UFC on Fox 15 Results: 5 Fights for Lyoto Machida

Lyoto Machida suffered a vicious defeat at the hands of Luke Rockhold during the main event of UFC on Fox 15 Saturday night. The former light heavyweight champion and middleweight title challenger was stopped via submission for the second time in a career that has spanned 12 years. The UFC will have to find other ways to keep The Dragon active, and these are some fight suggestions to do so.

Tim Kennedy

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Tim Kennedy could use the rebound fight after the controversial way UFC 178 ended.

Tim Kennedy has remained mum on returning to action since his controversial loss to Yoel Romero at UFC 178. The former Army Ranger is currently ranked in the No. 8 spot by the UFC. With his outspoken manner he could quickly become a valuable contender if he returned to the Octagon to face Machida. Placing this fight in Brazil would add another layer of intrigue between these two competitors at middleweight.

Thales Leites

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Jan 31, 2015; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Tim Boetsch (blue gloves) takes a punch from Thales Leites (red gloves) during their middleweight bout during UFC 183 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Thales Leites has quietly climbed his way up the ladder in the middleweight division. Six years ago, he challenged Anderson Silva for the title at UFC 78. Since being jettisoned from the organization, he’s won 11 of 12 fights. He’s put together five straight wins since coming back to the UFC and is the No. 9 competitor in the weight class. Machida vs. Leites would be a captivating fight, especially for the Brazilian contingent of MMA fans.

Michael Bisping

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Apr 16, 2014; Quebec City, Quebec, Canada; Michael Bisping (red gloves) fights against Tim Kennedy (blue gloves) during their middleweight bout at Colisee Pepsi. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports

Michael Bisping is one of the best talkers in MMA. Unfortunately the British fighter has struggled to win a big fight in the last few years. Since 2012 he has exchanged wins and losses.

Bisping is slated to face C.B. Dollaway at UFC 186 in Canada. If he can get through this fight with a win, placing him against Machida in a fight in either England or Brazil would give the UFC a strong fight that can headline another foreign card.

Costas Philippou

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May 10, 2014; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Costas Philippou (red gloves) reacts to knocking out Lorenz Larkin (not pictured) during a middleweight bout at US Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joe Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports

Costas Philippou is another competitor in the middleweight division who was on a solid run before hitting multiple snags. He’s been successful in one of his last three fights but remains ranked in the UFC’s Top 15 of the division. Placing him against Machida on a card in Brazil would give the UFC an opportunity to keep both men active without having them defeat any up-and-comers at 185 pounds.

Anderson Silva

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Jan 31, 2015; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Anderson Silva (red gloves) reacts after defeating Nick Diaz (not pictured) following their middleweight bout during UFC 183 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

This is a dream match that has enthralled many for years. Anderson Silva and Lyoto Machida are friends and training partners who once ruled two popular divisions in the sport. Even though that was years ago, a potential fight between both men would excite the fanbase.

While they’ve mentioned that they would not fight in the past, there is the possibility of a rift opening up between the two friends. Give that to UFC President Dana White to run with and we may see a fight between these two former champs.