Lyoto Machida Set To Fight Quinton “Rampage” Jackson in First Title Defense
UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida’s first title defense will be against former 205-pound champion and top contender Quinton “Rampage” Jackson.
The bout was announced by UFC President Dana White at the post-UFC 98 press conference on Saturday in Las Vegas.
Machida improved to 15-0 at UFC 98 with a second-round knockout of title-holder Rashad Evans. The karate practitioner has won seven bouts inside the Octagon, including victories over Thiago Silva, Tito Ortiz, and Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou.
“Rampage” won the title in May 2007 with a first-round knockout of Chuck Liddell then successfully defended the championship over Dan Henderson before relinqusing the belt to Forrest Griffin last July. After bouncing back with victories over Wanderlei Silva and Keith Jardine, Jackson is now poised to have an opportunity to reclaim the title.
The bout will take later this year after the fighters appear as opposing coaches on The Ultimate Fighter 10.
[Pictured: Lyoto Machida]
Tags: Lyoto Machida, Quinton Jackson
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Machida by tko 3rd round 4th minute. Rampage won’t get in any shots just like all the previous victims.
Rampage tko first round. Machida hasn’t fought a veteran with knockout power like jackson.
Good one Josh… Machida has never faced a Wrestler with quick strikes and power in his hands lol{Rashada} Not saying Rashada is like Jackson in everyway but they are very close.. Rashada is quicker then Rampage .. Rampage has provin power in both hands and good wrestling ,but it seems like his ground and pound is weak tho as forrest controlled him from the bottom .. I think Rampage Vs Machida is going to look similiar to Rashada Vs Machida
Hmmm…Rampage weak ground and pound? Not buying what your selling sir.
rashad BTW not rashada
thank you Rob ,I didn’t mean Rampages punch’s when he is ground and pounding is weak ,I ment his control of the other fighter from the top is kind of sloppy and he gets tied up and submission attempts thrown at him alot because of sloppy pnb/ but your right the punchs which he throws are not weak .. I just said what I was thinking the wrong way ” If you need prove of what I’m saying look at the Forrest fight,
dude are you serious rampage just stands in the pocket waiting to get hit. first round tko for sure
Rampage is not Evans and he damn sure is not Thiago Silva. Thiago Silva’s base is on the ground, Evan’s base is wrestling.
Machida has never fight a striker like Rampage. Machida ha never been truly tested by a pure ELITE striker like Rampage. Rampage is not going to wait for Machida to come in. Rampage is going to come in and pressure Machida from the start like he did against Chuck and Wanderlei. Machida is way faster than Jackson,but Jackson is not stupid, he gets in your face, but not careless. He kinda forces you to throw somehting so he cand unleash his devastating right and left hooks….i don’t care who your are,Rampage’s punches can put anyone to sleep.
I know a lot of your are thinking that Rampage won’t even touch Machida,but consider this…Machida doesn’t always run away and be elusive like he’s been in recent fights, against Thiago SIlva and Evans, he pressed the fight more than his oppenent. If he does that with Rampgae,he’ll be in danger of getting ko’d, or taken down.
Machida can for sure beat Rampage, but i don’t think he can knock him out. Rampage can knock anyone out.
Rampage by ko in the 2nd or 3rd
He didn’t knock out Jardine or Forrest, who both gave Rampage some problems on the feet, and Machida is a better pure striker than either of those guys, with a lot more hand speed and a lot more elusive.
Machida is a better pure striker than Forrest and Jardine, but Rampage is a better striker than them also. The reason why Forrest gave Rampage problems is because of his powerfull leg kicks. Machida has fast and powerful leg kicks, but his kicks are different than Griffin’s and Jardine’s, his kicks mostly target his opponents mid section,upper body ansd head. Griffin’s kicks target the lower hip and thigh, which was where Rampage was damaged.
People are suddenly jumping on the Machida bandwaggon and not giving Rampage a chance. Poeple forget that Rampage can take not just one BIG shot, but multiple ones, it took Wanderlei Silva 22 knees to drop Rampage. It only, we still havn’t seen if Machida can take a punch weel, let alone a Rampage punch that has the most knockout power at 205. But i know Machida must get hit first, which is easier said than done, but like i said before, Machida in his last two fights has been the agrresor rather than the guy looking to counter. If he choses to be agressive against Rampage and exchange, they’ll both problably land punches, but i think that Rampage’s punches are stronger than Mchidas. If they do exchange, Machida is faster and more likely to land more punches, but i feel Rampgae will be able to take those punches or kicks, but Machida will not be able to take Jackson’t punches. I know it’s going ot be hard for Rampage to land some shots, but people forget his standup is as good as any, and he also throws punches with a style all his own that Machida has not seen yet. I just honestly think that Rampage will be able to land a shot on Machida and put him out, i’m also sure Machida will land more shots than Rampage, but Rampage has already proven he can take big shots and still hang in there, we still have to see if Machida can take a decent shot to the chin, maybe he can, maybe he can’t, but i still give Rampage the best chance at beating Machida in the exchanges. But yeah like you pointed out, Machida is problably the most well rounded striker Rampage has ever faced give Machida’s hand and leg speed with power behind them.
You mentioned that Rampage causes you to throw something so he can unleash right and left hooks. So your saying that Rampage is a counter puncher? That’s all well and good, but so is Machida. Another thing that Machida does that is very clever is that he throws a lot of straight punches. A good jab will beat speed any day of the week, no matter who you are against. Throwing lots of hooks is very easy to defend against. You just have to throw straight punches and then immediately your opponent is off balance. While Rampage has a big shot, Machida’s shots are very deceptive indeed. Just look at the shot that rocked Evans.
Machida’s shots remind me a lot of Antonio Margarito and Kelly Pavlik. The don’t seem that hard but they sure do Bang.
Rampage has shown to be a very “right hand happy” in his last two fights and that is a bad habit to have… especially against a counter puncher like Lyoto. Just ask Rashad!
Another thing you mentioned about Rampage losing to Forest was because of Forests deadly leg kicks. Well Machida shown against Evans that he can do that also. He used his right and lead leg to kick Rashads left leg then immediately swung his left leg to meet Rashads head. All with out being unbalanced (something I do not know how he did). Rampage seems very slow when it comes to defending kicks, and that is when he bothers to defend them!
It sure will be tough for Rampage or any striker to stop Machida.
IMO jackson is very similar to tito ortiz, more powerful yes, but in a lot of ways alike. That’s y I’m thinkin rampage will not impose much of a threat to lyoto. I believe in order for rampage to beat lyoto he has to catch him with the perfect shot. There’s no way rampage can punish lyoto.
I agree
I’m back. First off, Machida has fought strikers just as good or better than Rampage and won. I like Rampage he is one of my favorite fighters, I just don’t think he will be the one to beat Machida.
Funniest **** I have ever read in my life ” Machida ha never been truly tested by a pure ELITE striker like Rampage” Dude are you kidding me Machida’s sparing sessions are way more tuffer that Rampage… He trains with the elite striker in the world Anderson Silva so don’t give me that **** like oh Machida never fought a elite striker before .. he does it everyday and as far as the Chuck and Wanderlei example both of them got little to no defence and Rampage has a load of power, both were caught throwing looping punch’s well Wanderlei’s was a hook but the point is his wide open
I would say Rampage by TKO but if Machida works his kicks and keeps his distance then he has a chance. Machida should watch as much video of Forest’s legs kicks as possible.
Rampage has a bolt upright style just like Machida. But what Rampage lacks is that Lanky Leg! I dont see Rampage having the speed to get inside Machida.
machida is a ninja, and rampage stands no chance against him. KO, 2nd round.
samuri, ninjas hide and do cheap tricks
Rampage vs. Machida is not even worth seeing. I would much rather see machida vs. anderson silva. Let see the best vs the best. Rampage stands zero chance against machida. Rampage does not deserve a title shot. The winner of anderson vs. forrest should get the shot. What a crock of ****!
Well, they are training partners and A. Silva has said many times that the LHW belt should be Lyoto’s. Doubt he would try to take it from him, unless they have a falling out like Wanderlei and Anderson did.
up they’re training partners I’d love to get my hands on a tape of that training session
yup**
Rampage is far to aggressive.. because of this Machida will finish him quickly in the first round unless Machida feels like going for a second. Sleepy time wolf boy.
I have a sneaking suspicion that Lyoto’s chin is that of solid granite dipped in molten compressed steel. If this just so happens to be the case fans of machidas opponents will continue to be disappointed across the board. Also the status of his chin is practically a non-issue. Just ask Bonnar, Franklin, BJ Penn, Tito, and his last two oppopnents…all of whom failed to tag him with anything substantial. Rampages stand up is more dangerous than any of those guys, sure; I just think the probability of Rampage landing is very unfavorable.
I’ve never seen him get hit on his chin yet.
ROFL people actually think lyoto is gonna trade with rampage???? come on now. he will come in with a game plan and execute it. people talk about how well round fighter lyoto is and his techniques and such. what intrigues me is his mind set. you can’t get into his head at all. lyoto is on a mission, and whatever that mission is… consider it done.. lyoto is by far the smartest fighter in LHW if not UFC.. after he beats rampage i don’t see anyone competeing on the same level as him for a long time to come. i will say rampage is the #1 contender and poses the most threat to machida. but he will get picked apart. unfortunately.
his game plan would be to trade. thats where he is best at hit and dont get hit win by KO first or second round
Don’t see Rampage causing Machida any problems at all unless he bull rushes machida instead of him time to gauge his opponents distance and striking patterns.
*edit*
Don’t see Rampage causing Machida any problems at all unless he decides to bull rush machida instead of giving him time to gauge his opponents distance and striking patterns.
Machida can easily back away from a bullrush, he is great at sideways movement instead of backing straight up so he never runs out of Octagon. Rampage could always bullrush him for 2 rounds until he gets tired, falls over, and Machida wins via third round tea-bag to the chin.
lmao @ teabag
Well said, Lyoto will dogde any bullrush easily ….he’s been doing since he was 3 years old! What we are dealing here is not just another mma fighter but a true master of martial arts who uses not only his body but mind and spirit to win….I am already feeling sorry for rampage he will need another jaw surgery after fighting Lyoto
Joe Rogan said it perfectly….The Machida Era has begun. Lyoto will have that belt for a VERY long time, you can count on it. NOBODY in the LHW division has the speed or technique to beat Lyoto, i’ve said this for ages. He will beat everyone, i guarantee it.
That is a BOLD statement.. Just look at how stacked the LHW division is.. Now I a huge Machida fan I do believe that he will defend the belt and such, but to state that no one will be him and to have that division coming after him is a strong statement indeed…..
Also if you think about it, this is going to force Lyoto’s opponents to attack him which usually hasn’t turned out well for his opposition like it has never worked… Soo he has a chance to win a lot of fights as the champ but there is always that chance that he can lose…
I’ll have to say if Machida is to finish Rampage I think it would be my knees
How can you knockout what you can’t hit?
In order for Rampage to have any chance he has to solve Lyoto, which noone else has yet to do.
Nah, in my opinion, the only way you can beat Lyoto is if you take him down and hold him there. The only person i can see doing that is Ricardo Arona….maybe Hendo. But like you say, it’ll be hard for anyone to get close enough.
so true .. The UFC needs to get there hands on Arona I haven’t seen him in a while…the only person I can see giving Machida problems in the future is Shogun if he gets back on track ..Shogun is so young that he has loads of time to adjust to the octagon and make a strong come back
you know what would suck guys. if rampage were to land a powerful punch and machida isnt even fazed by it. if machida has an iron chin, its over, noone should fight at 205 because they wont beat him. the guy is a an elusive counterpuncher, who is quick and has ko power, he is also a bjj blackbelt. add an iron chin to that… how the hell do you beat a guy like that? when I saw the fight last night and saw machida pressing rashad, I was like oh crap I hope evans doesnt land a shot. I dont even think evans landed a punch. he got a body kick but I didnt see anything else.
If there is a fighter to beat machida at 205 its rampage, maybe forrest based on the fact that forrest will never quit and will push the action. but that is what screws machidas opponents, the fact that they are aggressive. for all we know maybe machida trains with swords, and thats why he is so elusive. he is scary good, and I think we all found out last night that machida is for real. if machida beats rampage is it safe to say that he is one of the top 3 p4p fighters?
he’s already top 3, the world just doesn’t know it yet.
p.s. he will most likely go on to be the greatest LHW ever, mark my words….he will retire a champion.
Machida by ko/tko round 1 or 2. he pickes apart his opponets quicker than i thought (Thiago Silva & rashad evans)
So if Machida beats Rampage who gets next crack at the belt ? The obvious if rampage wins is to fight Forrest again if Griffin has recovered 100% .Although I’d like to see a Griffin vs Rua 2 myself first .
Half you guys aren’t very smart. Rashad came in with the wrong game plan and paid for it. Everyone knows that Machida’s striking and elusiveness is 2nd best, if not the best next to the other freak “Anderson” kinda goes to reason why they are so good of friends. If you are going to stand and bang with either one of them you will pay. Rashad after that devastating KO of Liddell he got in his mind he can knock anyone out witch I believe he can do if he can connect witch he couldn’t do last night. If you’re going to beat Machida you have to get him to the ground and pound on him. His stand up is just to technical. Lyoto and Anderson are not only really good friends but, they have the same manager. I read on another site that it would take 100 Million for them to fight. Insane IMO but they HAVE to fight to see who is the best EVER since Fedor isn’t ready for real competition. Rampage GETTEM… I have a lot of respect for Machida now though that he showing us some devastating offense instead of running around.
i ask you to youtube machida vs franklin….machida has mad skills just not known by ufc vets
Hit and run Vs Hit and Run
The new comimg in the ufc as Muhammad Ali is Machida. Mark my words.
yeah rampage has one of the most powerful punches in mma history but machida is very well documented as one of the most elusive fighter in ufc history(maybe in mma history)
the question is that can he hit machida? and can he not get hit by machida. machida also has power punches not to mention a flurry of em
RAMPAGE’S GAMEPLAN TO BEATING MACHIDA
1.Although it is lightning fast, accurate and powerful, machida’s primary damaging attack is becoming a bit predictable. His straight left. And it comes in two flavours. Either imediately after his left roundhouse to the body, or or a well timed couter when his opponent is about to strike. The later of the two is nearly impossible to deal with, but the first isnt(i think). Granted Machida throws other kicks than his left to the body, but it is this kick that he follows with the punch, and thats where Rampage MIGHT be able to capitalize with a well timed left hook, or straight right.
2.Machida will only stand in the pocket when he has a guy rocked and feels that he is at the advantage, from their he will either finish or get out of there asap. In these exchanges i think Quinton will undoubtedly get cracked first but if someone can take a hit and roll with the punches and come back with massive counter hooks its Rampage.
(Rashad landed two right hooks at 3:25 sec RND right after Lyoto engaged)If rampage could even land one that would be huge for him.
3.The last part is the ground game. And i think their are only two ways of getting there. One would be to change levels when Machida steps in with one of his kicks(shooting from the outside does not work see Tito fight)this i think is the only time to catch him with a double leg, cause combo-takedowns like Couture does wont work here.(Machida will be long gone as soon as Rampage starts throwing). The other is Machidas ultra aggressive double underhook takedown. He gets very tight and has you moving backwards in an instant so pummeling will not work here. Only a well timed wizar/throw right as Machida tries to turn the corner. if well timed Quinton could end up on top where he can attempt some ground and pound and score points.
There are a million variables in a fight and stuff that just cant be drilled. But these are all things that I think can be, and if capitalized on could have a huge affect on the fight.
All Machida has to do is be Machida. Heres to an awesome fight.
Excellent analysis Carl. However the part I disagree with is countering the body kick/left straight combo. Sure, it seems to be Machida’s go to move, but he’s a mental fighter. He usually throws the kick a few times before adding the straight left. Only using it when the opponent tries to catch the leg. Therefore, by the time Rampage tries to counter the straight, I believe the damage will already be done. Just my opinion. Great post though, I liked your breakdown.
Ya i know what you mean. nobodys been even close to countering one of machida straight lefts or kicks, so it will be pretty tuff for Quinton. I just realy think the key is for rampage to land with one of his looping counter hooks when lyoto engages with a combo. Thanks for the feedback though.
I have to say, as disappointed as I was with the results Saturday night, the Ultimate Fighting Championships couldn’t ask for a better Champion. It took a complete fighter to beat Rashad Evans, and his name is Lyoto Machida. Best of luck to Rashad on his way back, and all hail the richly deserving Dragon….
As far as the Hughes-Serra contest, I just don’t get the concept of Serra being robbed. Clearly, Hughes had dominant Octagon control–have to give him his due.
the serra hughes fight was a joke. all hughes did was lay and pray. serra tried subs, and had serra been about three inches taller or had his legs been three inches longer he would have locked in an armbar on hughes. serra had it but his legs are too short. the ref should have stood them up more often but he didnt. oh well, thankfully those two are done. as far as hughes wanting a rematch with alves and gsp, IMO that is dumb. alves would just murder him quicker and gsp would put on a clinic. shiit gsp could even call out his next strikes and they would still land. hughes should retire, if he could beat serra convincingly, he doesnt stand a chance against alves, gsp, kos, or fitch.
and for the comment about rashad coming in with the wrong gameplan, it wasnt his fault, it was the great greg jackson. what screwed them was the fact they didnt get to send their scout jardine to face machida first.
this fight is interesting rampage is going to keep pressure on machida, which is what machida wants him to do but i dont think rampage is going 2 get knocked out cus he has a hell of a chin and if it goes all 5 rounds its bad 4 rampage but rampage is definately the strongest and hardest hitting opponent machida has fought yet. And to everyone who is saying machida will have a long run dont forget abouy anderson silva at 205 if he beats forrest which he will and maybe 1 other opponent he could get a shot at the 205 title
and wow caris thats a good gameplan
Machida is just to elusive for Rampage.While Rampage has arguably the best and most powerful striking at 205 it is really hard 2 invision Rampage beating The Dragon.I still think if Rampage can land a couple hard shots he can knock him out but that is easier said then done.Imo the person with the best chance to beat Machida at 205 is Forrest Griffin…..simply because we know he can take a shot,throw leg kicks to keep him off balance,and the ability to stay in peoples face wheather he is getting hit or delivering it.If Forrest beats The Spider then Griffin should fight the winner out of Machida Vs. Rampage(Machida by referee stoppage 2nd Round)believe me that is the best case scenario for people that want 2 see Machida lose.
I cannot wait for this fight…. I can definately go into how each fighter can win this bout, but there will be pleanty of time to discuss that due to them most likely being the coaches on TUF (horrible idea, cuz I want to see this bout asap)…
A couple of quick thoughts because I haven’t been here verymuch recently..
Sherk should have his head examined (literally) that no game plan having little man really owell, good on Frankie… Serves Sherk right for talking smack about Aoki being #2 LW (in the world) now simply because Sean is boxer he won’t be #2 anytime soon..
I enjoy watching Drew have since he fought (and lost to) Kampmann, Professior X might be cut
Matt v Matt was a better fight than I thought it was going to be, Serra could have won that fight or should it have been a draw? O and to the folks who say it was the UFC’s judging that gave it Hughes….. The UFC doesn’t employ refs nor judges the NSAC does (or whatever commission the fights are located in), people just need to figure that out I guess…
Lyoto Machida did it a round earlier than I thought but he did it none the less
And in a quite brutal fashion… Evans looked scary helpless on the canvas after getting KTFO, and is my theroy of Jardine “testing the waters” against future opponents for Rashad true ie setting a gameplan after Jardine first faces the opponent…. Liddell,Griffin and was suppose to be Rampage, but without Jardine having never faced Lyoto there was no “great gameplan” and well we saw Lyoto become the NEW LHW champion of the world in BRUTAL fashion….
Rampage was my champ & I hope he can pull an upset. This fight will be very interesting. Rampage better have a solid gameplan that he can stick with because it’s going to take great timing to catch Machida. Also on a side note; GO MOUSASSI (spelled wrong?) & MAYHEM!
well said fr.
I agree as well that machida and rampage should fight sooner rather than later. thats the one thing that I dont like about TUF. the champ and number 1 contender shouldnt be coaches on there. it just delays titles being defended. its not like the coaches on TUF are seriously coaching the guys, they are more supervising then anything, most of the coaches have done that. (I am basing this on the footage that has been shown on every TUF season) it would be better to have trainers from different camps doing the coaching, up and coming trainers, and then have the champ and number 1 contender in that weight class throw it down at the ppv.
Thx BigChris, hey just a random thought…. Didn’t Rashad going to sleep look a little like when Chuck ko’d Vernon “Tiger” White yet in a more brutal fashion I was just thinking that randomly…. Peace
in my opinion, brandon vera’s style is the most fit style against machida. karate vs. muay thai. he doesn’t deserve a title shot yet, though.
He’ll never deserve a title shot. He can barely beat his meat.
Wake up and smell the coffee…Ramapage has no chance at all against Machida…NO CHANCE AT ALL…Machida round 2 TKO.
Man, why you have to be this way?
[Bandwagon fans] Peps need to stop jocking Lyoto. Since when have all you guys been fans of his? Umm… since Saturday? Almost everyone on this site were just complaining how he is boring and how he only counters when attacked. Let’s stop all this Rampage and everyone else Machida faces are going to get crushed. I’m sure now he’s the P4P best in the world, right? Rashad and “Greg Jackson” and the whole camp for that matter came in with the WRONG plan to defeat Machida. I give credit where credit is due in witch Lyoto did beat Rashad and is the champ but, I believe the LHW division is to talent rich to have a dominating champ like in the MW division. We WILL see this belt change hands in the near future. I’m in no way trying to discredit Lyoto, after seeing his journey to where he is today it’s seems only wright he won the belt at least once.
If people want to jump on the “bandwagon” so be it, it once again is an exciting time in the LHW division….. I have been a fan of his for quite some time and I’m rather pleased to see Lyoto with the belt around his waist….
Jackson couln’t send Jardine to scout Lyoto thats why his “gameplan” didn’t work out… but hey that is a different debate all together…
There are many people in the division with the talent to dethrone Machida, damn near everyone in the LHW division as a matter of fact.. But I hope that he retains a few times, but then again I’m a Rampage fan as well sooo I’m kinda torn.. I do get where you are coming from on people becoming fans as of Saturday but in all honesty perhaps these “new” fans will find a new appreciation of MMA while Machida is champ…. hey thats just my thoughts tho…
This is what I dont get about a lot of you guys on here. Just about every single person on here has said from day one that “Machida is no good….All he does is run away…..wait until he gets good competition….blah blah blah”. Point is though, everytime he is about to fight you all hate on him. He wasnt suppose to get past Soko. What happened with that??? Wasnt supposed to beat Tito. He was going to get blasted by Silva. Was going to lose to Rashad. And now every is going to say “He never faced anyone like Rampage. Yadda Yadda Yadda”. What are you going to say when he beats Rampage? “He got lucky. Lets see what happens when he has to face God”. Give me a break folks. And give the man his credit.
ninjadaddy
Dude, there’s no doubt that machida has silenced a lot of critics, and that he has been very impressive, but seriously dude, he HASN”T faced a dude like rampage. I thought machida looked sick against “sugar” and he certainly shut me up after the thiago silva ko but, none of those fighters are rampage.
Rampage is a solid striker with some great techincal boxing that comes with 1 punch ko power. That is something rashad doesn’t have and neither did tito and thiago. By no means am i taking anything away from machida’s success and talent. I’m just saying that rampage vs machida is going to be different then tito vs machida and evans vs machida. Rampage is going to come in and fight his fight and not try so hard to “figure out” a dude who just can’t be figured out. He’s going to come in and give machida a fight. He’s not going to “fall” into machida’s “trap” like these other fighters have. Rampage is too technical and too smart of a fighter to beaten the way rashad and thiago were.
I honestly don’t know how this fight will go but it will for sure be a good one.
there are toooo many dude on machida’s jock now dude wow! the bandwagon is packed!
You have to agree then that he has “run” in his past bouts. I have nothing against Machida I actually think he has a pretty good chance at retaining his belt maybe even a few times but people are giving him a little too much credit. Granted he has looked spectacular in his last two bouts I can say, let him defend and will talk about him being one of the ELITE in our sport. By the way, how much credit did Rashad get for beating the Iceman? NONE and O yeah we all seen how it ended there was no such talk of Shad being one of the sports best… Huh maybe I don’t know what I”m talking about though
Lyoto Machida is a great fighter…I honestly feel that he’s developed thiS “intimidation” thing where other fighters are giving him too much respect to the point where they are kind of intimidated because they don’t know how to approach his style.
No style is unbeatable. I know a lot of people have jumped into the Machida bandwaggon and now feel that he is unbeatable because he just because he knocked out Rashad Evans. Before his fight with Evans, Machida hadn’t really fought a legit threat besides Tito Ortiz. Yeah he fought Franklin and Penn, but that was a long time ago. I’m not taking anything away from his and his amazing acoomplishment, but i have NOT seen a reason for everyone to feel that he’s unbeatable, nor have I seen a reason why people are counting out Rampage Jackson so quick.
Machida withought a doubt has his own unique style that has never been seen in MMA, but it’s not out of this worls or anything. I’m sure if he’d get taken to the ground, it’s more than likely for him to get caught in a sub, as you saw he can get caught even if he’s on top, Tito got him in a triangle and then switched to an arm bar, and Ortiz is not the best jj guy out there, what if a quality jj fighter gets him to the ground? Now i know first you have to come in and try to take him down which is no easy task i know, but it’s not impossible. Rampage needs only to get close to him and try to force him to exchange, and the try for the takedown, if he gets the takedown then he’ll be able to do damage.
And for you who think that Rampage is slow and has no chance on the standup. Come on, he’s Rampage fu*king Jackson, just because he didn’t ko Jardine doesn’t mean he can’t ko Machida. Jardine and Machida are two different fighters. I know Machida is going to be a bit agressive and Rampage for sure is going to come after the fight, one way or another there will be a few exchanges on the standup, and like i said before, we have yet to see if Machida can take a real decent shot the chin, let alone a shot from a guy who has devastating ko power in both hands.
My point is, Lyoto Machida is an awesome fighter who is greately dangerous, but he has not IMO given a reason to feel he’s invincible or anything like that, he’s not Anderson Silva who destroyed everyone in his division(anyone who mattered anyway). Machida hasn’t done anything like that to be feared. Rampage Jackson will knock him out, believe it.
Marvel seeing as how you think rampage will knock out machida(which is a possibilty)what do you think of my gameplan for him about 20 posts up?
caris,
Dude i think you broke it down pretty good. Couldn’t have done it better myself. But with that said, do you agree or disagree with what i posted?
Oh i know exactly where your coming from. And i think you will appreciate a well thought out response. Not just a yes or no. Well Marvel its pandamonium right now for Machida. And its kinda getting annoying, cause 6 months ago there were at least 20 people on here bashing the guy. Hes kinda like a new face right now, something fresh. From his style to his personality the fact that he barely ever gets hit ect. So of course everybody’s going to be hoppin on the machida train. Its funny what you were saying about tito and his jits cause today i was saying the same thing to a buddy on how rampage can beat lyoto using takedowns and not be threatened from the bottom. I think for the most part were on the same page but i do feel that unless rampage takes lyoto out of his comfort zone and capitalizes on some of the points i layd out before he will lose the fight.
Not to play the devils advocate but here are my reasons
1. Rampage has pretty much abandoned his ground game(except the henderson fight where he got lured into a wrestling match).
2. He has a habbit of letting his opponents get off first which could be trouble with machida.
3.Besides knocking guys down rampage doesnt score alot of points and loses rounds. Yes that is his style but i dont see him catching lyoto that often. you see where im going with this, if it goes the distance lyoto is the favorate, if he presses to hard or doesnt move much hes in trouble, and hes not the biggest fan of checking kicks. BUT with all that said I wouldnt be surprised if Lyoto clips jackson and hurts him(or thinks he does) steps into the pocket(which is the only time he will)and catches a ducking nuclear bomb in the shape of quintons left or rgiht hand smack on the chin. Hell if rashad can land 2 counter right hooks then rampage can land one big one. And that folks in MMA and espeacially for jackson is all you need.
caris, man you took the words out my mouth. I completely agree with what you said. I just feel that Jackson’s speed and techique are very underrated and he will be able to do damage to Machida, and yeah it’s frustrating how everyone is suddenly on the Machida train, but hey that’s how it goes.
I love ampage, the problem is though that he is custom made for Machida.
We don’t know if machida can even take a good shot to the chin as we have never seen it done before.
Jazzkok
Did you not see the Liddell fight bro.? Sugar does have one hit KO power he just used his strengths wrong I mean Greg Jackson did.
Turk
Yeah dude, i don’t think anyone missed that fight. I should have been more clear when i said rampage has 1 punch ko power. Rampage doesn’t need to “load up” his punches. Rashad had to hella wind up when he ko’d lidell. Agains’t machida, a guy who’s illusive, in and out and light on his feet, you’d have to just catch him and have enough power with a punch to hurt him. He’s way too fast to be able to “load up” on him. He’d see it coming a mile away. Hardly anyone ever toches the dude but since rampage’s boxing is so sick and technical, i think he has a great chance @ catching him.
Yeah it would be interesting to see how machida reacts if he get’s caught or hurt in some way. He’d better not get hit by rampage though, cuz he’ll wake up to some “aaaaooooohhhhhhhhhhh”!
Machida is so interesting a fighter to watch, he seems as if he’s slow, doesn’t bounce around, he seems slow…but apparently he’s fast…and very powerful…I just dont think rampage will be victorious against Lyoto… Rampage good with boxing great with the bloacks and staying in the pocket..i just don’t think it will be enough…
I am no MMA fighter or anything, just the regular martials sparring tounament guy, I have fought karate guys before…they are very tough to score head kicks or punches..but were always susceptible to side kicks…maybe that could be something…….
rampage will knock him out..he can take a good shot and is a good counter fight i believe machida will strike and get countered with a good shot and get knocked out. but he better train real good for machida he cant look like he did in the jardine fight
Two Words. Jon Jones.
He is an interesting fighter Bones Jones…i thought of him too to beat Lyoto, but he’s still young and I hear he gets tired in later rounds…so i think he needs some time …
Dudes, Jon Jones?
Just cuz he handled mediocre stephan bonnar and gusmao, you guys think he can hang with machida?!? He’s only been practicing mma for like 2 or 3 years, and he’s like 21 and you guys think he can beat machida? He’s no doubt a talented fighter, but he’s got a long way to go before he’s mentioned in the same sentence as “the dragon”. FYI, i’m NOT jumping on the bandwagon, just stating that jones would get rashad evansed, if he fought machida.
I don’t get you guys. If someone supports a fighter when he’s winning, he’s “jumping on the bandwagon”, yet if someone mentions a fighter who has potential and hasn’t really proven it fully yet, you act like the guy’s talking crazy. Is there a prerequisite for supporting a fighter or thinking it would be an interesting match up “someday”?
On another note, why is it when Machida wins it’s because his opponent messed up? Give the guy some credit and get off your high horse. Your guy(s) lost. Get over it!
POPEYE
no one’s taking anything away from machida and what he’s done. And for the record, i was totally cheering when rashad got knfo. It’s just a little funny how now EVERYONE is jockin’ machida when they weren’t before…hence JUMPING ON THE BANDWAGON.
And seriously dude, just like FR702 said it, it’s a little early to start hyping up jon jones. Yeah he looks pretty good so far, but like i said before, he’s only 21, been training mma for only 3 years and he’s only fought gusmao and bonnar who are mediocre @ best. So “someday” might be a little longer then you think for this dude to challenge machida.
FR702
haha eric schaefer? if you were joking, then that was funny dude!
Jon Jones??????
really Jon Jones???
For~realsies?????? Starting the hype train a little early?? Well if we,re going to state random stuff I’m going with Eric Schafer…
haha good stuff dude, Shaefer! haha
Rampage CAN beat Lyoto… that being said, I’d say Machida by tko in the 3rd round. Rampage just eats leg kicks and this will be his demise. No matter how good a striker Rampage is, you cant KO what you cant hit.
rampage did check some leg kicks against jardine, machida favored that left head/high kick against rashad. he made it obvious he was setting it up. watching the machida-evans fight, I saw that machida leaves his lead leg in the front way out there. it looked open for leg kicks. I said before the rashad fight that the only two guys in 205 that would give machida a run for his money and maybe beat him were forrest and rampage. forrest’s kicks would keep him in it, and rampage could take punishment, its not like page has a weak jaw.
hypothetically speaking, if machida ko’s rampage like he did rashad, or worse, does that mean machida is the shiit or that rampage is garbage, or that machida got lucky. I was a fan of machida’s when I saw him fight rich franklin, im not a newly made fan. he is scary good, and I think dana said it best, “your a bad dude” right before he gave machida his belt.
hypothetically speaking of course, if machida ko’s rampage like he did rashad (ouch!) or worse(not likely), it would not be because rampage is garbage, or cuz he had a bad night, it would just mean that machida’s the shiit and that it’s going to be tough to take his belt.
I’ve always thought the only dude that can take machida @ 205 is my boy rampage. If he doesn’t do it i don’t know who can. Maybe shogun. I wouldn’t count him out. Other then those 2, there’s no one @ 205 @ the moment that could take machida out. Forrest’s chin is wayyyy to soft for him to be able to hang with machida + forrest needs to pick dudes apart because he’s got no ko power and he would never have enough time to do that with a guy like machida.
Jon Jones??????
Anyway, I said it before ans i’ll say it again. Quinton Jackson will be the first guy not only to beat, but ko Machida just like Machida did Evans. Rampage jokes around and talks a lot of stuff, but he is not stupid, he’s going to force Machida into exchanges where Machida will be in danger. I think someone in this article said that Machida is kin of getting predictable and i totally agree, he throws that left kick and immediately follows with a straight punch, he also throws kicks to try and creat openings, but that won’t happen with Rampgae because the reason why Machida succeeds on that is because his opponents back away which allows him to attack whenever he wants. Rampage won’t be backing away, but be pressing Machida as well where Machida will have to either run away or try to score some punches, either way that creates mnre than one chance for rampage to throw his punches, even if Machida gets a few punches in, we all know that Rampage can take punches, i’m not too sure Machida can.
Rampage will knockout Machida and earn his 2nd title.
Jon Jones???
just kidding everyone
Page is my boy, but The Dragon has 2 many weapons. I would love 2 see Page regain his title, but I just don’t know. Anything can happen in a fight tho. I’d like 2 see ICEMAN get in the ring with someone he could K.O. Like a Ken Shamrock, or see him f*ck up Tito again! I’m gonna miss seeing Chuck in the ring, so lets let him go out with a K.O. win, not a K.O. loss.
P.S. The UFC game rocks!! Long live the UFC, and MMA!!
LONGFELLOW
this is going to be a great fight first of all.hard to call in my opinion.its funny how alot of people are saying rampage has no chance….you always have a punchers chance and that’s what rampage is….a puncher.dont get me wrong im not saying thats all hes got.but hes a striker plain and simple.i hate to say it but i think it could go to the judges….like rampage/griffin…i say rampage wins a decision by landing more effective strikes and multiple takedowns.
Rampage has a puncher’s chance but ONLY if he can make Lyoto commit enough to exchanging with him. It is quite possible that Rampage ‘could’ catch Lyoto with a hook or other power punch in the midst of a flurry or try and predict Lyoto’s next move. More than likely however Rampage will try and overwhelm Lyoto and that, in my opinion, will be a huge mistake. If Rampage gets in too close then he runs the risk of being KO’d by a straight punch, knee or head kick. What else? Rampage could end up being foot swept (Shotokan Karate tripped), which Lyoto is so good at surprising people with, and pounded out (Thiago Silva-esque) or submitted (Sokoudjou-esque).
Rampage is explosive, very strong, a good boxer and decent with wrestling (slams and controlling) BUT he’s not as fast as Lyoto, not as smart of a fighter, not as accurate and definitely not as skilled. Rampage may have more experience in professional MMA fights BUT, just like Chuck Liddell is and always was, he’s very predictable and much less versatile than Lyoto. Rampage is very strong but so is Tito whom Lyoto threw around like he was a toddler (Lyoto is/was a Sumo vice champion). Trying to simply overpower and overwhelm Lyoto more than likely will not work at all. Rashad lasted as long as he did because he didn’t try to really stalk Lyoto down like Rampage will try and do. By stalking him down and being the aggressor you’re falling into Lyoto’s elusive counter-punch game and this is where he’ll be at his strongest.
My prediction: Lyoto Machida will retain his LHW belt via 1st or 2nd round (T)KO stoppage. Rampage’s game (his entire skillset) isn’t diverse or honed enough to match Lyoto’s superb skills and well-roundedness.
What people seem to forget now a day in the development of this fascinating new MMA is that fighter’s strength, skill, weapon, is their foundation it is their mind. True martial artists understand that this is a sense of being, a way of life, a balance of discipline and respect. Aside from the obvious tangibles gauged of speed and strength there is a more important level of capacity to Machida that is lost on many modern fighters. I think we may see Rampage, who is no doubt a brilliant fighter, bring out a whole other level of Machida, and we’ll all be thankful to have witnessed it.
Machida decision