UFC 129 Results: Five Opponents We'd Love to See Lyoto Machida Fight Next
After defeating former UFC light-heavyweight and heavyweight champion Randy "The Natural" Couture this evening, Lyoto Machida will have to wait a little while before he finds an opponent that can test him in his quest to regain the belt.
The former light-heavyweight champion knocked out the Hall of Famer with a jumping front kick to the face in the second round of their fight. It was a much needed win following two back-to-back losses.
There are a good amount of light-heavyweight contenders and former champions booked with fights right now. There are only a select few that don't have fights, including current LHW champion Jon Jones, who is getting ready to have surgery done to his hand.
These are the five next best options for "The Dragon," but they may require a bit of waiting.
No. 5 Vladimir Matsyushenko (26-5)
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One that won't require any waiting is a fight against Vladimir Matyushenko, who defeated Jason Brilz on 20 seconds of their main card bout.
Matyushenko is a true veteran of the sport who challenged Tito Ortiz for the UFC light-heavyweight title in 2001. His only losses are to Rogerio Nogueira, Jon Jones, Ortiz, Andrei Arlovski and Vernon White.
It wouldn't be the greatest of all matchups, but it would be significant in terms of keeping Matyushenko and Machida busy before they start to pursue a title shot.
No. 4 Stephan Bonnar (13-7)
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In what would be a rematch, "The American Psycho" Stephan Bonnar would be all up to battle the man who defeated him eight years ago.
The two fighters met in a 2003 bout at the event Jungle Fight 1. The Ultimate Fighter veteran lost by TKO due to a cut caused in the first round.
Bonnar is coming off two impressive victories over Igor Pokrajac and Krzysztof Soszynski in 2010.
If the 34-year-old from Munster, Indiana, has an attempt at a title run left in him, this could be the fight he needs. Aside from that, it would be one entertaining bout.
No. 3 Winner of Forrest Griffin vs. Mauricio "Shogun" Rua
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Case for Forrest Griffin (18-6): Former UFC light-heavyweight champion Griffin is coming off of two victories over Tito Ortiz and Rich Franklin as he prepares to battle Mauricio "Shogun" Rua for the second time. He won the first bout via third-round rear-naked-choke.
Machida vs. Griffin was supposed to go down at UFC 70, but Griffin had to pull out due to a staph infection.
There are many contenders for the belt in the LHW division, but Griffin may be the closest to one after Rashad Evans.
Case for Shogun Rua (19-5): They are 1-1 against each other in title fights, and there is no doubt they will eventually meet again to settle the score.
Machida won the first fight by a controversial unanimous decision that called for an immediate rematch. Rua got one, and he knocked him out in the very first round.
Obviously, the more appealing one at the moment is Machida vs. Griffin, so maybe we will get to see that whether he wins or loses his next fight.
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No. 2 Rich Franklin (If He Defeats Rogerio Nogueira)
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Rich Franklin was 14-0 when he met Machida inside the ring for the first time at Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye 2003. He didn't leave with his perfect record and lost after Machida knocked him out in the second round.
Since then, both fighters have accomplished much in the sport, including becoming the UFC champion. Franklin won the middleweight championship and defended it twice before losing it to Machida's training partner and pound-for-pound king Anderson Silva.
It would be an interesting rematch because both have improved so much since then, and it's unsure how much Franklin has left in the sport. If he makes it past Lil Nog at UFC 133, it will answer that question quite clearly.
No. 1 Quinton Jackson (If He Defeats Matt Hamill)
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It's a rematch many fans would like to see because it was close and controversial the first time Quinton "Rampage" Jackson met Lyoto Machida at UFC 124.
It was a relatively cautious three rounds of fighting as Jackson pressed the fight but was not effective and landing very few shots.
Machida opened up on the Pride and UFC veteran in the third round with a flurry of punches and a kick before taking him down and achieving full mount.
In the end, Jackson won a split-decision that had fans begging for a five-round fight or at the very least, a rematch.
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