Kevin: I feel u. I been ranting about this all week! it just stinks!

Add Forrest to a growing list of top fighters that want no part of Machida…its getting ridiculous, these guys are supposed to be fighters. Fighters who dont want it with Machida:
Brandon Vera
Chuck Liddell
Forrest
even my goldenboy Rampage

Thats why I love Sokoudjou, he may have lost to machida, but he will fight anyone. Cant wait till Shogun gets healthy because he will fight Machida NO QUESTIONS asked. Shogun does not turn down fights.

I have a feeling its going to be Machida vs. Shogun

Jesse Taylor vs. CB Dollaway has been made official for July 19th.

GSP has been nominated for an Espy

DREAM 5 UPdate:

Joackim “Hellboy” Hanssenns vs. “The back Mamba” gill, I forget his last name

I totally agree with you guys on this issue. Chuck gets a title shot for beating Rashad?? As John point out in a previous post..I rooting for Rashad to win..I will be cheering on the dry humping technique on the way through this fight. I like Chuck, but lets be real..does he really deserve one, because he fought and earned it..or cuz he is “The Iceman” at 38yrs old and the UFC wants to milk the MMAcow?? I smells bad. It stinks. Machida/Thiago..as most of agree should be all up in the mix for the next in line. Why doesthe UFC put 2 of the top dogs at LHW against non contenders..just to have the arguement on how “Chuck” is most deserving..this screenplay is so poorly written.

Exactly Phil, the UFC milking thier cash-cow. Its EXACTLY what they are doing for UFC 89. They are trying to squeeze Michael Bisping’s utters until they turn blue. Chris Leben is my boy and all, but to have him featured in the Main Event of a PPV? This isn’t even a number one contender match. Bisping/Leben is right near the top of the list of fights I want to see, but neither of those guys have reached PPV headlining status.

Every fan of mma knows that Chuck does not deserve a title shot with a win over Rashad Evans. Like we’ve never seen this before? Chuck Liddell vs a wrestler with limited standup abilities. I already watched UFC’s 52 - 70. I’ve seen it already! Chuck’s world class sprawl is really going to be the deciding factor in this fight. But another problem is once you get Chuck down, he has an uncanny ability to stand right back up. That is, as long as Rampage ain’t on top of him. If he can stop Sugar from taking him down and keeps the fight standing, there is NO WAY that Evans can outstrike Liddell, its a complete mismatch taylor made for Chuck to win. If the fight was standing for 15 minutes, it would take a head kick from heaven, like he did against Sean Salmon, for Evans to pull off a win. Speaking of that fight, that was presented to us as the main event of an UFN. Sure UFN’s are a step down in talent from PPV’s, but don’t headline it with a no name college wrestler making his UFC debut because he went to a rival college of a TUF winner. But that’s another story. I myself, like John and Phil, will be rooting for Rashad. I do not want to see Rampage/Chuck 3. I’ve seen it twice before and know how it will end. The only good thing that comes out of Rampage/Chuck 3 is that all of our BetUs accounts would grow from wagering on Rampage! There are so many out-of-this-world-dream matchups that they can make in the LHW division. I don’t want the division tied up for 6 months to see part 3 of a one sided beat down.

Speaking of the LHW contenders, what is up with Forrest saying he wants no part of Lyoto Machida? Forrest is supposed to be the man that will fight anybody. What is up with this? It’s ironic that this was mentioned, because yesterday evening I was reading an article on Forrest and read about the bout that was signed against Machida in April 2007. I had forgotten about that! If Forrest didn’t pull out of that fight, he would never even be the #1 contender, coach of TUF, and fighting Rampage for the belt.

I think that it is an absolute SIN to mention Machida and sausage tits Jason Lambert in the same sentence when talking about title contenders. What a joke! C’mon Forrest, we all know that you’re better than that. At least we thought we did.

I think John and Kevin are in love with each other..lol

“sausage tits Jason Lambert”..hehehehehehehehe..

VM..on Sean Salmon’s first fight in the UFC..he is in the main event..Salmon is UFCreject..who is always on the wrong end of super kick KO highlight..(not only in the UFC)..you and I know how this shit works with the UFC Brass.. TUF winners. MMAstars. will 4ever get the red carpet to the cage.

Forrest’s quote is going to be misinterpretted. He is not saying he is afraid to fight Lyoto. He is saying he wants to be in exciting fights and the others he listed put on more entertaining matches. Why would a fighter want to be in a fight where they’re getting booed?

IF Forrest/ anyone can TKO/KO/Gnp/SprawlnBrawl Machida? I’m sure the crowd will not boo..You have to dictate to Lyoto how the fight will be and bring your game. make sure your station is louder then his.. I find Machida to a intresting fighter to watch. His style is different fro many other fighter I’ve seen before. I’m happy he tapped out Soko..just him always going to a decision is what set him back a bit..the the truth still stands..he is undefeated in MMA/UFC..everyone should want to fight him..so they can give him his first loss.. if not he is at the door step for a title shot..forget this WWE type hype marketing they make believe is nessesary..it’s BS. The best should always the most deserving of the best.

I would not be one booing Machida. I agree. I find his style intriguing and enjoy watching him fight. I love seeing every different style of fighting when exhibited effectively. I also think the best should all fight the best.

I think the point is Forrest knows what the (unfortunate)general opinion of Machida is and that many find his elusiveness equates with boringness. Forrest has said many times he just wants to be in exciting fights and said he will fight anyone. Also, they didn’t offer him this fight currently so those that say he is ducking, he isn’t ducking it. He was interviewed about match-ups and he stated his thoughts. It is just one line put in an interview.

I’ve said it a million times on here but i wish Thiago would get some hype.

Man i love watching him fight, he is a pure bad ass. But for some reason he’s the forgotten man of the L/HW, can anyone remember a link of his on here… exactly.

If they don’t want Machida to have the next shot because Chucks got it (not saying i agree), throw in Thiago and Machida and lets see whats what between them.

Thiago’s agressive style could be the answer to the machida puzzle.

no way machida fought plenty of agressive fighter! in fact as a counter striker it would play right into machida’s hands

Nick J: Thiago gets all the hype. Didn’t you hear Joe Rogan?

He was one of two men to KO Rich Franklin. Hows that for KO power

In fact I find Machida rather exciting to watch. His tecnique and timing is beautiful. He attacks with such precision and gets out of danger. Since when does a guy have to get hit to be exciting? Machida is a tctical wrecking machine and he is on a tear and may have the next crack at the title.

LMAO! ok DB Franklin back in 2003. That means he has KO power? And since when is beating Tito who was kinda past his prime get you a title shot? Machida was supposed to be Danas assasin, turn out to be Danas track star. Ok matbe not track star but you get the point. Everybody complains about Chuck maybe, getting a title shot after Rashad (even though Chuck wanted to fight Shogun). But you guys want Machida to get one, cause he beat Tito? WTF is wrong with that picture?

i agree DB, its just that some people cant understand and appreciate how good machida is.

(he’s probably a big kimbo fan, the great “exciting”, “FACE OF MMA” fighter who knocks everyone out.)

Them not wanting to fight him has nothing to do with him being boring, it has to do with them being afraid of getting out pointed. Forrest has the worst style was match up with Machida. Forrest likes to come staight ahead and Machida is probably the best counterstriker in MMA at least he is at 205, so Forrest at least know that it’s not a good fight for him.
That being said, Machida is in the same boat Fitch was in. Nobody wants to fight him because they don’t don’t want to lose to someone who they feel is not a superstar name. Come on Forrest, you say Jason Lambert was on your list? JASON LAMBERT!!! Please, give me a break!

I also find Machida exciting to watch. He is tactical and intelligent. Not unlike the mindless brawling styles of those who think they can bully their way to a win.

Many fighters would not want to fight him because they can’t find a way to beat him. And if they lose, their fight-earning capacity could be badly diminished.

I think the UFC has found a man in Lyoto which they could use to go about their greedy ways in stifling cries for higher pay from fighters who think they deserve more pay… Sneeringly, “Ok, you want higher pay , higher contract. Fight Lyoto heh heh he…”

And Lyoto’s manager should also know this! He could use this to leverage for higher earnings. The past several weeks LHW fighters and managers say either they don’t want to fight Lyoto or he is so difficult to prepare against (which smells “wait til I win more so that a loss to Lyoto could be recovered from and my fight earning pay will not badly be affected….”).

And if one of the fighters beat Lyoto and ask for higher pay… the UFC would say “come on, you beat a boring fighter… heh heh he”.

this just goes to show how forrest is not ready to be champion (not that I think he can get past page anyways). if you’re a champion you don’t get to choose who you fight, you just have to defend your belt against all comers.

JV, forrest didn’t say anything about machida being boring, if anything he said he was very tough. If his reasons were that machida was boring than he would have said it (I give forrest credit for always being honest, no matter what). But he seems not to want anything with machida now because he’s very tough, not that he’s boring.

Im Sorry, but since the Nakamura fight, i have really enjoyed watching Machida. I think his calculated style is beautiful. His footwork makes Chuck Liddell look like Rocky Balboa!

I just dont understand why peope think he is boring..He is far from boring, more like intelligent.

If you can fight in a way that allows you to tag up the other opponent, but be elusive and not get touched….Thats very impressive to me.

Machida “THE GHOST”

Watching Lyoto is like watching chess or soccer.

Wandy, Chuck, Forest, and most of the other LHW is like watching football.

Which do you prefer?

I prefer football (I think in your small little world it’s called soccer or something )

lyoto doesn’t “run” for entire fights, people seem to forget that tito ortiz was saved by the bell in the the first round of their fight. a few more secconds and tito would have been pounded out in the first round

Machida’s SKILLS are off the charts. After seein his first couple fights, I was not a fan. However, during his last 3 fights, I have become a HUGE fan. he is a counter striker, which means he is not the one to initiate the action. He makes you pay for your mistakes. His footwork and pure elusiveness are truely a thing of beauty. After the 2nd round of thier fight, Tito was hunched over in his corner crying and whining saying something to the effect of “he keeps running away from me!”. Meanwhile he has a Q-Tip being shoved 1/3 of the way into his skull from wounds inflicted by Machida. And Lyoto? He looked like he just got a full service spa treatment.

If you prefer to just watch two people stand in front of each other and throw punches, watch EliteXC on CBS or wait for Houston Alexander to sign another fight. Speaking of which, does he have one coming up? Or is he done with the UFC?

I have to agree with the Machida supporters. He’s the best counterstriker I’ve ever seen. He’s a terrible matchup for sluggers. Perhaps a match with Wandi would be good, or (as somebody suggested) Shogun. There has to be somebody toward the top who is willing to attempt to beat Machida at his own game. Can’t wait till his next match.

ViolentMIke: That was a great post! I feel exactly the same way. i used to hate watching Machida fight, now a days I cant wait to see him fight again.

This guy is loaded with skills and Talent. U have to be freaking amazing in mma to beat people up, and not get hit in the process, that is something I have not seen done by any other fighter…not like Machida does it!

This guy is for Real, he is top 5 in the UFC without a doubt….I cant wait to see him fight the rest of the top 5!

Lyoto sucks. His best move is the ever dangerous lull-you-to-sleep. He is like a huge slug. When he finally fights anyone who is top tier then I might quit pouring salt on him. Until then he is a bum!

Brian: Learn the game first. And he doesn’t lull you to sleep. Never! Haven’t you seen his feints and fakes before delivering his Shotokan karate kicks[ala Ryu/Ken].MAchida just waits for the opportune moment before finishin’ off his opponent. HE doesn’t lull you. And if he does, you’re dead!

Sac165, you don’t seem to know much. Watch the tito fight and count how many punches tito lands, than count how many punches machida lands, how many kicks machida lands, how many take downs machida made and how many did tito have? Who got grounded and pounded? Can machida hit tito that much if he was running the whole time? Can machida hit tito from the other side of the octagon? I’d think he needed to be close for him to be able to hit tito, but I must be crazy.

Machida got the best of tito, and if dana white wasn’t happy with Machida he would get rid of him (or at least put him in the non-televised portion of the UFC). Get over it dude, most of us likes Machida, the ufc likes Machida, a few haters may not like him but he’ll stay here for a long time, so get used to it

linx you are talking like tito is ranked in the top 10 or even 15 at this point… Big deal he beat an overhyped tito in a match where the whole arena was booing. And no machida didn’t get hit from across the ring tito had to chase him the whole time and walked in to punches.(credit tito’s excelent stand up that hes always been known for) I know machidas not going anywhere as far as the ufc but he isn’t going anywhere as far as a title shot either, not until he can prove he is worth hyping up for a main event. He is just not to the main event status yet. Thats why chuck is getting the title shot and not him

“And no machida didn’t hit* tito* from across the…” typo

if chuck wants a title shot he should be fighting machida, not evans. sorry, but since you touched that point, it’s up to the UFC to give machida a top 10 fighter, they’re just ducking him unfortunately

linx: AMEN!!! Preach brother! lol

For all the guys defending Machida. I’m not questioning his skills, I know hes got skill. But alot of people want Machida to get a title shot, why? Cause he beat Tito? Cause he beat an inexperienced Soku? If its cause Machidas undefeated then so is Rashad. Rashad has 3 KO’s, 6 decisions and 2 subs. Only difference between Rashad and Machida is, Machida has 2 more decision wins. So again why the call for Machida to get a title shot? And why the hate for Chuck who has givin us some of the best fights in the sport, not to get one?

JV, comparing machida to evans is not cool man. evans lost to tito, it was only a draw because tito is a punk who kept grabbing the cage, but he lost. evans is not dominant like machida, like him or not you have to agree machida dominated everyone he has faced. it’s not about just being undefeated, it’s about dominating the pace of the fight and winning it. I got no beef with chuck, but he should be fighting machida and not evans (chuck is another person ducking machida…)

linx, Machida and dominant should never be in the same sentence, EVER!!! Do you think Machida deserves a title shot? And why? Give me a good reason. Picture this linx, a PPV with nothing but guys like Machida!!! I think you would fall asleep with all the decisions. Now picture a PPV with guys like Chuck & Wandy!!! You would be talking about the fights for a long time. Those would be fights you could look up 20 yrs later and it would still be bada$$. Can you say that for Machida?

I wouldn’t want to watch a PPV filled with fights with machida’s style. But I wouldn’t want to watch a PPV filled with fights with wandy’s style either. It’s good to have different styles so it keeps it fresh. to me wandy’s style is good to watch, chuck’s style is good to watch, machida’s style is good to watch, and it’s good to mix them up in a PPV. having a little bit of everything. Even the matt hughes of the world is somewhat good to watch (nothing but lay’n'pray).

Machida is dominant, who did he fight that he did not dictate the pace of the fight?

Dominant and dictating the fight are two different things. And remember how all the crowd was chanting Tito? After Machida won the crowd booed. Theres a reason for all of that.

there are lots of fighters that are good that gets booed in the UFC by the crowds, not just machida. this is because the casual fan wants to see a slugfest, they are not that educated in the game of MMA yet to understand and be excited about all aspects of the game (such as submissions, many submission artists also get booed). but to the trained eye it’s not boring, it’s exciting. we have to remember that this is a sport, it’s a game, it’s not just fighting. there are points to gain/lose during a match, and there are many different ways to win a match. casual fans overlook this, to them this is a fight, to me though, it’s a sport. And I have to say if someone is dictating a fight they are being dominant, sorry JV, but you’re off in this one.

That was a dam good point. But I meant that Tito has a lot of haters and to hear the crowd chant his name over Machida was crazy. A fighter will never cement a legacy being “elusive” aka “somewhat running” Machida needs to start trying to finish his fights.

wow, my morning conversations are off the charts, look what I started the last 3 days! I may have to start charging for the amount of action mania gets after I put up the comment!!!!

Linx: Its a shame that Machida and Anderson will never fight. I think that would be the most technical striking bout in the history of the UFC.

No worries, when Shogun gets healthy he will take Machida out. Shogun will fight ANYONE (except wandy)!

wow, a shogun vs machida would be an awesome fight John, I’d be a bit worried for shogun though ’cause I don’t think he’s as aggressive as wandy and would fall into machida’s game. I’m a big shogun fan but I think style wise wandy would have a better opportunity, but it would be a great fight nonetheless.

I too, think Wandy has a better chance, but shogun is bigger and tougher. Machida will have a lot of reach on Wanderlei, Shogun has longer arms.

Plus if the fight hits the ground, shogun vs. Machida would be a ju jitsu CLASSIC! I love SHOGUN”S ground game!

But hey, I sure as hell woudnt complain about wandy vs. Machida, or even THiagoo silva vs. Machida…all great match ups!

I wouldnt complain about wandy vs. Machida, but I thinkk Shogun is better opponent because of the added element of his ground game.

If shogun vs. Machida goes to the ground it would become a ju jitsu masterpeice!

no doubt shogun’s bjj is better than wandy’s IMO, but wandy has a good bjj game as well, he was able to hold his own against arona. BTW, when will arona start fighting again? can’t believe no one picked him up after the fall of pride

It baffles me as to why Arona is not in the UFC. HIs submission/ground n pound style is perfect for the UFC. Imagine Arona pressing someone up against the Cage and dropping elbows down on his opponents face. IMO, he is tailor made for the UFC…Sign him already!

Wandy’s ju jitsu seems to be more defensive. Trying to survive on the ground, get the fight backl standing and knock someone’s face in. If Shogun and Machida use their Jits to attack more, which makes me believe it would be very interesting to see Shogun vs. Machida, standing or on the ground.

Hey if Wandy vs. Machida is booked, I wont complain!

I agree John, wandy’s bjj is more defensive than it is offensive, while shogun doesn’t mind applying a submission if the fight hits the ground.

I think you are a piece of Shlt and should shut the fu(k up

JV didn’t say Chuck destroyed ALL of his opponents. His point is there is a way to be a counterpuncher and still show more aggressiveness and excitement.

Preach on there PJJ.

yeah Chuck’s style is similar to machida but done in such a bad ass fashion that you go “WOW! that was awesome.” No doubt Machida is talented and his style is effective…i just don’t want him in a title fight and 5 rounds of leg kicks and backing off.

btw, is he Brazilian or Japanese or mix?