UFC on Fox 4 Results: Lyoto Machida Is Most Deserving of Title Shot

With four light heavyweights all gunning for the right to take on the winner of the upcoming Jon Jones versus Dan Henderson fight, it was Lyoto Machida that established himself as the obvious No. 1 contender.

Machida, fighting for the first time since a second-round submission loss to the current champion Jones, scored a knockout victory over contender Ryan Bader in the second round. Machida used his usual counterstriking brilliance to set up a right hand that knocked Bader to the ground as Machida made his claim to the No. 1 contender's spot.

Machida once against showed why he is a threat to anyone, his unorthodox karate style left Bader hesitant to attack and helpless against the much quicker Machida once he finally committed to closing the distance. Machida's takedown defense was spot on as Bader, who is one of the best pure wrestlers in the division.

Machida's takedown defense is key to his claim to the No. 1 contender's spot. If the heavily favored Jones comes out victorious against Dan Henderson, Machida will need to utilize his takedown defense if he wants to avoid losing to Jones in the way that he did when the two met at UFC 140.

With both of UFC on Fox 4's winners Shogun Rua and Machida recent losers to Jones, it's Machida that showed he would have the best chance to unseat the champion. Machida came into the fight four pounds less than the customary 205 pounds that he could weigh-in at and his quickness advantage was evident.

Generally, it should take more than just one win after a title fight loss to claim a rematch for the belt, but Machida's case is special.

With Rua as the only other option in consideration, his performance was simply not title worthy. Although he came out with the victory eventually, there were some rough patches against a less-than-worthy challenger in Vera. 

The cardio issues that plagued him in his title fight against Jones appeared to still be an issue too. Rua showed signs of gassing as early as the second round and was fortunate to survive some close calls to score the knockout victory.

If Dana White wants to give the title shot to the most impressive victor at UFC on Fox 4, he needs to look no further than Lyoto Machida.