5 Potential Fights for Lyoto Machida To Take at Middleweight

Following his loss to Jon Jones at UFC 140, a lot of questions have been raised about Lyoto Machida’s spot in the light-heavyweight division.

Machida will likely have to work extremely hard and go on a sizable win streak in order to get another shot at Jones and the 205lb title. And some fans have been calling for “The Dragon” to cut the 20 lbs in order to make the middleweight division.

Machida himself recently said that the move is possible—if not a little unlikely. But if he does decide that 185 is the weight for him, which fighters would he likely be matched up against?

Michael Bisping

The British superstar recently dispatched Jason “Mayhem” Miller with relative ease at the TUF 14 finale earlier this month. And in most divisions, he would likely be in line for a title fight.

But with Chael Sonnen and Mark Munoz already booked in a title-eliminator bout in January, he’ll have to wait at least a year and earn a couple more wins before getting a shot at Anderson Silva.

If Machida does drop down in weight, Bisping would be the perfect opponent for his debut, provided that “The Count” gets past Demian Maia at UFC on FOX 2.

Vitor Belfort

Vitor Belfort is going to have a long journey back to title contention after getting caught with one of the most surprising and unique head-kick knockouts in MMA history the last time he fought Anderson Silva.

If Belfort is able to take out a fresh middleweight competitor in Anthony Johnson at UFC 142 next month, a fight with Machida would benefit both men. A win for Belfort would put him near the front of the line for a second crack at “The Spider."

Yushin Okami

There has to be a part of Yushin Okami that would rather stay away from Machida at all costs.

Okami was last seen getting battered and beaten by Anderson Silva back at UFC 134. If Machida was able to get in a bit of sparring time with the champion before a bout with Yushin, it’s hard to imagine the result being any different for Okami against Lyoto.

Okami has to take out rising-contender Tim Boetsch at UFC 144 before a fight with Machida could even begin to materialize, but if he can earn the win in February, this fight could easily come to fruition.

Brian Stann

A dark-horse candidate for Machida’s potential middleweight debut is Brian Stann, a fighter who was working his way towards title contention before losing to Chael Sonnen at UFC 136.

Stann did not look good when he fought Sonnen back in October, getting taken down with relative ease and submitted rather quickly by the Team Quest-based fighter.

Before that bout, Stann was swiftly moving up the middleweight ladder and had earned his spot in the top ten of the division, making him an intriguing potential fight for Machida.

Mark Munoz

After a virtual destruction of Chris Leben back in October, Mark Munoz solidified his spot at the top of the UFC’s middleweight division.

Munoz has used his strong wrestling and heavy hands to propel him into the upper echelon of the division, and he is in-line for a title fight if he beats Chael Sonnen next month.

However, Sonnen is the favorite going into the bout, and if Munoz were to lose, a fight with Machida would make a lot of sense. Plus, due to Lyoto’s affiliation with Anderson Silva, it would be a bit of a look into what a title fight with Silva would have looked like.