Machida Wants Jardine Next
There is no question that Keith Jardine and Forrest Griffin were the talk of the town at UFC 76. Both Jardine and Griffin upset favorites Chuck “the Iceman” Liddell and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua respectively, instantly catapulting themselves up the Light Heavyweight rankings. Despite improving his MMA record to a perfect 11-0 that very same night by defeating Kazuhiro Nakamura, Ryoto “Lyoto” Machida was lost in the shadows. As a result, it is natural that the Brazilian would like to prove himself and stake his place amongst the upper echelons of the Light Heavyweight division. And what better way to make a statement than to take on the LHW division’s current “it-boy”? In an interview with Brazilian publication, Portal Do Vale Tudo, Lyoto Machida reveals that he would very much like to fight Jardine. Machida states,
“I would like to fight against Keith Jardine. If he could knock out Forrest Griffin and defeat Chuck Liddell, then he is the one I want to fight.”
Unfortunately for Ryoto, it may be a while before we see him getting a shot at the title. Machida is in a very difficult position. He is a great, proven fighter; yet he lacks the drawing power that many of the other fighters possess in the Light Heavyweight division. A victory against a high profile fighter such as Jardine or Griffin could very well be the catalyst that Machida needs to boost his popularity in UFC.
Tags: Keith Jardine, Lyoto Machida
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Hey Machida, try finishing a fight for once in your life and then maybe you will be “considered” for a fight vs. a LWH in the top 20!!!
steve 24 give your head a shake. your bad mouthing a guy thats hasn’t lost. he might not be the most exciting fighter but he’s damn good. you obviously don’t know **** about the sport. top 20?? f*** off.
OK…this may not be popular, but…Machida vs. Alexander. Houston Alexander has done nothing but finish fights, and Machida doesn’t seem to do anything other than not lose.
This is a winner fight.
Totally agree. Give Machida someone that will make him fight. Watch his fight with Rich Franklin. That guy needs to come back. I completely understand why the UFC does not want to promote a guy that wins all his fights by dec. It does get a little old.
I Like the sound of that fight Garth, but in my opinion Houston who I think is the real deal would walk right through him or anyone else in the Light Heavy weight division at the moment. That comment should raise a good debate on here……….
I think you are getting a little ahead of yourself. I think he still has a lot to prove before we say he is the best. QJ, Hendo, Tito, Evans, Wand, Forrest, Shogun would all kill him. He is good but people are way to quick sometimes to compare a good fighter to a great fighter, just don’t think that he is there yet.
Mr T: that is why I want to see this fight! if he walks through Machida like he did Jardine and Sakara, who else can claim #1 status? No one. But if Machida finds some way to win convincingly, he’s gotta be #1, without a single blemish on his record, against quality opposition.
Either that or they’re setting up the Rashad-Bisping winner for a shot. I think Rampage destroys both of those guys in the first or second round. Hamill would give Rampage more trouble than Count Douchebag Bisping. Or “Decision ****” as I think of him.
machida is a real boring fighter jardine will knock him out i hope jardine fights him
Everyone is gonna try to use Jardine as a scapegoat…..Chuck found that out the hard way
I think Machida is just a very smart fighter. I think a fight with Jardine or Alexander would force him into an offensive battel that he hasn’t had yet. Word on the street is he KOed Rich Franklin. In my book, that isn’t a push over, and I think his karate counter punching style will give anyone trouble. I do think that Jardine is the better of the 2 fights for Machida, but he can’t be counted out of either. I think one more “big name” fight for Alexander and he diserves the title fight. Houston Alexander may be the biggest threat to “Rampage” right now, but I would be willing to bet that the winner of Liddel/Silva (which would be BS) gets a shot at the belt.
I along with most others would like to see Machida finish a fighter that is well known in the Light Heavyweight Division. Jardine is a guy that is tough to finish; I think if Jardine fought Alexander again; the fight would go differently and in Jardine’s favor.
SCOTCHYDOW, Machida did finish Franklin and it was a highlight reel knockout. That was Franklin’s first loss and he did drop a weight class after that defeat. I think a Machida vs. Jardine fight would be really boring because both are counter strikers and not very aggressive, but I would still like to see them fight.
yeah, Jardine-Machida doesn’t interest me particularly.
I would also like to see Rashad Evans thrown into the mix. Evans/Alexander vs Jardine/Machida would find the next #1 I think. Or I guess Tito needs to be in there because he beat Evans but got a draw. Or how about Forrest Griffen vs. Houston Alexander. So many match ups, but only one # 1 contender.
Wow, Machida calling out someone….Calling out Jardine of all people, I like the guy but I can’t see him beating anyone in the Top 5….If I’m not wrong he seems like a small LHW almost like Bisping…I think he should maybe drop down to MW….He may prove me wrong…
Brian80: While I agree with you that Machida’s not the best, he has pretty much the best win streak going, other than Bisping, while Hendo, Wand, and Shogun have at least one loss in their last few. Forrest I’d be fine with seeing in the title fight, Tito, meh. Evans is coming off a lackluster draw that I wasn’t at all impressed with. And if Machida isn’t any good, we’ll find out. Was Gonzaga the best possible guy to stick in there? At the time, yeah, there weren’t a lot of other dudes to fight. Nate “Ow my face” Marquardt? Matt Serra? All those guys got title shots.
The cool thing is we have a ton of LHW’s to watch square off over the next year or so. I’m jacked up for it.
steve24 says:
Hey Machida, try finishing a fight for once in your life and then maybe you will be “considered” for a fight vs. a LWH in the top 20!!!
ummmmm first off machida may not be the best in the division but did he not knock out Rich Franklin handing him his first loss???…..who cares if he cant finsih fights neither could tim slyvia but he was the champ wanst he….give the man some credit its takes balls to step in that cage and fight something u couldnt do….quit knocking the guy hes jus paying the bills
[...] might also consider the proven yet lackluster Ryoto Machida since Machida recently made news by calling out Keith Jardine. However I personally discourage Machida against Tito since Ryoto Machida just [...]
Machida won’t handle jardine. Light heavyweight division is stronger than ever packed with great fighters, alexander, evans, hamill, rampage. When he steps up to these guys it is very likely he will fall short. But you know what they say …. anything can happen in the octogon, so only time will tell i guess.
I don’t see why everyone is selling Machida short. I think he will do much better than anyone is antisipating when he fights better competition. His fighting style is very effective against both strikers, and ground gamers. I hope he gets a shot to prove himself a genuine threat in the near future. Chuck Liddel does not have a menacing body type (except for maybe the mohawk, and tatooed head) but ruled the division for a long time, also by being a counter striker. I don’t think Machida’s shots have the power that Liddel’s do(or used to) but I think it is an effective stratigy in any fight.
Machida beat Franklin like 3 years ago. Wasn’t even in the UFC.
Gipper, watch your mouth bro!
I don’t understand what him beating Franklin 3yrs ago or the fact that it wasn’t in the UFC has to do with anything. The fact is is that he is a skilled fighter, in the octagon, another cage, ring, or dojo. He may not have the most exciting style, but again, it is very effective. I agree that some people are starting get very personal about other peoples OPINIONS. It really isn’t necessary to talk trash to people you will probablly never meet. Debating and belittling are completely different, and the later is uncalled for. I really enjoy this site, but some people are getting pretty immature. And what is with the reader with the good morning, and good night posts, but not one post about the UFC every day?
machida v griffin was supposed to happen twice. machida is not a bad fighter, but he needs to leave a mark… and beating jardine is not how to do that. he should call out a bigger name and leave an impression. his style is too skitish to attract most of the ufcs viewers. i think if ufc wants to build up his name they could, they do it for below average fighters all the time:
R. Evans
M. Bisping
R. Huerta
That is a problem.. The UFC is glamor and glitz.. A TRUE MMA fan would appreciate Lyoto..
The man has beaten:
Rich Franklin
BJ Penn
Stephan Bonner
Vernon “Tiger” White
Yet people still talk trash.. Plus all those decisions were unanimous.