In 15 fights Machida has yet to lose a round. The 31-year old has five knockouts and two submission victories. Machida has beaten Rich Franklin, BJ Penn, Vernon White, Tito Ortiz, and previously undefeated fighters Thiago Silva and Rashad Evans. He's currently considered the sports top light heavyweight fighter (though the argument could be made that Anderson Silva deserves that title) and a top-5 pound-for-pound martial artist (along with Silva, Fedor Emelianenko, Georges St. Pierre and Mike Brown/BJ Penn). Is Machida being propped up by the MMA hype machine or is he really one of the best ever?
I really think he's one of the best ever. Shogun isn't gonna even touch him this weekend. Edit: I might give my reasoning later but my head's all wrapped up in literature right now...it's terrible.
As of right now, I've got him as Very Good, reign for awhile. This is his first title defense and he is on the brink of excellent and has the potential to be one of the best of all time.
He looks to be one of the best all-time in caliber. However Shogun is in that category as well. I think if Machida defends against Shogun, his next opponent no matter what will be an easier fight than Shogun. It is a pretty rough first title defense.
I put very good but he could end up being a legend. Hes a monster but hes got to prove it a little more as a champ to be up there with Silva, Fedor, GSP, etc.
I think he is well on his way to being a legend in this sport. He's seemingly advanced as a fighter during his time in the UFC and will likely continue to improve. It's fascinating to watch someone dominate with spacing rather than physicality.
I think his style that allows him to not take much damage will allow him to continue to win for a looong time. No one will beat him the first time they fight him, it's gonna take a rematch for someone to figure him out.
I'm going to swim against the tide here. If the real Shogun shows up, Machida is in for a long night.
