It is only a matter of time before Thiago Silva begins to be called out by fans as low rate fighter. He may have a suspect chin . . . Lyoto exposed him first.

I really do hope that MMA fans understand that Lyoto did not do anything differently in this fight. He fought with the same style and strategy. Just like Royce Gracie.

Side note, I think it is interesting that some fans dismisses Machida’s stoppage against Sokoudjou after the fact. Prior to their match people were touting him as the guy to give Lyoto problems but he was poorly exposed. The only guy to call Sokoudjou out was John Hackleman.

I’d like to see him get another knockout before getting a title fight (as much as he deserves one, being 15-0), and if Rampage beats Jardine, he’ll have the opportunity to beat another decent name before stepping into the main event spot.

“Whatever, whoever, I am here.”

You guys know I’m a shameless Lyoto Machida fan.
I guess Thiago Silva was overrated.

Franklin’s overrated?? Ortiz is a non-factor that is really tough to beat.

And please for the love of god stop mentioning Sokoudjou, the guy has a near career .500 record after ten fights, can you say overrated? People have long though Franklin was overhyped. Ortiz? Really. He’s been a non factor for years. Don’t get me started on Bonnar, he’s a stepping stone for other fighters, and all because of one single fight in his career…THAT HE LOST. So really, beyond fighting one truly legit fight against a massively overweight B.J. Penn who went up 30 pounds to take a catch fight and whom Machida couldn’t even lose a few himself to actually be somewhat near the same weight, which kind of makes it non legit after all, who has this guy fought??? Couple that with the fact that he’s STILL a duck and run fighter even against perennial midcarders, and it’s just bad for business.

You are correct in that you have no point. The people you mention fully engage their opponents, not snoozefest chessmatch them to death by circling the outside of the octagon for 13 minutes. They fully intend to finish said opponent by bringing their skillset and applying it ON their opponent, not waiting for a chance to apply it. It’s called imposing one’s will. I won’t fully knock Machida, i’m completely aware that the guy is a karate phenom, and i know he’s magic to watch in a karate tourney, but this dude has also been practicing BJJ for nearly 15 years, and last i checked, they aren’t a passive bunch.

Perhaps this will solidify the arguement against Machida’s so called octagon style…he has fought three? legit fighters, earning a decision against two, but but that still does not excuse 6 decisions in ten fights against journeymen and fighters new to the MMA rules. He has not fought a single one of the top tier fighters in his own weight class yet(And please, pleaseeee, do not say Franklin or Ortiz.), so truth be told he’s seriously untested and in that regard also not worthy of this massive praise heaped upon him.

In all fairness, here is hoping tonight’s fight with Silva starts that trend on a legitimate note.

GSP was not able to stop Jon Fitch. What’s my point? I have no point. Chris Lytle will bang just for the sake of banging, with no care of the fight’s outcome. He only cares about his performance. Lyoto Machida is only concerned with his performance, his discipline, his focus.
I have no point. Koscheck and Matt Hughes could not finish Lytle.

So do we hold decision victories against fighters?

without factoring agression and control
It is easier for a judge to quantify strikes as opposed to aggression. Control is definitely something you can quantify. Watch any match with a strong wrestler. Note, Chuck Liddell controlled the pace of his fight against Rashad Evans, he was also more aggressive.

WOW!!! Is this the biggest thread on this site?? I guess folks will be elated if Thiago Silva wins via anything.

I’m just glad that Dana White appreciates Lyoto’s style.

I do think that Machida is a very technical striker. I do think that he has a very illusive and effective style, but I also think it’s boring.

There’s a reason why I’m a die-hard MMA fan and not as enthusiastic boxing fan, and Lyoto Machida presents a problem. It’s hard for me to be enthusiastic about predictability. It just is.