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[Beowulf]

mmabay

Machida tells Ortiz: “If I need to, I’ll do it all over again!”

In an exclusive interview with Mmabay, Lyoto Machida spoke out about Tito Ortiz’s comments following his fight in May at UFC 84 and sent a clear message to “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy”.

When questioned about how he felt when hearing Ortiz say that he “hadn’t come to fight” and “ran the whole time”, Machida told us: “Tito Ortiz shouldn’t be saying that because I knocked him down, I took him down and I was very close to submitting him. If I needed to, I would do it all over again.”

These are strong words from a fighter who is usually reserved in his comments, but it is clear that after dominating former UFC light heavyweight champion, Ortiz for all but the final 30 seconds, Machida’s actions and ability speaks for itself.

By Michael Pepper.

For the full interview with Lyoto Machida, check out mmabay.co.uk next week!

A pissed off Machida would be scary

[Ahura]

lol totally agree
Ortiz has an excuse at every corner.
next fight he could get knocked out in the 2nd, then it will be, i broke my leg a week out from the fight

[T]

I agree with Tito! lol I know I will get flamed for this but oh well.

[Viper2076]

Originally Posted by T

I agree with Tito! lol I know I will get flamed for this but oh well.

You should be good. People could have taken that fight either way. Machida did try to stay clear of major engagements and pick his positions. When he did get in there, he got the better of the situation. Some people could see that as his elusiveness at work and some could see it as him running from Tito. I thought that, regardless of whether it was strategy or whatever, is was a boring MMA fight.

I would like to see it again though.

[TheRedeemer]

I agree with Tito's opinion, some people see Machida that way. Machida needs to fight fighters that will press him 130%. Tito pressed him about 70%, which led to Machida being able to literally run from one side of the octagon to the other to avoid exchanging. Once Machida fights someone who will press him the entire fight, it wont go to another decision. Yes Machida took him down.. with 10 seconds left in the round and did no damage once on the ground.... Yes Machida knocked him down.. but then got caught in a triangle. I know Machida is a great fighter, but people who claim he is a top 5 pound for pound fighter in the world... well thats just funny

Machida needs to beat Silva in order for me to think he is worthy of a title shot or in the top 10. He's 5-0 in the UFC, and went to a decision with Sam Hoger (6-4, 0-3 in last 3), David Heath (8-3, 1-3 in last 4), Kazuhiro Nakamura (11-8, 0-3 in last 3), and Tito Ortiz. He did submit the African Assassin in his UFC debut though. But he's overrated to begin with.

Notable wins for Machida... BJ Penn, Rich Franklin and Stephan Bonnar. Bonnar is not that great, beating Rich Franklin is impressive, but Penn was at a huge disadvantage.

I'm not bashing Machida, I think going 13-0 is an incredible feat. But shouldn't he fight more top level fighters before being considered one of the best fighters in the world? Roger Huerta was 25-1 before his Florian fight, and I didn't hear anyone claiming he was one of the best fighters in the world.. Why? because he didn't fight anyone.

John Fitch was on a 15-0 run, with wins over better fighters than the fighters Machida has fought, And nobody said he was one of the greatest fighters in the world, in fact, I don't know anyone who chose him over GSP.

So why does everyone make the argument that Machida is one of the best fighters in the world, even though he has only fought two top 10 fighters in his career (BJ Penn and Rich Franklin, And that was 3 years ago), well here's my opinion on this.

I think people feel comfortable knowing that Machida, no matter who he fights, can avoid exchanging the entire fight, and just do enough to win a decision at the end of the round. I know that if he fought Griffin, he would probably win a decision. If your a fan of Machida, and actually think he's a top 10 fighter, you will watch and think "wow, this is an art watching him fight and avoid damage". But if your someone who still thinks Machida needs to prove himself, you will probably be annoyed with the way he fights.

Machida fans, please, do not be mad at people who are not fans of Machida, respect their opinions. and people who aren't fans, do not call fans stupid.

I'm right in the middle, probably with a lot of the people on the forums. I think his fighting style needs to be tested against someone who is actually good. And claiming that he adjusts to his opponents is easy to say when he is fighting not so good fighters. But, going 13-0, no matter how you do it, is pretty amazing.

[Qball1974]

Originally Posted by Beowulf

mmabay



A pissed off Machida would be scary

yes...and run twice as fast. This is a guy I never want to see fight again, unlike W.Sliva....he comes to fight win or lose, I sure he is a fast runner also....but you will NEVER see it!

[T]

I will say that after watching the fight I think Machida could beat Tito without running, he stuffed Titos' take down attempts, when Tito could attempt to go for one when Machida wasn't running, and took Tito down when he wanted too, also when he wasn't running around. It goes without saying I am not a Machida fan but that knee to the abdomen was an awesome shot, just as impressive to me was Titos' triangle attempt, which he could have pulled off he would have not tried to transition to another sub. I also think it's retarded that Machida is ranked higher than Wandy. Just wanted to throw that one out there hehe.

[twankydawg]

Originally Posted by TheRedeemer

I agree with Tito's opinion, some people see Machida that way. Machida needs to fight fighters that will press him 130%. Tito pressed him about 70%, which led to Machida being able to literally run from one side of the octagon to the other to avoid exchanging. Once Machida fights someone who will press him the entire fight, it wont go to another decision. Yes Machida took him down.. with 10 seconds left in the round and did no damage once on the ground.... Yes Machida knocked him down.. but then got caught in a triangle. I know Machida is a great fighter, but people who claim he is a top 5 pound for pound fighter in the world... well thats just funny

Machida needs to beat Silva in order for me to think he is worthy of a title shot or in the top 10. He's 5-0 in the UFC, and went to a decision with Sam Hoger (6-4, 0-3 in last 3), David Heath (8-3, 1-3 in last 4), Kazuhiro Nakamura (11-8, 0-3 in last 3), and Tito Ortiz. He did submit the African Assassin in his UFC debut though. But he's overrated to begin with.

Notable wins for Machida... BJ Penn, Rich Franklin and Stephan Bonnar. Bonnar is not that great, beating Rich Franklin is impressive, but Penn was at a huge disadvantage.

I'm not bashing Machida, I think going 13-0 is an incredible feat. But shouldn't he fight more top level fighters before being considered one of the best fighters in the world? Roger Huerta was 25-1 before his Florian fight, and I didn't hear anyone claiming he was one of the best fighters in the world.. Why? because he didn't fight anyone.

John Fitch was on a 15-0 run, with wins over better fighters than the fighters Machida has fought, And nobody said he was one of the greatest fighters in the world, in fact, I don't know anyone who chose him over GSP.

So why does everyone make the argument that Machida is one of the best fighters in the world, even though he has only fought two top 10 fighters in his career (BJ Penn and Rich Franklin, And that was 3 years ago), well here's my opinion on this.

I think people feel comfortable knowing that Machida, no matter who he fights, can avoid exchanging the entire fight, and just do enough to win a decision at the end of the round. I know that if he fought Griffin, he would probably win a decision. If your a fan of Machida, and actually think he's a top 10 fighter, you will watch and think "wow, this is an art watching him fight and avoid damage". But if your someone who still thinks Machida needs to prove himself, you will probably be annoyed with the way he fights.

Machida fans, please, do not be mad at people who are not fans of Machida, respect their opinions. and people who aren't fans, do not call fans stupid.

I'm right in the middle, probably with a lot of the people on the forums. I think his fighting style needs to be tested against someone who is actually good. And claiming that he adjusts to his opponents is easy to say when he is fighting not so good fighters. But, going 13-0, no matter how you do it, is pretty amazing.

You obviously have no clue what you are watching when you watch these fights. I'm willing to bet money that you're the kind of knucklehead that boo's when the fight hits the ground.

You should go play in traffic and never post here again.

[hunterkiller]

I'd like to know who quoted Tito as saying those things because every interview I heard him do post fight he said Machida was the better man that night and he clearly won.

When mentioning Machida "running away" he wasn't saying he was running away, he said he was being elusive and it was difficult to get inside to hit him.

Someone's stirring up shit for shit's sake. Tito's gone from the UFC and won't re-sign. A rematch won't happen and isn't necessary. Machida is fighting to get into title contention and Ortiz is finishing his career and wants to become a promoter. Can we move on please?

[Problematique]

please not again..i cant sit through it again