Shogun has his eye on the Prize
The staredown at the UFC 104 press conference was interested between Lyoto Machida and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua. While fighters often use it as a way to intimidate their opponents, search for trepidation in their opponents as their bore into their soul via their eyes, and put on a spectacle for the fans, Shogun stayed focused on his goal for fighting–he never took his eyes off the gold hanging around the shoulder of Machida. Shogun avoided the stare from Machida, but kept looking down straight at the UFC light-heavyweight strap.
He’s one win away from become a UFC champion, but of course standing in his way is the biggest juggernaut the 205 pound division has seen in Lyoto Machida. If this indeed is the Machida era, and many believe it to be so, then Machida is a stark contrast from the former ruler of the light-heavyweight category–Chuck Liddell. “The Iceman” was not a difficult man to understand in the cage, he didn’t have any secrets about what he was plotting, and there was rarely any surprises when he was on his dominant run–defending his title 4 times after winning it from Randy Couture and becoming the most popular MMA fighter in the world. Liddell would tell people exactly what he was going to do–throw big hands, take a punch or two until he landed that big shot which put his opponent away on the spot, or started up the beginning of the end into their separation from consciousness.
Machida is quite the opposite. People are scratching their heads and befuddled as to what just happened. This isn’t the normative MMA striking style which seemed to have been the pinnacle of what you can achieve in the game–western boxing techniques meshed in way Muay Thai training. Machida Martial Arts Karate is a system that fuses Shotokan principles with whatever the Machida family feels is effective to use in MMA. It’s a family tradition that has not spread like wildfire across the globe as Gracie Jiu-Jitsu did. It’s more of a family secret. Eventually this discrete familial attack will be deciphered by the cream of the 205 pound crop, so Machida certainly has to mix it up as he progressed in his career.
But before any talk of legacy is discussed you have to think about the task at hand–Shogun. It’s hard to bet against Machida in this one, but you can’t overlook his talent and ability to effective outstrike opponents. You’ve never seen Shogun be overwhelmed on the feet, but quite the opposite. He’s been a Muay Thai terror for opponents and throws some very diverse and unique attack at his foes too. This is going to be a great fight with a lot of great stand up technique displayed.
Defending is harder than winning a belt, and this is Machida’s toughest challenge to date. The promo for UFC 104 has included part of Machida’s post fight speech in the Octagon after winning his belt against Rashad Evans–”If you have a dream in your life go ahead, it’s possible.” Shogun has his eye on the prize and his dream and is looking to prove Machida right tonight.
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