Jones vs. Machida: The Dragon Needs to Lower Competition Level After Loss

Lyoto Machida was no match for Jon Jones at UFC 140.

The veteran Brazilian fighter was able to hang with the UFC Light-Heavyweight Champion for the first round, even getting in a couple solid counterattacking shots. However, the second round was a different story with Jones taking control and eventually earning the submission victory via standing guillotine choke.

It's the third loss in his last four bouts for Machida, who has continued to fight elite opponents despite recent defeats. While there is something to be said for having confidence in himself, he should focus on getting back on the winning track before taking on another huge test.

Machida is in terrific shape for a fighter of his age (33), so should he want to continue his career for a while longer, there will always be an opponent willing to take him on because he's got name recognition.

However, a fighter can only suffer so many losses in a short time period before his reputation becomes tarnished. And Machida has quite the résumé to protect.

He's picked up marquee wins over Tito Ortiz, Thiago Silva, Rashad Evans, Mauricio Rua and Randy Couture. He was 16-0 before his recent skid and is one of the most well-known names in the sport because he's been around since its rise began.

Getting himself on a winning streak, even if it's just a minor one, will not only do wonders for his confidence but it should put off questions about his ability.

Machida proved on Saturday night that he still has enough talent to contend in the light-heavyweight division. He knows his limits and attempts to force his opponent to become overaggressive, at which point he pounces with the counterattack.

It's a strategy which had Jones searching for answers early. He wasn't able to sustain it against the sport's fastest-rising star, though. Perhaps a couple fights against lower-level competition will allow him to fine-tune the approach to where it can stand the test of an entire fight vs. an elite opponent.

Saturday night proved Machida can still be a threat, but he needs to take one step back to regain his bearings first.