He Floats like a Butterfly, But Machida Also Swings like You Wouldn't Believe

He is 15-0 with notable wins over Stephen Bonner and Thiago Silva as well as former and current UFC champions Tito Ortiz, B.J. Penn, Rich Franklin, and Rashad Evans, yet Lyota "The Dragon" Machida is just now getting, a little, respect.

But, until he nearly broke his fist on Evans's chin, MMA enthusiasts have not appreciated Machida's ability. Why?

Before his amazing win at UFC 98, Machida walked out to boos and chants of "boring," but now, many of his former naysayers are prematurely crowning it the Machida Era. What's with all the flip-flopping?

In contrast to jumping on the bandwagon, folks should have checked his credentials way back when he was pounding Bonner into submission in some obscure jungle.

Was that boring? I think not.

Under the tutelage of professional wresting great and renown hooker (shoot fighter) Antonio Inoki, Machida has brought karate back to the main stage.

Many fans complained about his seemingly dated technique, and they said that a fighter with his evasive style should not receive a title fight.

Since when has fighting smart and coming in with a strategy been a bad thing? How many of those same haters show love to boxing great Muhammad Ali? I'd bet 99 percent of them.

But what is his claim of fame? Besides his mouth and draft dodging, it was the rope-a-dope, where he would allow his opponent to punch himself out while he hung on the ropes, blocked, and threw strategic hooks.

Or like "The Dragon," he would stick, shuffle his feet, and move back; then, he would repeat those steps. And we all loved him for that.

Minus the fancy feet shuffling, Machida performs similarly, but unlike Ali, he is regularly booed out of the building.

To be fair, more times than not Machida doesn't finish the fight, and it goes to the judges' scorecards. But that doesn't mean he's not exciting in between the bell.

Real fans should appreciate the work, technique, and strategy, not the flashy knockout.

But, seeing how Machida has recently beaten two high-quality opponents via vicious knockout, he's managed to get some of the attention he deserves.

Now, I'm not hailing Machida as the next great thing. Futhermore, I am not implying that he is on the same level as Ali. 

Rather, I am saying that Machida has beaten as many quality opponents as the fan favorites. You don't have to love him, but you should show him some well-earned respect.

Check out HitTheRopes.com as we have a new interview with Ring of Honor owner Cary Silkin coming up. And this week's show features an interview with former ECW star CW Anderson and the return of Turnbuckle 2 Turnbuckle.