UFC 123 Preview: Will the Dragon Return or Has the KO Changed Lyoto Machida?

Battling through adversity determines a true champion.

It's a position that Machida is not too familiar with, considering at one point he was seen as an unstoppable force in UFC light heavyweight division.

Since losing his belt this past year to Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua, Lyoto Machida will look to climb back up the ladder and reclaim the light heavyweight title. This weekend he'll get his chance when he squares off against powerful striker Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson at UFC 123. This bout will certainly keep fans intrigued as both men have the ability to end the fight with one punch.

While preparing for the fight, a lot of questions have surrounded Machida and how he will be mentally on Saturday night. Machida suffered the first loss of his career via knockout.

Despite the setback, Machida has been perfecting his overall game with his camp Team Blackhouse and sharpening his wrestling skills with American Kickboxing Academy.

Machida says he feels no pressure to perform better in his upcoming fight. The pressure is there naturally.

"The reality is that there is pressure every time you step into a fight. There is always pressure going into a fight,"  Machida stated during a conference call earlier this week.

Jackson will be as much of a challenge as Shogun Rua was to the Japanese-Brazilan, Jackson is an aggressive striker with knockout power in both hands.

However, Jackson's mentality can also be brought up for questioning, as he's been doing promotional appearances for his role as B.A. Baracus in the film "The A-Team." Not to mention, a one-sided loss to Rashad Evans earlier this year has put pressure on Jackson to perform well this weekend, too.

However, it's evident that Jackson doesn't show any intent on training hard enough for past fights, relying on natural ability and talent. Plus he has shown no interest in studying for the elusive Machida, he has labeled him as a boring fighter.

Natural talent will not be enough for Jackson to earn a win against Machida, he'll need a combination of speed, timing and power to at least try and keep pace. However, Machida seems to want the win much more than Jackson, plus he possesses more ability and it's hard to believe that Jackson has more than a puncher's chance to win.

Machida is a tactical fighter and a technical one, too. It's doubtful he'll exchange with Jackson long enough before he gets caught, but he will not be afraid to stand with him. Machida should look to be aggressive at the right time in order to avoid being hit, and because Jackson is an aggressive fighter, Machida will likely be looking to counter Jackson every time he attacks, frustrating him in the process.

That being said, Machida is too smart of a fighter to make the same mistake twice.

He's a faster, smarter and more athletic fighter than Jackson and should he reign victorious this weekend, he'll propel himself back into the mix for a title shot again.

But should he lie face down on the canvas, one must ask: Has "The Dragon" been slayed for good?