5 Fighters Lyoto Machida Could Train with Prior to UFC 140

In preparation for his fight with Jon Jones at UFC 140, Lyoto Machida trained with former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal. 

Lawal was a Division-1 All American at Oklahoma State University, and is known for his powerful punches. 

Jones, like Machida, is one of the most unorthodox fighters in MMA history and seems almost impossible to defeat. 

Here are five fighters who could help Machida prepare even more for Jones. 

Phil Davis

One man who has had many comparisons to Jon Jones is Phil Davis.

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

Davis is also a former D-1 wrestling champion from Penn State.

Although Machida is good at avoiding takedowns, Davis could help him improve his wrestling even more. 

Georges St-Pierre

Georges St-Pierre is one of the best game-planners in MMA today.

St-Pierre can exploit his opponents' weaknesses like no other and almost never strays away from it.

St-Pierre is also one of the best wrestlers in MMA history.

If there’s anybody who could help Machida with a game plan against Jones, it’s St-Pierre. 

Mark Munoz

Current middleweight contender Mark Munoz is known for his wrestling and his ground-and-pound.

Since dropping to middleweight, Munoz has gone 7-1 with his lone loss coming by split decision to Yushin Okami.

Munoz has trained with Machida in the past and would be a great addition to his current training camp. 

Anderson Silva

Who wouldn’t want to train with the best fighter in MMA today?

Silva is the most precise striker in the UFC and much like Jon Jones—Silva makes great fighters look bad.

Although Silva is currently injured, he would have been a great sparring partner for Machida. 

Rashad Evans

If there is one person who knows Jon Jones better than anybody, it’s Rashad Evans.

Evans was Jones' former training partner and friend who taught Jones a lot inside and out of the Octagon.

Evans knows just what makes Jones tick and knows his strengths and weaknesses better than anybody.

Although Evans and Machida have fought in the past, if Evans was willing to offer his help to Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, he would have no problem helping out Machida.