Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida made a convincing case for a shot at the middleweight title with a dominant unanimous decision victory over Gegard Mousasi at UFC Fight Night 36 in Jaragua do Sul on Saturday. Machida won 50-45, 50-45, and 49-46 on the judges scorecards.
Machida controlled the fight in the stand-up utilizing his quickness, versatility, movement, footwork and a series of strong kicks,to neutralize Mousasi. He was in control for nearly the entire five-round fight, and as the number three ranked middleweight proved that he is a strong contender at 185 pounds.
Machida beats Mousasi, Looking for MW Title Shot
However, Machida was noticeably limping after the fight, and he said that he feared he had a broken foot, which could complicate any plans for a quick challenge at the title.
“I don’t know what happened exactly, but maybe in the third round I did a kick and he defended with his knee,” Machida told FOX Sports in a post-fight interview. “I don’t know if I broke my foot.”
Machida indicated he fought through the pain. “I didn’t think about my foot,” he said. “I just tried to keep my focus on the fight because I know Mousasi was a tough opponent.”
As for the Middleweight title, Current champ Chris Weidman is preparing to defend his belt against Vitor Belfort at UFC 173 in May. The winner of that fight will likely take on Machida, if he is recovered in time, or Jacare Souza who also made his case for a title shot with a win on Saturday.
“Now I found my weight,” Machida said, answering a question about dropping to 185 pounds. “Before, back in the day, I fought at 205, but there are a lot of big guys. But in this weight class, I feel like a big guy. Mousasi, for example, is shorter than me. I can fight against everybody.”
Machida did his own form of subdued lobbying for the title shot as well, in the way only he can.
“I don’t know who deserve the title shot. Dana White is the boss and he can decide everything,” Machida explained. “But I think I deserve the title shot, too.”
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