Everyone seems to be hyped about the new MW Machida and that includes me. I do think people people aren't giving Weidman enough respect in thinking that Machida will beat him no question now but thats the UG, you're really only as good as your last fight. Im sure people noticed but not sure if anyone's really mentioned the fact though that this win by Machida may be the first in the UFC where he took the initiative on his own to attack and did not wait for the counter. Sure, he may have felt more comfortable against a training partner but at the same time, when they trained, it was unlikely full clip with official gloves. But i believe even Rogan mentioned during the fight that Machida had worked on being more proactive and not letting the judges take a decision away from him because of inactivity in waiting for the counter? Or was it Goldie? And then moments later, he did just that.
So Machida came out, threw a handful of hard body kicks and then landed a head kick which ended the fight. He has thrown kicks in the past as the "aggressor" but never in such high output like that iirc. He actually threw a handful of good kicks against Hendo iirc but none landed flush and he didnt land them in sequence like he did against Munoz (body, body, body, head). Machida doesnt really jab much but he has certain techniques that are done to open up the opponent or bait into countering or to irritate but this is the first time he has thrown and landed these kinds of shots with more force.
While I do agree that doing this Munoz doesnt mean he will run the division (though at the same time, I do think Munoz is being underated by others, he has only been KO'd 2 other times, once as a rookie and the other by the current champ who also KTFO Anderson Silva), I think this is a huge result for Machida because though I thought he shoulda got the nod vs Davis, I also saw Davis messing with Machida's timing and distance and actually countered Machida's attacks with leg shots - a first if im not mistaken. I thought this may be a sign that people are starting to figure Machida out. Style make fights, Munoz may have not been able to but what about Weidman, Vitor, Moussasi, Jacare?
Also, Machida i think mentioned that he had to diet pretty dilligently to make 185 and i found this suprising because didnt he weigh in around the 200lb mark or less natural for his LHW fights? Or perhaps, was he already quite lean or because it was the first time he had to cut to 185 after years as a LHW that he had some difficulty making MW?
i highly doubt Machida is the type to just eat the way he was when he weighed in at 203 and just try to cut 15-20, I assume he leaned down to make the cut from around 195
I assume the aggressiveness was two things
-because Munoz' defense is pretty mediocre, and he is not good at staying inside and countering back
-the comfort level from sparring him. yeah they don't go 100%, professionals still go pretty damn close, and it always helps to have a thorough knowledge of their skill level, rhythm, and habits
im sure he had to lean down but was suprised that he seemed to make it out to be a tough cut? that could be my speculation though.
yeah for sure they knew each other and that may benefited machida more which is why id like to see him against the guys mentioned above and which is why i think its premature to say he wipes out the div but its def a good sign as he is a counter master but he cant just rely on that, he's got to make things happen more outside that which he obviously did vs munoz
i think someone like Lyoto, who appears to have never really cut weight, would struggle with cutting 10 lbs of fluids for the first time just because of unfamiliarity.
he was always in shape but at 205, but you could always tell by his musculature that he was not on a wild diet or dehydrating himself to make weight. he looks significantly more ripped at 185, not like he lost any sort of muscle mass to make it like Swick/Palhares/Lombard
I definitely agree that it should be interesting to see what happens when Lyoto is not definitively undersized against all of his opponents, I think it will let him open up a little more when he doesn't need to be as wary of the opponent's power.
ajl416az - i think someone like Lyoto, who appears to have never really cut weight, would struggle with cutting 10 lbs of fluids for the first time just because of unfamiliarity.
he was always in shape but at 205, but you could always tell by his musculature that he was not on a wild diet or dehydrating himself to make weight. he looks significantly more ripped at 185, not like he lost any sort of muscle mass to make it like Swick/Palhares/Lombard
I definitely agree that it should be interesting to see what happens when Lyoto is not definitively undersized against all of his opponents, I think it will let him open up a little more when he doesn't need to be as wary of the opponent's power.
agreed.
though with guys like lombard and paul harris, they have too much much muscle mass that they hould be able tone it down...but perahps same thing with lombard as machida, he just hasnt sucked the weight in ages so wasnt used to it?
Does anyone recall when Goldie or Rogan was talking about Machida working on being more proactive so as to not let those decisions slip by anymore? Did they mention a coach for this?