Lyoto Machida: Could He Have Been the Floyd Mayweather Jr. of MMA?

The first time I saw Lyoto Machida was at UFC 70 when he easily took apart proclaimed striker David Heath. I remember thinking to myself, "This guy could be the Floyd Mayweather of MMA, if he's as good as he looks."

He took his time, was precise with his strikes, fast, kept his distance, didn't mind going to a decision. He also had the unscathed face and calm demeanor.

As time continued, the comparison seemed more legitimate. Easily, he cruised to a decision against Kazuhiro Nakamura at UFC 76. Then came his first mainstream win when he decisioned former champion Tito Ortiz at UFC 84, which, career-wise, I'd compare to Floyd Mayweather's win over Genaro Hernandez in '98.

Machida showed new tricks in his fight with Tito Ortiz, but still we hadn't seen him stop an opponent since coming to the UFC. Reminiscent of Floyd's TKO of Angel Manfredy in '98 (again, career-wise), Machida's next performance would be a stellar one, when he stopped Thiago Silva just 4:59 into the fight.

The win catapulted Machida into a shot at undisputed champion and fellow undefeated fighter, Rashad Evans.

It was to be the first main event appearance of Machida's career, and nobody could figure who was the favorite. Similar was the betting when undefeated Diego Corrales met Floyd in the biggest test of both of their careers.

Both Floyd and Lyoto looked terrific in these fights, with Floyd dropping Diego five times before stopping him, and Lyoto knocking Rashad out about nine minutes into the fight. Two aggressive performances for two defensively oriented fighters.

Next would come what would have been the biggest similarity between the two, and the divergence from the path for Machida.

In the most evenly matched bout of his career, Machida won a highly disputed unanimous decision over Mauricio "Shogun" Rua.

Many were irritated with the declared winner, and demanded a rematch. Sure, it was a close fight, but most felt Shogun the clear victor.

At the boxing equivalent stage of his career, Mayweather fought the accomplished and tough Jose Luis Castillo to a controversial decision.

Again, a close fight, but the majority of fans had Castillo the winner. Castillo had been the aggressor and obviously did more damage. A rematch was demanded.

Both rematches were set, but the difference came in the game-plan of each fighter.

In the second Castillo fight, Mayweather fought his usual style of pot-shotting and constantly moving around the ring to edge out the majority of the rounds. His defense was as sound as it ever was and he never took any unnecessary chances.

It was another close fight, but the result was barely disputed. Mayweather went on with his career and remained undefeated.

For Machida, he left behind his standard plan of keeping his distance and landing enough strikes to clearly win each round. The pressure of the fans disapproval had entered into his mind. The UFC catchphrase, "never leave it in the hands of the judges," did its job and ensured action.

Machida came out with the intent to push the action and finish Shogun in this fight. He had decided he was going to win back the fickle fans of MMA and create another highlight reel stoppage.

Well, if you haven't been hiding under a rock for the last few weeks, then you are aware the strategy didn't work out. The usually reserved Machida went at Shogun and was countered with a strong right hand.

After hitting the ground, Machida was quickly finished by a series of devastating punches, breaking his orbital bone in the process and knocking him out.

His championship and undefeated record were out the window, along with any comparisons to the career of Floyd Mayweather.

I'm forced to think that if Machida kept to his usual game-plan, he could have won three of the five rounds, and kept his stature at the top of the division and sport.

As it were, one fighter ignored the fans' criticism and went on with the safest route to winning, while the other tried too hard to please and was left unconscious on the ground.