.
Lyoto Machida is an unappreciated fighter.
He’s intelligent and very technical. Machida may not always press the action, but he counters very well. He finds openings with his controlled aggression and is dangerous standing and on the ground. Machida has solid takedown defense and has an uncanny ability to spin out of a clinch. His unpredictability and unorthodox stance sets him apart from the rest of the light heavyweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship and in the world.
The Shotokan Karate black belt’s style has been known to baffle his opponents, often leaving them flustered. Machida is undefeated as a professional and holds notable wins over Rich Franklin, Stephan Bonnar, B.J. Penn, Kazuhiro Nakamura, Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou and most recently Tito Ortiz at UFC 84. That’s an impressive list.
I personally enjoy watching Machida pick apart his opponents and completely frustrate them with his elusive yet unappreciatively dominant style. Unfortunately, that same fighting style has garnered him a bit of criticism. Of his 13 career victories, Machida has won eight of them by way of decision. Moreover, four of his five UFC appearances have resulted in unanimous decisions.
“He’s a boring fighter.” “All he does is run away.” “He needs to press the action more.”
Comments like these are abundant and are the main focus of his criticism. Those who were quick to write-off his performances as “dull” have yet to doubt the validity of his victories. He deservingly earned all of his wins without question.
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