When Lyoto Machida decided to drop down a weight class, the growing perception of the former light heavyweight champ as a middleweight sent fear down the spine of the division. A quicker, lighter Machida seems to be the most dangerous Machida — just ask Mark Munoz.
This Saturday night Machida takes on another accomplished striker, former Strikeforce and Dream light heavyweight champ Gegard Mousasi. After his successful UFC light heavyweight debut against Alexander Gustafsson training partner Ilir Latifi, Mousasi is dropping down to take a crack at the middleweight division.
With title implications looming let’s take a closer look at this impressive matchup of elite strikers.
Lyoto Machida (20-4)
One of the most intriguing fighting styles in the UFC belongs to a man simply known as “The Dragon”.
Machida is master of distance, speed and also is the possessor of some serious KO power.
After a controversial loss to Phil Davis, Machida made his middleweight debut in October . What we saw was a leaner, quicker Machida who flattened Mark Munoz with a devastating head kick KO that was setup beautifully. The move to 185 has proven so far that this was indeed the correct choice for Machida and his camp.
For his matchup against Mousasi, Machida coincidentally might have to take this fight to the ground. Make no mistake, Machida will stand and engage with Mousasi and will likely find some success, but aside from being a great striker Mousasi also is the possessor of an awkward style. Darting in as he usually does might spell trouble for Machida against a counter striker with a jab like Mousasi. Also don’t be surprised if Machida brings some of that Sumo background into play if both men end up in the clinch.
Gegard Mousasi (34-3)
Arguably the best acquisition from the UFC’s buyout of Strikeforce, iron chinned kick boxer Mousasi is as lethal as they come. His use of the jab and angles are technically superior to most and his power is just as brutal as it is breathtaking.
In his UFC debut Mousasi outboxed and out jabbed the hard hitting Ilir Latifi. As impressive as the victory was it was clear from the start that Latifi was supremely outclassed. This will not happen against an opponent of Machida’s caliber, but Mousasi definitely contains the tools to defeat the former light heavyweight champ.
To secure the W, Mousasi will have to work his jab to find openings against the speedy Machida. Once he establishes the jab look for Mousasi to be a bit more aggressive than he was against Latifi with combinations coming from all angles. If he can somehow find the chin early it would be in Mousasi’s best interest to get Machida out of there as soon as possible. Mousasi has been known to fade a bit during later rounds — this is after all a five round fight.
The Bottom Line
According to Bodog, Machida (-240) is the favorite over Mousasi (+190) by a slight edge. Overall you have to come to the realization that this is a pick’em fight. Both men are great counter strikers with exceptional timing so they tend to take their time looking for openings. The likelihood of this being a long drawn out chess match seems fitting but we can always hope for more. When two strikers of this caliber meet up one tends to up the ante while in search for a definitive conclusion. With a title shot on the line, which one will it be?
Zachary Hutton is the lead boxing writer and an MMA contributor for CraveOnline Sports. You can see what he’s up to at his band’s website myunclethewolf.com or also subscribe onFacebook.
