Machida suffers Knockout at UFC fight night Brazil
"If you don't give up, eventually you will break the cycle and you will overcome any obstacle." -Lyoto Machida
Derrick Brunson knocked out Lyoto Machida in Sao Paulo, Brazil last Saturday. Brunson landed vicious ground and pound after hurting the native Brazilian with a heavy left hand. The fight had tons of anticipation, people wanted to see Machida after his long layoff, but the fight ended swiftly. It was hard to watch Machida suffer a third loss in a row. Seeing his head bounce off the canvas again was depressing. Machida seems to have lost a step at the ripe old age of 39, an age many fighters retire before reaching. It's difficult to see a fighter I've looked up to since a teenager suffer another nightmarish knockout.
So what's next for the Dragon? Hard to say, the fight ended so fast we couldn't analyze much. He may return to light heavyweight, but I don't see him doing much better there. Machida can also consider retirement, but I don't think he would want to exit the sport on a loss like this. A fight that makes sense is a rematch with Rashad Evans. Evans is in a similar predicament as Machida.
Both men are on unfortunate losing streaks and look like shells of their former selves. It's a great fight for both, Rashad gets to avenge his loss to the Dragon, and Machida fights an opponent that won't put him to sleep. If Lyoto wins this potential matchup, I would like him to retire. He's a hall of fame caliber fighter with nothing left to prove. If his plan is to be a champion again, I'm sorry, but I can't see him breaking the cycle of these losses against top opponents. This is an obstacle I can't see him overcome.
Do you agree with me? What do you feel Machida should do? Tell me what you think! Thanks for reading!