Weight Class: Middleweight The main event of the night is all about Lyoto Machida. CB Dollaway, with all due respect, is an afterthought. It's not that Dollaway isn't good - he is. It's not that he's unheralded. He went to the TUF 7 finale and has won multiple performance bonuses in the UFC. It's just that the Dragon is, or at least was, on the next level - and the MMA world is waiting to see if he can maintain that level, or get back to it, depending on how you feel about Machida. Machida has always been criticized for not engaging; for having a hit and run style that some call elusive and others call running away. First and foremost, Machida will need to win at Fight Night 58, but that hit and run style will also be under the microscope. As will everything else. What we really want to know is, does Machida (21-5) have another title shot in him? Dollaway (155), meanwhile, is on a two fight win streak, but prior to that dropped a fight to Tim Boetsch. To put it plainly, he has never fought anyone as good as Machida, and it will be a huge test. It's not the mismatch that Barao vs. Gagnon is, but this is really Machida's fight to lose. Machida has the edge in experience, skill, and stamina here, having gone five rounds several times in his career, while this is Dollaway's first five-round fight. Look for a late TKO by the former lightweight champion, and don't expect any real answers about his future until his next fight - unless, of course, we're wrong and he loses.
Primarily covering the sport of MMA from Ontario, Canada, Jay Anderson has been writing for various publications covering sports, technology, and pop culture since 2001. Jay holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of Guelph, and a Certificate in Leadership Skills from Humber College.
