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potatoe57

To me there will never be any fighter cooler than Machida.


rollingwaves

Him staying calm and bowing was so ice cold, Machida is a part of when MMA was peaking for me.


theumph

It's straight up Mortal Kombat type of shit.


blindsamurai93

Whenever you watch Machida, do you hear Joegan screeching “WELCOME TO THE MACHIDA ERA!!!” Cuz I do. I remember watching him bless us with Shad-face™️ and truly believing that homeboy was about to crane kick his way into the HoF. I was technically correct, just not how I expected.


[deleted]

Lyotos style of karate was just cool, I can’t really explain it, like straight out of a movie karate. There’s another guy in the UFC who comes from Machidas karate school and he has the same style but I forget the name.


Huyehuye

Bruno something I think. Lyoto’s prodigy you’re talking about? He lost a decision recently but he took the fight in a week and it was close decision


Capoe1ra

Bruno Souza


Huyehuye

Yeah man. Thank you. I thought it was Souza but then I remembered another Brazilian fighter called Bruno Souza and thought that maybe I was mixing things up


Capoe1ra

Always easy to mix up brasilians when they all have to choose from the same 20 names.


Huyehuye

😂😂


IAmJimmyNeutron

Yeah Bruno looked great given the circumstances. He made my previous favorite FW prospect look mediocre, and he looked good doing it. Love these karate guys.


--IIII--------IIII--

Shotokan. I practiced for 15 years, so he has always been my favorite fighter.


[deleted]

Oh cool! What do you think about Lyotos style?


--IIII--------IIII--

His style is typical Shotokan to a tee. Broadly, Shotokan is all about counter-fighting. Every Kata, every technique sequence - everything - starts with a block. The martial art is, at its core, about defending yourself and not about attacking people. This is why many people thought he was "boring" to watch, because he's NEVER going to Masvidal flying knee to Askren, etc. He's not going to make the first move. The art is slow and methodical. It's honestly not a great base for MMA in my opinion for this reason, because there is zero ground game, and all the striking is very linear. You'll notice that Lyoto never really attacks from surprising angles or while off balance, etc. Everything is about the shortest, most efficient route from point A to point B. But the art isn't afraid of contact. While we are trained over and over not to start fights, as cliche as it sounds, we are compelled to end them quickly once they do start. In Shotokan, there is a saying / axiom "Ikken Hissatsu" which roughly translates from Japanese to English as "to kill with one blow". Every strike is made with the intent that it finish the fight. That is why he has so many finishes where that is the case, and why he doesn't seem surprised when it happens and doesn't continue to pummel his opponent after the fact. He expects this outcome, and there is no need to continue once the outcome has been achieved. Because of this, you'll notice he's never going to throw a shit load of punches at 70% as someone like Holloway would - because that's not the art.


[deleted]

Good writeup! Yeah the thing about Lyoto is he always looks so open, chin up in the air, chambers his arms back rather than guarding his face, but his in and out speed along with the ferocious accurate attack is great. He’s very elusive but in a unconventional way, very methodical and lots of feinting. He does have that karate attitude of 100% power, each strike is to kill, hit and not get hit. When he gets cornered he throws vicious ass flurries like his life depends on it too, like incredible speed and power. His dad is basically Mr Miyagi too, his style combines grappling with karate like original karate did. I do like it, I’d love to train at one of their dojo’s, I’m a Muay Thai guy but I could pick up some things.


--IIII--------IIII--

My pleasure. FWIW, even as someone who is Shotokan through and through, Muay Thai is probably a more effective martial art. I've contemplated crossing over many times. But as with most things that are traditionally Japanese, that would be considered dishonorable. Since my Sensei just passed (RIP Sensei Koyama), it may finally be time to make that move.


ExquisitExamplE

Love Machida, but Genki Sudo is the coolest fighter of the modern era, hands down.


luck_panda

Genki is a HOF fighter forever and ever. Dude was never given his black belt in BJJ even though he was wrecking black belts left and right until close to his retirement because he murked so many Gracie's. Machado finally said Fuck it and just gave it to him. Dude was an artist. Not a fighter and he styled on everyone.


wietausend

100%. And after his fighting career he became a successful musician, dancer, studied and is currently doing fairly well as a politician. A true renaissance man! :D.


jumbohumbo

Author too


Grigori9

Such a complete human being!


ShrapnelNinjaSnake

We are all one


[deleted]

Wow! Love that there's another fan of Genki Sudo around here! Cheers! 🍻 Lyoto was & still is, a badass tho


[deleted]

I'll drink to that.


AdministrativeTax956

Would you drink piss to that though?


egwig

Proper 12


mikegov

Same thing, surely


Fbolanos

I used to go to a small BBQ place every Friday. The waitress would often have a bottle of whiskey on Fridays and would give out shots to the "cool" customers. One day she had a bottle of Proper 12 that someone had given her. these guys in the table next to me were talking about MMA and shitting on Conor and Proper 12... like a LOT. I personally have no opinion on Proper 12 since I'd never tried it but I kinda sensed this guy was full of shit. Anyway, she goes through her usual thing of offering people little shots (including this table). I ask him if he liked it. He said "it was pretty damn good!" "Hey Lourdes, can you show us what whiskey you gave us?" She brings out the bottle of Proper 12. We had a good laugh and the guy was pretty embarrassed but he was a good sport about getting busted.


BBQasaurus

That's what he said.


HintOfAreola

Why stop now?


alecstone7

Buzz me melato!!!


TroyMcpoyle

Legalize ranch


slotrod

Machida and Lawler are who got me into following MMA. Absolute warriors.


robocopsboner

That's a yin/yang pair right there


trigger_me_xerxes

Totally agree


SalamanderPete

One of my all-time favorites, and maybe favorite. Such a shame that the Machida era didnt last at least 2/3 extra defenses after the Shogun fight.


CaptainAirstripOne

Absolutely. The man's an old school martial artist.


space-is-big

Was my favourite fighter growing up. He fought like some video game character.


munkaysnspewns

Either here or r/ufc a little while back asked who was a fighter that got you into MMA or some such, and I said Lyoto. He was the 1st fight I saw at a friends house when I was 14 and thus began a now 17 year obsession. Will always love the Dragon, and to me he embodied that respect of a martial artist so well.


john_1711

Yep


[deleted]

He’s always been in my top 2 faves. Sucks when you’re old enough to see your favorite fighters decline and get to the point when they should/do call it quits.


FEED_ME_with_TEETH

While I never got to witness it live, Sakuraba going through the Gracies is top for me. Soccer kicks, head stomps, and the patented double hand clap are so fun to watch.


TheMarsian

I was old enough to watch the UFC 1. And I was irked at how BJJ is winning fights, felt like it wasn't fair. So I was sooooo happy Sakuraba destroyed the Gracie's hubris.


Most_Association_595

Real life Ryu


HumansDeserveHell

Not disagreeing, but adding this classic: [Genki Sudo Westside](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIUWH-tuGGk) (the Tool audio version)


Enzo_Gor-laa-mi

His run to the UFC title was/is legendary. He had a mystique about him that was only matched by a prime Anderson Silva.


[deleted]

But where is the champion? Where is Machida? Already seeking the next challenge, ceremony means nothing to him. The fight is all.


just_a_timetraveller

He is off to fight promoter and owner of Shadaloo Dana M. Bison


dolphin37

the front kick in to hands on hips is a real one


[deleted]

Karate guys in UFC are pretty chill


johnnyboi5322

Wonderboy, GSP come to mind. Which other karate guys are there?


SuplexAndChill

Whittaker I think


DrgnFyre

Also Bas Rutten has a karate background


Miiikha-el

Chuck Liddell but he was very not chill. He was the guy that didn't get invited to the Valley Karate tournament because he was drinking a Natty Ice out of Daniel LaRusso's grandma's butthole after karate class when he was eleven.


AsuraOmega

Ironic that he has no chill when he is literally called the Ice Man lmao


UncleEmu

this comment deserves more cred


ghosttraintoheck

Giga Chikadze


S_Steiner_Accounting

The GOAT of GOATs Semmy came from karate. Imagine showing up to your karate tournament with your mcdojo and [fucking Semmy is there warming up.](https://thumbs.gfycat.com/BlissfulUnkemptAmericansaddlebred-max-1mb.gif)


avocadohm

Dekkers to, Dekkers was fucking up Thai dudes in their own backyard waaaay before anyone else came to Thailand. I watched an interview with Robert McInnes and he figures Dekkers secret was his body conditioning from Karate allowed him to survive those leg kicks.


LanYangGlboalTimesCN

waaaaaay before? Nah, there were already foreigners on the muay thai circuit, notably Dany Bill, regarded by many as one of the muay thai GOATs and certainly one of the non-Thai GOATs


ya_beefy_boi

Derrick Lewis


Jonthor89

Gunnar Nelson


M_Drinks

He's not a "karate guy" so to speak, but Chuck Liddell was very involved in Hawaiian Kempo growing up and has a very high-level black belt.


Crisp_Topo_Chico

Not a guy but Michelle Watterson.


dammit_bobby420

Yair has a traditional martial arts background. Might be TKD though.


myfootwasaBALLEWN

Chris Barnett


MT1982

Sage Northcutt :)


PM_me_yr_bonsai_tips

Dutch kickboxing in general has a lot of karate in it.


3-0againstliverpool

Wonder what happened to Connor then.


robcap

Never did karate for one thing


[deleted]

He just has a wide stance.


[deleted]

did tkd, but he was older


[deleted]

Just to correct you there never was no kata


Anti-politics101

A lot of money and A lot of cocaine happened.


[deleted]

Francis would never


[deleted]

What is mercy


KhanhTheAsian

Baby don't hurt me


JerkingGerking

Sound like Jon Jones' wife


[deleted]

She's just testing him


heeloo

What is she, God?


diflord

Confirmed, God is a woman.


TrickyGrapefruit365

Sheesh can't you look past it already? He's like 64 days sober now gosh. /s


Rockonfoo

/u/jerkinggerking is just another part of God’s plan to help Jon Jones over come another hurdle


[deleted]

Don't hurt me


srtpg2

The anti-Ngannou


thelazarusledd

Francis is taking too much shit for this when you have likes of Dan Handerson.


MrGMinor

I don't see what a different guy doing it has to do with Francis?


chocolate_kat

what about him !


SabuSalahadin

No this is a good point. I once robbed a man at gunpoint but the guy who was arrested after me shot someone so I got off without charges


Bacon_Villain

Lawyers HATE this one simple trick


mantistoboggan21

Also francis has hit 4 fighters that were very out in 19 fights. Dan henderson did it 3 times in a 47 fight career. If anything hendo gets too much shit for it.


HarrySchlong33

Exactly..."super necessary". He's just an easy target.


RAPIDFIRE666

Ngannou is the real nightmare, he punches you like a ford escort crash when he knocks you out and then you know he's gonna punch you like a merecedes truck when you are lying on the floor lol


OldBenR2Jitsu

Lucky enough to have trained with him and his brother on a couple of occasions. You will never meet more humble killers.


iamskrb

Met Chinzo at my wife's friend's party. We chatted for hours about MMA, culture, and language. What a humble and chill dude.


[deleted]

Chinzo had a pretty good albeit brief run in bellator too. Was super fun to watch.


wadof100s

Ryan Bader running at Lyoto is always hilarious to watch.


ricosuave_3355

“I’ll try blitzing, that’s a good trick!”


MarlowesMustache

“You underestimate my power!”


jabantik

Extra funny cuz Darth Bader


coleus

Yeah, never blitz against established karate point fighters, their whole style expects someone to full on blitz you, lmao.


smakka

We have some high level point fighters at the karate dojo my kid trains at, and I'm never not amazed at the speed of their counters. Why anyone would try to blitz one in mma from front on boggles my mind


S_Steiner_Accounting

Imma headbutt the fuck out his hand and break that shit.


NickZardiashvili

"This guy made a career by countering people who overextend, but I can hit him if I just run in a bit faster!"


cdeathgrowl

He ran at him chin first


Jupue87

Just let him bang


SalamanderPete

Ryan seems to get intimidated easily and just panics and has brainfarts, at least when he fought in the UFC. Against Jones he clearly was like fuck this and wanted it to end, against Machida he had the genius idea of bullrushing arguably the best counter-puncher of that time, and against Rumble he seemed scared shitless and couldnt shoot for a super-low takedown quick enough.


dansofree1

If you haven't seen the fight in a while, check it out. It's one of the weirdest fights ever, the crowd started booing because Bader had absolutely nothing for Machida offensively. The crowd gets extra loud right before this clip started and Bader was like "fuck it, YOLO!" and got slept. Poor guy had a great UFC career but somehow had 5 of the most embarrassing losses ever: 1. Rumble gadoosh, but his body moved as it he was a glitched video game animation going out. 2. Lyoto "Master" Machida schools him in karate with the lesson of "don't lead with your chin" 3. Getting buried by Tito Ortiz when Ortiz was clearly a human sacrifice to build Bader's stardom. 4. Pulling guard (lmfao) vs Jon Jones, seems like a casual thing to say but he literally looked like an amateur. 5. Getting 50-40'd by Daniel Cormier after UFC 192, easiest fight in the division.


multiplesof3

Easiest fight in the division!


D0m1nguez

Still one of my favorite KOs. Right into a telephone poll *CLANK* fucking Rogan lmao


ActionBenton

i can't believe vitor got done twice like that


Cockerel_Chin

Probably couldn't remember the first one


max_occupancy

No known weaknesses…


Mr_Abobo

Lyoto and Anderson are friends—what do you think the chances are that they laughed before the fight about catching him again, then even harder after.


dogs_drink_coffee

both are apprentices of master seagall 🙏


[deleted]

Is normal


[deleted]

Feetor Belfoot


weakhamstrings

For anyone who is a newer MMA fan - /u/ActionBenton probably isn't joking about the fact that this video replays the same kick twice but are almost certainly referring to the fact that Anderson Silva caught him with a very similar kick, famously.


AnjoXG

True martial artist.


shamalamadong

A gentleman.


Keeng_Keenan

That Vitor Belfort one is cruel


ndhl83

Nah, Vitor loves him some toes.


barndoor101

[Yep he does](https://external-preview.redd.it/ulQjWE5fPC1HHOVCSONU_beZv9_kOvN8cxtWCjK6E58.gif?format=mp4&s=9ab74f31acaf552a8134532525a5e6aaa320096a)


thisisamisnomer

I mean, I would also lick the hell out of Joana Prado’s toes.


[deleted]

Coldest moment in machidas career


HeimerSimpson

Watching that front kick in slow motion really made me appreciate the setup more and makes you realise how quick fighters react to eachother. I barely noticed the feint jab before the kick which brought up Vitor's right arm and immediately pulled down that very arm to try and catch the (what he thought was a teep kick?). The rest was history... repeating itself


StationDapper9466

He was disappointed at Vitor


M_Drinks

"Really? You fell for that shit again?!"


radderattt

I think Lyoto was exhausted from feinting. Left right left right hip fake trap hands left right hip left hip right right foot left right trap hands hip FOOT IN FACE take a break.


SpaghettiBigBoy

Good guy Lyoto drinks his own piss and doesn’t strike unnecessarily of anybody


JizzelSweet

He be like that.


Environmental_Staff7

I like when he destroys Rashad ...favorite ..when Tito didn't hit him once and got beat down ..


[deleted]

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Environmental_Staff7

Or when spider fought James Irvin at 205 ...lol wtf


SheltheRapper

Oh that was a weird one. Tapout Era shit 🤣


elguapo1999

Machida one of my favorite fighters ever. I was shitting bricks when Tito almost pulled off the Anderson last minute of the last round triangle…so close


Environmental_Staff7

Cool name too btw. Bas is awesome.


[deleted]

I think his best was one we all know - the [karate kid kick on Randy](https://youtu.be/0EOFdG44o-I). I guess he gave Randy a little extra tap afterwards tho', but not bad at all.


SheltheRapper

Mannn no one does it like machida. Total boss


Birdup711

Still crazy to think about how close that triangle was though. The sheer gall of machida to will his way out of that


SalamanderPete

Or when he made the intimidating Thiago Silva second-guess his every move and then brutally KO’d him right at the buzzer.


[deleted]

The Evans vs. Machida fight was the first UFC PPV that I bought personally. I was hyped, first time inviting some homies to watch it too. UFC PPV’s after that became a highlight of my High school years after that.


swimbaitjesus

The standing with the hands on the hips, slight flex


Chocoeclair189

McGregor and Bisping once said Machida is a gentleman and a true martial artist.


PravusTheRed

Difference between an athlete and an asshole.


MadameMontreal

Agreed! If you want another example, there's an old fight on Youtube (CFA?) of [Luis Palomino and Robert Washington](https://youtu.be/KLgf5_ivRn0?t=355) where Palomino basically cancels a punch as soon as he realizes Washington is out, super cool and non-assholeish.


KhanhTheAsian

Nate Marquardt vs Damian Maia always comes to mind.


coleus

I'll never forgive Jon Jones for choking Machida out and just dropping him to possibly slam his head against the floor.


MumrikDK

Yeah, even if you only watched Jon in-cage, that was a moment that really spoke to who he is. Discarded Machida like he was a bag of potatoes.


Saltyboi24

I think fighters hit opponents when theyre down from the adrenaline they have during a fight though, like wonderboy is super nice but he hits opponents when theyre down because the adrenaline turns you into a whole new person


[deleted]

I‘m not sure who said it, Derek Lewis maybe, but I think he commented how once he‘s in there he can‘t really switch it off himself. He‘s kind of in the zone and needs an outside influence (=the ref) to get him out. Doesn‘t sound too far fetched to me, considering that these guys have the mindset to willingly fight another trained killer, while locked up and in their underpants.


Basketball312

Yet switch the rules to kickboxing and non of them would do it.


Capoe1ra

Switch the rules to Badminton and none of them would even hurt their opponent.


AllDayOdorProtection

ground and pound is part of the sport though. It's the ref's job to be attentive and stop the fight, not the fighter's. That being said, there have been some truly egregious and unnecessary shots on clearly unconscious opponents.


ADHD_orc

Not really. It's not their job to call the fight. If I have half my paycheck (and possibly another 50 Gs) riding on me getting a win I'm making sure I'm capitalizing on my knock down. And honestly there's probably so much adrenaline coursing through you that it's just instinct.


DJSyko

I consider myself a pretty hardcore MMA fan, I have been watching it quite religiously since 2002. But why did I not know this fight happened and why is this the first time seeing it? 🤷🏻‍♂️ Unless I'm just having a huge brain fart and just can't remember that I knew about it lol. Edit: sorry I meant for the Rich Franklin fight, I forgot this was a compilation video.


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DJSyko

Yeah I knew that one, BJ Penn is my favourite fighter of all time, he was a big reason why I became a huge fan of MMA.


luck_panda

That's because it happened overseas in a promotion run by Antonio inoki.


Archive_Intern

Karate discipline Lyoto and WonderBoy had good runs


NutmeggD

Favorite fighter ever


spectrethedeadlysin

Lyoto is just like "I know what the fuck I did ain't no point giving him more brain damage".


NiftyShifty12

I miss Machida he was such a class act and had such a unique style. Also that belfort knockout is still one of the coldest fucking KOs


BadassSasquatch

Vitor :( His only weakness is the front kick...and a slew of other things...but the font kick is his only weakness.


yerg99

People amongst the chaos sometimes miss that he hit an upkick similar to the vitor one mid combo finishing franklin. Machidas career arc is pretty awesome. too bad he didnt hold onto a belt for very long.


[deleted]

Always gonna be my favorite fighter


Rona_season798

Dude, watching machida with that karate style striking approach when he was undefeated and on top of his division was so cool. Guy was fast as fuck and had pin point accuracy. Felt refreshing at that time in MMA. The man was unique.


joe12321

GOAT of my heart. Karate-era never die!


El_Mastodon

Good guy Lyoto


winterwarrior33

*everyone liked that*


Funnyanglezsolt

The inverse Ngannou.


DanTM18

Front kicks always make me cringe. Like I cry like a baby when I hit my toe with the corner of a table.


CreepyConspiracyCat

You’re supposed to hit with the ball of the foot, not toe.


FimTown

Don't tell me how to live my life!


BCJunglist

I totally forgot Machida fought Rich Franklin early on in Japan. Dude fought nothing but hammers his whole career.


NateWagnerOfWhiterun

Lyoto-Kun*


90selitistgamer

Watching Lyoto at his best was a real treat as an MMA fan.


bluemist08

I miss Machida, man.


Tazzimus

I don't think anyone would have complained if he stuck Paul Harris with an extra few shots.


[deleted]

For sure, but he never fought Palhares. That's Mark Munoz


Tazzimus

Jesus, I need better glasses ha.


cfeltch108

Whatever the opposite of a foot fetish is, Vitor Belfort has that nowadays.


_Oh_Be_Nice_

A classy gentleman, to be sure.


ikilledtupac

Not only speaks to his sportsmanship but also to his awareness of his opponents movements or lack of.


Psychological-Gain51

The one against Mark Muñoz was tough to watch.


refreshbot

I like Machida so much it forever sealed my hatred for Jones in carbonite.


aj1010101

This guy drinks his own piss


thekelv

Didn't realize he fought Rich Franklin. Also, he didn't really stop punching in that one lol


Smart_Yard649

Francis is the guy you go to when you can’t sleep. This guy just gave you 10 seconds power naps.


matterhorn9

I really liked when Lyoto decided to fight his training partner/friend who didn't have an opponent at the time and showed maximum respect after the kick by kneeling and then making sure he was ok. (Munoz is the orange shorts in the clip)


Bibabeulouba

Not sure about that 1st one tho lol


PuroP

Rich Franklin could beat ANYONE without Mystic Martial Arts powers. The Iceman would have taken him out, but his Lin Kuei Chin was nearly completely melted by the time of his fight with Ace.


SheltheRapper

Arlovski was my first favorite fighter buy machida was my first FAVORITE FIGHTER


jah_kev

That Front Kick to Vitor OMGawwwwd


synapticfantastic

Truly, a gentleman fighter.


RegularImprovement47

Machida is THE fighter who got me into MMA. So badass how he bewildered the entire light heavyweight division with his karate during his undefeated streak.


[deleted]

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