UFC: 4 Possible fights for Lyoto Machida

When Lyoto Machida won the UFC light heavyweight championship at UFC 98, he was a perfect 15-0 and looked like he would be the next dominant champion in MMA.

Machida has since been 2-2, which includes a questionable win against Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, a questionable loss to Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, and an impressive KO victory against MMA legend Randy Couture.

Since retiring Couture at UFC 129, Machida has been waiting on his next opponent.

Here are some possible opponents for Machida to face.

Phil Davis

Davis is one of the UFC's rising stars.

Davis is 9-0 (5-0 in the UFC) and holds wins over middleweight contender Brian Stann and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira.

Machida was rumored to meet Davis next, but the UFC may have something else in store for the former champ. 

Loser of Jones vs. Jackson

Another way Machida could get to a title shot is to defeat the loser of Jon Jones vs. Rampage Jackson.

Current UFC lightweight champion Jones has looked dominant in all of his fights thus far, and is only looking to get better as time goes on.

Jackson, on the other hand, is a former lightweight champ who beat Machida back at UFC 123 by split decision.

If Machida beats Jackson, he gets revenge from the first fight.

Jones would be an interesting fight because of how dominant he has been and because of how elusive Machida is. 

Mauricio “Shogun” Rua

After fighting each twice for the light heavyweight title, Machida and Rua are 1-1.

Many felt Rua won the first bout between the two. After being granted an immediate rematch, Rua defeated Machida by KO. 

Both men are coming off of wins and are looking to get back to a title match.

If Machida can beat Rua decisively, he would finally have a good victory over Rua and could be next in line for a title shot.

Dan Henderson

Although Strikeforce heavyweight champ Henderson is not with the UFC, there’s a good chance he could sign with the company once again.

Henderson is 5-2 in the UFC. His only two losses came in championship bouts against Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Anderson Silva.

Henderson has the ability to KO anybody. But Machida is one of the hardest fighters to hit due to his elusiveness.