MMA Fighter Bios: LYOTO MACHIDA

LYOTO MACHIDA

BORN: Salvador, Brazil

6’1, light heavyweight

Lyoto Machida has had a flawless career in MMA. A spotless 15-0 over the course of 6 years and wins over Rich Franklin, BJ Penn, Tito Ortiz, Rashad Evans, Thiago Silva and Thierry Sokoudjou. You know a fighter is special when they are able to knock out Rich Franklin in t heir third MMA contest.

Machida’s greatness is a genetic trait. Son of Shotokan karate master Yoshizo Machida, Lyoto, the Japanese-Brazilian UFC champion, would be surrounded by the world of martial arts. Even until this day his team consists of training with his father and brothers. He has developed his craft in BJJ and wrestling outside of his family quarters, but he to this day relies on their support and training to achieve success.

Machida is an incredibly complex fighter for any 205er to figure out, which has been largely due to his karate style. He has refined Shotokan karate, along with his family, to create a distinct and highly effective brand of fighting named Machida Martial Arts Karate. It’s hard for his opponents to find training partners against this style. Much like the Gracies confused fighter after fighter with their Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Machida has kept fighters extremely mystified as to how to defend the strikes which are coming at them from angles they’ve never had to defend. Machida has one of the most unusual and most effective striking styles ever in the sport. He has been the first person to knock out and defeat 3 great fighters—Rashad Evans, Rich Franklin and Thiago Silva all tasted defeat and separation from consciousness for the first time when they stepped into the cage against “The Dragon” Machida.

He has initiated a Karate revival and forced people to reconsider and redefine their view of the previously extinct discipline in MMA. “People are mostly surprised because they don’t understand that he’s a Karate guy, they see me throwing the elbows and knees and they say, “That’s not Karate, how is that Karate?””, says Machida. “ People just really don’t know what the real martial art Karate is, they think of it as a sport as what we see in Karate competitions and what we train as little kids here in America; but in reality what I’ve adapted with my family is something is completely different.”

His attitude is quite different as well. Machida really does live Samurai type of life and is immersed in that same mentality with this family in Brazil. “One of the hardest things is overcoming yourself, your insecurities and the things in your mind…the hardest part is keeping a philosophy day by day with myself.” Machida has a real Zen mindset and can flow with whatever befalls him in the Octagon, but in the cage he meticulously plans his attack and executes with the power and precision of a machine.

So the machine been running perfectly. 15 for 15 in MMA, 7 for 7 in the UFC, 5 knockouts, 2 submissions and the most coveted gold at 205 around his waist. He has fighters scratching their heads on how to defend themselves against him and is one of the most methodical technicians the sport has seen.

KO HONORS

Machida has won knockout of the night twice in the UFC:

1) Versus Thiago Silva, UFC 94, January 2009

2) Versus Rashad Evans, UFC 98, May 2009

ROAD TO PERFECTION

8 Decision

5 Knockokuts

3 Submissions

RESPECT

“You have to appreciate how talented this guy is. I don’t care who the fighter is, you can’t hit him, you can’t touch him, you can’t do anything.” –UFC president Dana White

“I think it’s going to be hard for anyone to beat him. This is Karate’s era, not the normal Karate but Machida Karate.”—UFC champion Anderson Silva

“Lyoto is very difficult to solve, very fast and explosive. I have to take my hat off to him.”—Rashad Evans after being defeated by Machida