Machida: I will return to my karate roots on Saturday
Lyoto Machida: “This fight, I want to go back to my roots and focus on karate more than anything.”
Former UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida pioneered a new base for mixed martial arts – traditional Okinawan karate. He fought all the way to the UFC title without ever losing a round.
He’s 39 now, and is coming off three losses in a row. Luke Rockhold choked him out. Yoel Romero stopped him with elbows. And most recently Derek Brunson stopped him in half a round with strikes.
On Saturday night in the main event of UFC 125, Machida fights undefeated Eryk Anders. A former college football player for the Alabama Crimson Tide, Anders is a perfect 10-0, seven inside the distance. The odds makers like Anders, but Machida has a plan – karate.
Karate represents to me everything, said Machida during UFC Belem media day, as transcribed byJesse Holland for MMA Mania. This fight, I want to go back to my roots and focus on karate more than anything. Karate style can be very tricky for all my opponents. Eryk Anders is a very aggressive fighter, he likes to come all the time. That matches my style.
Machida is returning from an 18-month anti-doping suspension.
During an out-of-competition sample collection, Machida informed the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) that he had used an over-the-counter but banned substance, while unaware that the substance was prohibited. Machida had been taking 7-keto-dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA). The steroid was listed on the packaging, so it was not a tainted supplement, but rather a fighter taking a drug he did not know was prohibited. He was given a reduced 18 months, rather than the full 24 months.
Anders is currently not in the UFC’s top 15. A loss could mean Machida’s return isn’t even in the top 15. A win means karate is back, again.
