Can't see Rampage beating Machida, but stranger things have happened.
WHEN Rampage catch's Lyoto w/ an upercut/left hook combo this one is over and Rampage wins his belt back !!
Rampage with a good gameplan and a good training camp has a legit shot. He has one punch KO power, good wrestling and a granite chin. Everyone is counting page out but if Rampage is patient we haven't seen how Machida responds to being hit and going into the later rounds. Page has gone the distance twice in a championship fight.
rampage and shogun have the best chance to beat lyoto!
as much as i like rampage... he doesn't check leg kicks and seems to mentally fall a bit when things are not going his way. machida is patient and throws leg kicks to bait his opponents in. this is a really bad matchup for rampage. loyoto is a bad matchup for everyone.
I still wanna see wandy vs rampage 4
HendoUSA - serious question.. everyone keeps talking about Lyoto, and how he's been "so great so long" but just unheard of.
My question is why was he not able to put away these mediocre fighters? And this is very recent...
Vernon White Decision (Unanimous)W.F.A
Sam Hoger Decision (Unanimous)UFC-67
David Heath Decision (Unanimous)UFC-70
K. Nakamura Decision (Unanimous UFC-76
He's undefeated
HendoUSA -
My question is why was he not able to put away these mediocre fighters? And this is very recent...
Vernon White Decision (Unanimous)W.F.A
Sam Hoger Decision (Unanimous)UFC-67
David Heath Decision (Unanimous)UFC-70
K. Nakamura Decision (Unanimous UFC-76
I think it's got a lot to do with his mindset. He didn't appear interested in 'finishing them' when he had the advantage. He seemed more concerned with getting the W.
Just because 'you can' smash someone's face in to get the win (and get them medically suspended for months so they can't work), doesn't mean 'you have to'.
That's what I attribute those DEC wins to. Remember that none of those 'losers' had a good time in the ring with Machida as he gave them all a good flogging.
And each of those fighters (with the exception of White) was on a reasonably good streak at the time. Hoger had just done a split DEC with the future LHW champ (Rashad), Heath was undefeated and Nakamura had just come from Pride where he had recent wins over Cyborg, Kondo and Vovchanchyn.
His more recent successes (KO's & sub) are more than likely the result of a push to be more 'dominant' to the UFC.
HendoUSA - serious question.. everyone keeps talking about Lyoto, and how he's been "so great so long" but just unheard of.
My question is why was he not able to put away these mediocre fighters? And this is very recent...
Vernon White Decision (Unanimous)W.F.A
Sam Hoger Decision (Unanimous)UFC-67
David Heath Decision (Unanimous)UFC-70
K. Nakamura Decision (Unanimous UFC-76
maybe because Machida is constantly evolving as a fighter? He even said himself that his team will go back and watch to learn any mistakes that he made in the Evans fight.
HendoUSA - ... All his fights that have been finishes are against top tier competition ex Tito Ortiz, Soko, Rashad Evans, T. Silva.....
Then all his other fights against guys he should have demolished in a minute.... go to decisions?
That's not much different to A.Silva lately. Like I said above, I think it's got a bit to do with mindset. Why give a flogging to a guy who never really had a chance to begin with?
That's what I assumed Silva was doing with both Cote and Leites. Neither were ever going to win, so why mess them up really badly when they're no threat? Save that for the certifiable threats.