Reading some of the things you guys post is mind-bottling!
"Machida was trying to finish the fight all night, Shogun wasn't"
"This isn't a point match, this is mma"
"Shogun would connect and run away"
If I didn't know better, I would think this sounds a lot like the kind of criticism Machida was getting before his last two fights.
Machida finishes fights, right?
16 wins, 9 decisions for his career. 44% finish rate
8 wins, 3 finishes in the UFC. 38% finish rate.
Betting that Machida won't finish a fight is a pretty sound bet, imo. He doesn't take risks and plays it safe. Hell, even in his KO of Silva, I'd be one to argue that if there wasn't half a second left in the round, he wouldn't have went for the kill shot.
All I'm saying is, it's pretty hypocritical on your parts to call Shogun out like that. It was a controversial decision in a fight that the untouchable one showed weaknesses you never expected, landed strikes at the lowest percentage of his career, and looked broken after the final bell.
ps. I compared Shogun's use of leg kicks to a speed boxer that relies on his jab to score from the outside. When fighting against a big puncher, the only time I feel that puncher should win a round is if he lands blows of consequences vs. a volume puncher. That's the only time I justify landing less blows in a round, yet still winning the round. And frankly, Machida never landed any big blows, and I never expected him to. His power, imo, has always been due to using his opponents momentum when aggressively coming towards him. He's not a homerun hitter, never has been. But he sure punched the shit out of some forearms.
I agree with your post. I'm not a fan of Machida and in fact I can't stand watching him fight. In my opinion he should of been stuck on the prelims with Okami until his contract was up. I think fans of mma have very short memories and it's all about what you've done lately. Look at the criticism Anderson took after the Cote and Leites fights. If you look at Machida's career he isn't a guy that finishes fights. He doesn't fight agressively. He finished Silva and Rashad and everybody acted like he was knocking everybody out. Machida spends more time backing up and circling away then he does striking. In the biggest fight of his life, with the title on the line he did next to nothing in the 4th and 5th rounds. I pray to God this guy looses the belt in the rematch. If we have to watch Mr. Elusive defend the belt 4 or 5 times it's going to be bad for the ufc. The casual fan won't stay interested in a champ that's content to squeak by with 5 rd decision wins. I'm sorry he isn't a fun guy to watch. Shogun on the other hand is the epitome of an action fighter and always is agressive and going for the finish. The ufc and the fans would be better off if he was champ.
TTT
Not one retort?