Lyoto Machida vs. Yoel Romero: A Full Head-to-Toe Breakdown
In a main event that feels like it was just announced yesterday, the UFC is pitting two of its top 185-pounders center stage in Hollywood, Florida.
Lyoto Machida and Yoel Romero will lock horns in the main event of UFC Fight Night 70, in what is likely the Brazilian striker's final opportunity to ignite a run for UFC gold.
Machida is looking to stake a return to glory, as his last outing didn't necessarily go according to plan. He didn't look like a karate savant who's been busy embarrassing most fighters inside the Octagon for the past eight years, but more like a 37-year-old fighter who's no longer capable of dealing with bigger, stronger fighters a few years his junior.
But Romero's not immune to lingering questions of his own. Last time we saw him, he was busy sneaking in a few extra seconds in between rounds just before clobbering Tim Kennedy at UFC 178. It wouldn't have been as controversial if, you know, he wasn't saved by the bell at the end of the second round. Still, save for a brief barrage from Kennedy, Romero looked as impressive as ever—and we can't take that away from him.
Too many components cloud a surefire prediction in this one, but let us try, anyway. Follow along as we break this fight down from head to toe.
Striking
1 of 5
Whether he's catching an opponent with a straight right amid a foolish barrage, crane-kicking a stationary fighter in the face or landing a body-crushing kick to the ribs, Machida knows how to finish fights on (and with) the feet. And that's concerning for any of his opponents. Very, very concerning.
Always a relatively undersized fighter, Machida's never been known for his power. It's his efficiency that's given even the best of the world's best light heavyweight and middleweight fighters nightmares. It's the accuracy he, and so few other fighters, are able to impose with uncanny timing that once took him and his previously ridiculed karate approach straight to the top.
That's not to knock what Romero's accomplished in the cage, though. With eight of his nine victories coming by way of (T)KO, the former Olympic wrestler has all but silenced any critics who were quick to dress him in the colors of his grappling past. He can hit, and he can hit hard.
But guys such as Kennedy, Derek Brunson and Ronny Markes don't stack up against what Machida can, on his best day, bring to the table.
Edge: Machida
Wrestling
2 of 5
Despite winning most of his fights by way of destruction (or TKO, for the folks sick of prose), Romero joined the MMA world known as a wrestler—and a pretty good one, at that.
Even in all of MMA's evolution, UFC's had guys such as Jon Jones, Brock Lesnar and Chris Weidman come in and prove how dominant wrestlers can still be in this sport. That said, neither of those guys can hold a candle to Romero's wrestling accolades as an Olympic silver medalist.
He grabs guys and bulldozes forward until their bodies are parallel to the mat, creating difficult times for any fighter—including Machida—looking to unleash world-class strikes.
Machida's good at keeping things standing against good wreslters, but he's proven himself susceptible to the takedown against great ones.
Edge: Romero
Submissions
3 of 5
Both men are genuine mixed martial artists.
But let's be real for just a minute and acknowledge what disdain either man has for the art of submission grappling.
In a combined 31 victories between Machida and Romero, only two have come by way of submission. Both of which belong to the former.
In fact, Fight Metric tells us the former light heavyweight champion only attempts 0.5 submissions per every 15 minutes. To clarify, that's less than both Anderson Silva and Vitor Belfort—both of whom are widely considered strikers first and grapplers second.
But Romero is attempting less than that, according to the data collected by the folks at Fight Metric.
The Dragon won't necessarily force Romero to think twice before taking this one to the mat, but you can probably forget about Romero actively looking for a submission victory in this one.
Edge: Machida
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X-Factors
4 of 5
Machida: Quick Turnaround
The Dragon is only two months removed from his last fight against Rockhold. Now, it may not be rare to see a fighter have quick turnaround (we're looking at you, Donald Cerrone), but most of those turnarounds come immediately after a dominant victory—not a dominant loss.
But, as far as Machida's concerned, a quick break in between his last and next fight was the best way to recover from a bad loss. And to think Machida actually had surgery on his left hand.
Conventional wisdom would probably direct a fighter to sit and wait before taking a fight on such short notice. But conventional wisdom also probably says you shouldn't drink your own urine, and that seemed to help Machida do well in the fight game.
Romero: Ground Control
Chances are, Romero won't want to keep this fight standing for very long. Likely to be stalked by a faster, more agile opponent who could make it an early night for the surging Cuban fighter. Sure, Romero has every bit of knockout power to give Machida concerns, too, but I wouldn't bank on it.
His best, most logical way to victory has to be on the ground. He's dominated other fighters on the feet, but that shouldn't be his plan coming into this one. Take Machida down, tire him for five rounds and secure the long-awaited fight against Jacare Souza the middleweight division deserves.
Prediction
5 of 5
We may very well be into the "Post-Machida Era"—especially with how bad he looked against the former Strikeforce middleweight champion. But outside of a TRT'd Belfort, who hasn't looked bad against Rockhold?
Even if we're never going to see the same sort of fighter that graced us with his highlight-reel knockouts for so many years, Machida should still have enough to dispose of a fighter who's historically struggled to maintain a steady pace in three-round affairs.
That certainly won't help Romero, who's scheduled for five rounds on Saturday night in Hollywood.
Prediction: Machida defeats Romero via TKO
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