http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-p3qzMz1JAk "The Dragon" has found a new home in the middleweight division, having already declared himself as a real threat by knocking out Mark Muñoz in the first round of their fight via high kick. Lyoto shouldn't be far from a title shot either, he is the fourth ranked fighter and a big name amongst the fans. With a sufficiently impressive victory over his coming opponent Gegard Mousasi he can propel himself into a number 1 contender spot. The former light heavyweight champion is the most difficult stylistic match up for Weidman or anyone else at middleweight. I say this because of Machida's tremendous ability to control the range and pace of his fights. Machida like Anderson is a counter striker but not one to put his hands down and invite you to hit him. Instead Lyoto will throw kicks and knees to the body, legs and head from the outside while continuing to move. He will constantly faint a threaten with his unpredictable attack all the while staying outside of boxing range. Machida will wait to frustrate his opponent this way and get them to jump in, leaving themselves open for a counter. In Karate this is known as sen-no-sen, unlike most counter strikers who look to wait until after you attack to capitalize Machida will meet you in the middle at the same time as you go forward to attack and catch you coming in. He used this in his knockouts of Rashad Evans and Ryan Vader. Although people criticize Lyoto's takedown defense for a fighter with no wrestling background it's very impressive. No one at light heavyweight was able to hold him down for long because Machida has a very good sprawl and quick hips. The difficulty in taking Machida down is not just in his takedown defense but in his movement which makes Lyoto almost impossible to put against the cage and his control of range which puts him out of the reach of most takedown attempts. Machida is used to facing bigger wrestlers than himself and often beating them, he will present a real problem for Weidman who will have to find a way to take the fight to the mat or stand with the dangerous Karate stylist.
Gadiel Hernandez attends the University of Miami and is an aspiring journalist with plans to graduate in the coming years. He was born in Havana, Cuba and speaks two languages. In his spare time he enjoys watching sports, exercising, reading and stand up comedy.