Enter the Dragon:The Machida Era Is Still Here

Welcome to the Machida Era.

Those were the words quoted by UFC commentator Joe Rogan following Lyoto Machida’s victory over then UFC Light-Heavyweight champion Rashad Evans at UFC 98.

The win not only earned Machida the belt but also the title of top light heavyweight in the world.

Upon arriving to the UFC in 2006, "The Dragon" was viewed as boring. His unorthodox karate-based style of fighting consisted of counter-striking combined with elusive footwork and pinpoint strikes.

His style is to inflict the most damage to his opponent while taking the least damage to himself. It has proved to be effective inside the octagon. His opponents become frustrated and confused from his footwork and speed as he moves laterally rather than backing up.

Machida’s training camp includes UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson "The Spider" Silva and UFC heavyweight contender Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, both of who are dominant in the UFC middleweight division and UFC heavyweight division respectively.

His statistics speak for themselves. Landing 65 percent of his strikes, Machida is the second most accurate striker in UFC history. He has the second lowest strikes absorbed per minute in MMA today and has only lost three rounds in his UFC career so far.

His takedown defense is incredible, having a success rate of 19.5 percent. This means that his opponents have only landed eight out of 41 takedown attempts.

There has been talk of a “dream match” between Machida and close friend and fellow training partner Anderson Silva. Both of them have stated that they have no intention to fight each other.

"Lyoto is my friend, he is my brother, and there is no way this fight will happen," Silva declared. "Also not just because Lyoto is my friend. (Lyoto would) be a big problem for me in the cage."

Silva moves up at times to fight at light heavyweight but has no intention of fighting for the title; he says the light heavyweight division is Machida’s.

“I have no intention on fighting him or for his title. I think it is going to be hard for anyone to beat him. This is karate’s era.”

With the likes of Tito Ortiz, Thiago Silva, Rich Franklin, BJ Penn, and Rashad Evans having fallen victim to Machida, Mauricio "Shogun" Rua was able to give him a hard time.

Machida retained the title via unanimous decision, but the win was controversial, as many MMA pundits and fans felt Shogun was superior and should have won the fight.

A rematch was featured as the main event for UFC 113 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada on May 8, 2010. Shogun captured the Light-Heavyweight championship via knockout in the first round, ending Lyoto Machida’s 16-fight winning streak and handing the Belem native his first loss in his career.

Machida recently spoke to TATAME, a Brazilian MMA magazine, and accepted his loss against Shogun, admitting that he was the “better fighter.” But Machida has made it clear to the rest of the Light-Heavyweight division that he wants his belt back sooner than later.

“My plans are to dispute this belt in a year or less, like 10 months. To regain the belt is my new dream,” declared Machida.

Compiling a professional record of 16 wins and one loss, Lyoto "The Dragon" Machida, who at one time was described as a boring fighter, is now one of the most recognizable mixed martial artists in the world.