Machida on Jones: ‘Nobody is invincible’
Guilherme Cruz: How did you hear you’d be having a title shot against Jon Jones? Lyoto Machida: I was at a birthday…
Guilherme Cruz: How did you hear you’d be having a title shot against Jon Jones?
Lyoto Machida: I was at a birthday party last night and I heard I’d be fighting Jon Jones. I accepted immediately, I couldn’t announce it at the time, though. Ed and Joinha told me to hold the information and it was complicated, I had to stop talking at all (laughs). In the morning I want to give a class and, when I came back, the contract was there for me to sign.
GC: You’ve spent a long time off waiting for a fight…
LM: I wasn’t upset because I’m not fighting, but I wanted to know when I would so I could do other tasks, because I’m a true professional. I try not to make room for any mistakes. I can lose to anyone, but I can’t lose to myself. I demand to know when I’m fighting so I can prepare myself the best possible way..
GC: This title shot went against the rumor about UFC getting upset when you asked for a “Anderson Silva money so you’d accept fighting Rashad at the last minute, right?
LM: Yeah… What was going on was that I didn’t have an opponent set, a momentum thing. I’ve always known the positive side of it, I looked for the right road to follow, always doing it right. I didn’t injury anybody, I didn’t steal from anybody, so I don’t have to be worried about it. I’ll do my job and keep training. My life isn’t about money and fame, it’s always been training, since I was an amateur. I’ve always waited for this moment to come to me again.
GC: What are your expectations while coming into this bout against Jon Jones, who has been evolving a lot?
LM: It’ll be a strategic bout, he’s a guy who studies his opponents and so do I. Our team is a lot focused and anything can happen.
GC: Many fans always said, and you once said yourself, you saw your game as a good match-up to Jon Jones’. What would you do against him?
LM: It’s hard, he’s is very versatile and knows a lot of techniques, but we play a similar game. He kicks, I kick, he punches and goes to the ground, I can defend myself and take him down too. Stamina and game plan are things that could define this bout’s outcome. Nobody is invincible. We’re training for the best, looking to enlarge our body and mind, and that’s what I’m gonna do.