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18.06.2010, 23:45
Machida was a much bigger fighter, and I had heard they wanted to use me to make a name for him. I
guess K-1, or his management, figured beating me would put him on the map. I didn’t give a shit what they
thought. I was going to throw overhand rights all day long and make him pay for wanting to fight me.
Winning and losing mattered, but it was more about putting on great fights for the fans and proving myself
to the Japanese audience.
Machida came into this fight weighing close to 225 pounds, since it was rumored he wanted to fight in
the heavyweight division. I came in around 180 or so, but I can’t be sure because the weigh-in was hardly relevant, since we were basically fighting open weight. Even though he had the size, I knew deep down I
was going to win: when I sign on the line to fight, I sign to win.
Далее описание самого боя
As I stared across the ring, his corner was like a mirror image of mine, him standing there with his two
brothers, me with mine. We should have just had a brawl, for it could have been one for the ages, but
instead it was just the two of us. From the get-go, I just attacked him, throwing big right hooks and
overhand rights. He was nimble enough to get out of the way, but I was just going to stay on this guy for as
long as I could and not let him get comfortable. His signature move was to throw kicks, and a left hand at
the same time to catch guys coming in. I was prepared for that. A lot of times when a guy throws a kick, it
is an opportunity to throw a punch, so his punch is more like a defensive maneuver rather than something
that can cause a lot of damage.
I shot in for the first takedown, pressed him against the ropes, but he used his size to turn me around
and get me on the ropes. That was the one area where he had a clear advantage in that he was so much
bigger than me. I sensed his goal would be to tire me out with his weight. He threw a lot of knees into my
legs as well to slow me down. Every time I threw a right hand, I tried to get on top of him, right in his face,
and control his body, but the size was definitely a factor. I was clearly the more aggressive fighter from
the start, but then again that could be expected when you face a karate fighter, a martial art that relies on
distance and counterstrikes. Whenever I did get in on him, he would tie me up, and then try to throw short
punches and elbows on the break. When he wasn’t doing that, it was all about keeping distance. I was the
complete opposite; we both played to each other’s strengths and weaknesses.
At one point in the first round, we were pressed into the corner with him trying to break out with a quick
flurry, but I attacked and landed an overhand right that sent him backward. He tried to counter with a kick,
but I landed another overhand right. He had yet to land a shot of significance, while I had landed quite a
few. He did keep the pressure on my body by throwing knees into my legs, but not enough to cause
noticeable damage.
We moved around the ring and eventually started throwing wild punches, both of us, with one of his left
uppercuts connecting on my face, but not causing a lot of damage since he was moving backward. From
there, I was able to get the first takedown after he missed with an attempted trip. We both wrestled for
position with me on top, neither of us landing many blows. He knew his best option from the bottom was
making sure I could not get free for a submission attempt, and Machida wanted to be anywhere but on his
back. The round ended, and I thought I’d clearly won.
When the second began, he tried using a lot of fakes, the same ones which have thrown a lot of UFC
fighters off their games. They didn’t have much of an effect. We both threw punches but nothing landed,
and again he tried to hold me into the corner to wear me down. Holding a big man up during a fight can be
more tiring than being punched, or having a guy lie on top of you. At this point keeping his weight on me
was his best option because that also slowed the fight down. As the round went on, he connected with
more shots, but none of them were landing flush. When he tried to throw one of his favorite moves, a
spinning back kick, I saw it coming and delivered an overhand right that sent him into the ropes. I pounced
on him immediately, but the ropes held him up and essentially saved him. The missed takedown was the
difference in the fight.
Going into the third, I figured it was close, probably at one round apiece. I was growing really tired at this
point. He seemed tired too, but was probably in a better place because of his size. He came out a lot
more active than I did. I landed a decent jab, and eventually went for a takedown, but he was quick enough
to get up. None of his punches or kicks to this point of the match had caused any real damage; it was still
just a matter of being grinded on by his size. I saw all his fakes, and most of his punches coming the
entire time. He landed some solid leg kicks in the third, but more for points than damage. At one point
when I was on my back, he jumped up for a stomp, which glanced off the back of my head.
I did not have a lot in the tank at this point, and I was looking for one big shot in the hope of taking him
out. More than halfway through the round, he was definitely in the lead. With a minute to go, he held me
against the ropes, throwing knees, again tiring me out. Then he went for a takedown on the break,
knowing any points this late in the match could decide the whole thing. The round ended, and I was as
tired as I had ever been in a fight.
Ну, и выводы по Мачиде
The entire fight hinged on the second round and whoever won that. Once the announcer called out his
name, I knew it had been him. All three judges scored the victory for Lyoto. I was not surprised by the
decision, but it was the first time I had lost by unanimous decision. Still, I was not devastated like I had
been versus Pulver, where I knew I should have won, but like any other fight, I was emotional and down.
Lyoto is a great fighter and I had been looking to test myself against the best, but this doesn’t mean I was
comfortable with the loss. It was not the type of thing which was going to sit with me for ages, but still it
was not easy to let go.
Inside the ring I had sustained little to no damage, but physically I was exhausted. When Rudy, Reagan,
and Jay Dee walked me back to the locker room, they had to take me around underneath the stadium
bleachers. I was so completely spent I had to sit down on the floor right there, and I couldn’t make it back
to the locker room. Valentino told me I had to get back, so they picked me up and pretty much carried me.
Having to hold up Machida’s weight the entire fight was exhausting since he had at least forty, maybe fifty
pounds on me. It was not a problem during the fight, but it sure was afterward.
As for Machida, I knew how good he was, but I didn’t realize he’d briefly be considered the best in the
world just a few years later, viewed by some as unbeatable. I thought he was more than beatable, and
truth be told, I landed at least as many, if not more, powerful shots than he did. I often hear things like
“Machida is not the same fighter now” or “he has developed his skills since then.” I don’t believe any of
that matters. Machida is a karate fighter first, and if you go back and watch his fight against me, or even
his previous fight against Sam Greco, he fought the same way then as he does today. The reason he has
walked through the UFC and won the light heavyweight championship is guys are either impatient, or too
scared to take him on.
I have seen countless fighters get picked apart by Machida because they either do not know what they
are doing or are scared to get hit. Feeling intimidated inside a ring or a cage does not generate the type
of energy that is going to help you, but rather will ultimately lead to a loss. Fighters try to keep their
distance from Machida to avoid his strikes rather than getting up in his face and limiting his karate skills,
especially his kicks. Karate is all about that, closing the distance fast, and it is what Machida does well.
To take nothing away from Machida, he’s a great fighter, but I haven’t seen him beat anyone in his
division who I consider to be an amazing fighter in his prime. This does not mean Machida is not a great
champion because he is, but I gave up at least five inches in height and a ton of weight to this guy, and
landed as many big shots and went the distance. I do not think a fight with Machida today would be much
different than it was then; one that could go either way. When it comes to the way I fight, I do not think size
is especially relevant.
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