UFC 129 Fight Card: Dana White Thinks Lyoto Machida's Decline Was Due to Money

How important is it for Lyoto Machida to beat Randy Couture at UFC 129?

Machida legitimately looked like he was going to be the poster child of MMA two years ago.

He went 14-0 as a professional fighter before winning the light heavyweight championship from Rashad Evans. 

This was Evans first career loss, and it really wasn't even close.  Machida controlled the pace of the fight and eventually knocked out the fellow undefeated fighter in the second round.

However, from there things began to go south for “The Dragon.”

At UFC 104, Machida won a unanimous decision over Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, but this was a match many felt that Machida lost. 

While he managed to still do some damage with his elusive striking style, Rua legitimately hurt Machida for the first time in his career with his powerful Muay Thai work. 

Since the fight was such a tightly contested bout, an immediate rematch was set up.  Shogun didn’t leave it up to the judges this time, knocking out Machida in the first round to win the light heavyweight title.

Machida then dropped his next bout against Quinton “Rampage” Jackson.  While many considered this a poor job by the judges, fans, analysts, and fighters alike felt that Machida won. The Dragon again had to settle for another “L” in his win-loss column. 

So why has Machida suddenly run into problems within the Octagon?  Has he been overrated?  Gotten lucky?  Has his style been figured out?

UFC President Dana White says none of the above. 

While appearing on ESPN’s Jim Rome is Burning, White addressed the issue of Machida’s recent drop off:

“This is what I think happened; A guy goes through his entire career, he’s got this incredible elusive style, nobody can figure him out, he’s explosive, got knockout power, but then once you start making a lot of money, it starts messing with your head and you start doing things differently,” White told Rome. 

Despite what many would consider harsh words, White also added “I think if Machida comes out like the old Machida, I think he can beat anybody in the world.”

White also hyped up Machida’s skills at the UFC 129 pre-fight press conference, and shied away from his comment that this is a “must-win” fight with Machida. 

So perhaps even with a third consecutive loss, The Dragon could remain a part of the UFC roster. 

Machida is a very heavy favorite against Couture, but even most casual fans know that you can never count out “The Natural”, even at 47 years old. 

Thanks to 5thround.com for initially breaking the story.