End of the Machida Era
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By SJ Jarapa
The touted Machida Era stepped on a rocky path on its first reign as the new authority in 205 and now it has officially tumbled from the crown, well down into the bottom. Its Dragon just couldn’t handle the might of the re-emerging Shogun, whose period in power once thought by many met its end after a chain of uninspiring runs.
There could be a Machida Era at some point in this age but this is not the time.
This is the time of the Shogun.
“The Dragon” Lyoto Machida lost his mysticism this past Saturday night at the UFC 113 event, when Mauricio “Shogun” Rua effectively snuffed out his soul in the first round. No one expected this bout to end that early, let alone with probably the best evasive fighter to ever grace the sport, Machida, lying out cold on his back. The Dragon threw a straight left and missed and caught a wide hook in the nape of his head from Shogun. The blow collapsed Machida and it was beginning of the end for the champion as Rua, merciless, pounded him, immediately, to sleep.
I thought this fight would be another close one. Prior to it, I was looking forward to seeing what improvements Machida would bring into the cage. I thought we would be treated to a more efficient fluid defensive movement, utilizing awkward angles to employ the elusiveness Machida Karate was quickly becoming known for. But that did not happen. I was surprise to see Machida stand in that ring with so much uncertainty in himself. He seemed filled with doubt. It felt as if he was afraid of using his Karate all over again, like when he first debuted in MMA way back in Japan. He kept switching from orthodox to southpaw and each time made his attacks lacking of conviction. I guess the strategy for Machida was to engage more and bring the fight to the mat when he can; in my eyes he looked like a fighter who didn’t know himself, indecisive, unconvinced, even hesitant, yet, as instincts suggests, he threw his punches anyway.
Before this fight, I wasn’t as convinced that Shogun beat Machida in the first like the many. But I am now.
Shogun broke Machida’s spirit so badly that even if Machida was awarded the win on record, based on this rematch, Machida is no longer the same fighter as he was before Shogun.
Shogun Rua showed us again why he was at the summit of the Light Heavyweight Division once upon a time. Shogun showed everyone why he was the master and the pro in this fight; he was in perfect tune with the perfect strategy both in the first and the second. He’d read Machida well in their first fight, this time he knew precisely where and when to hit him. Right now, I’d say, his brilliant fighting acumen is probably second to none.
The question in my mind now is how the proud Machida will rise from this one. It is his first ever defeat – one that he suffered embarrassingly.
Is it the end of Kimbo Slice?
Another fighter might have seen the end of his run in MMA. Kimbo Slice commanded the adulation of the crowd when he entered the Octagon against Matt Mitrione some time before Shogun Rua captured the Light Heavyweight Belt from Machida.
The second the bell pealed, Kimbo exploded and body slammed Mitrione a couple of times to the floor, which had the crowd roaring. But that was it. Kimbo is raw power but with very little technique. There were signs of improvement but not by much. He was all offense with no defense whatsoever. He was nearly submitted with Mitrione’s several triangle attempts but survived only to succumb under pressure later in the fight. The fight was excruciatingly one sided in Mitrione’s favor despite Kimbo’s early explosion.
UFC President later said that, that it was probably his last fight in the UFC. Perhaps, until Kimbo shows real progress, that he can compete at top level.
The end of Daley!
I am for real now, Paul Daley just dealt himself the axing of a lifetime and he owed it all to his own medicine – from his infamous Semtex punch. Paul Daley was so pissed off at Josh Koscheck domination of him that at the end of the fight, he came at a walking away Josh Koscheck and clipped him on the face with the Semtex.
Supposedly, Daley did not hear the bell ring. Great excuse from someone who watched his opponent walk away minutes after Dan Miragliotta broke them up. This incident shocked me, not because of Daley’s sucker punch, but I was surprised to find myself cheering for Dan Miragliotta! As we all know, whenever Dan Miragliotta is in the ring, you can expect the unexpected to happen. He’s just that kind of guy, a miracle worker, the man who turns right into wrong. This time, however, he got it right by apprehending the bloody troublemaker and then admonishing him. I thought Dan would actually punch Paul Daley in the face. He was very believable.
Back to the issue at hand, well, UFC President Dana White was so pissed at Daley’s antics that he decided to axe the Briton from the promotion, saying:
“He’s done. I don’t give a [expletive] if he’s the best 170-pounder in the world; he’ll never come back here again. He’ll never come back. I’m probably the most lenient guy in sports and this is probably one of the most lenient organizations. You know we’re all human, we all make mistakes, things happen. There’s no excuse for that. These guys are professional athletes. You don’t ever hit a guy blatantly after the bell like that whether you’re frustrated or not. It was probably one of the dumbest things I’ve seen because he is a talented guy and he is one of the best 170-pounders in the world. I was actually impressed with his takedown defense. There isn’t wrestling in England. He’s obviously been working on his wrestling game. He’s beaten all the top guys at 170 pounds, comes in face to Koscheck who’s a good fighter and hung in there.”
All I can say is good riddance.
Fighting sports, might that be MMA, K-1, or Boxing, do not need representatives like him. It leaves us with a bad taste every time.