Lyoto Machida's next fight opponent has gained a ton of respect despite "The Dragon's" disadvantage on paper. The former 205-pound, however, promised that he would emerge victorious via stoppage.
Lyoto Machida's next fight is scheduled against The Ultimate Fighter 7 finalist C.B. Dolloway at UFC Fight Night 58 on December 20th in Machida's home country of Brazil. The said bout will heavily determine each fighter's place in the UFC's middleweight division.
Currently, Machida sits at number three on the standings, while Dolloway is ranked number ten. Despite the disparity in skills on paper and in terms of being a named fighter, which are all in favor of Machida, "The Dragon" still respects his opponent, and has put him in high regard.
"He was the best option available based on the UFC ranking, so I kind of expected him to be my next opponent," Machida said in an interview with MMA Fighting. "He's a complete fighter. "He has some flaws, of course, but he has a good stand up game, good takedowns and a good ground game."
Lyoto Machida's next fight will be "The Dragon's" third fight at 185-pounds. The former light heavyweight champion last saw action in July, in a title fight against current champion Chris Weidman. Unfortunately for him, he lost the fight by unanimous decision.
Facing an opponent like Dolloway may not be treated as a "gimme fight" by the Machida camp, as they believe that it will be "The Dragon's" ticket back to title contention.
"I don't think this fight can put me right into a title fight next, but it's an important fight for me," Machida continued. "I have to fight well, prove that I'm a top 3 fighter, and work on better opportunities for me to work my way back to the title again."
But it did not deter Machida's reasonable confidence to take over, as he promised to end the fight victorious, and by stopping his opponent.
"I don't think (it will last five rounds). I believe I can finish this fight earlier," Machida stated. "I'm not underestimating him, but I've learned a lot in my past fights. I have learned a lot in my fight against (Chris) Weidman, so it's likely that I will finish this fight before the fifth round."
