After Lyoto’s big loss against top contender Phil Davis at UFC 163, is it time to drop down to middleweight? It seems that could be the case for “The Dragon.” Vitor Belfort and Machida could possibly meet in the co-headliner of November’s big event, UFC 167, but Dana White wants the fight against fellow Brazilian to be at 185 lbs.
UFC 167 takes place Nov. 16 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The pay-per-view event will be one of the best events all year, especially since Bellator has announced their PPV is November. UFC 167 will deliver as the UFC’s 20th anniversary show. The events headliner is a highly anticipated fight between welterweight champion GSP (Georges St-Pierre) and challenger Johny Hendricks. It’s possible that Belfort vs. Machida could take the second spot on the card as the co-main event.
The big problem with this fight is, will both men accept? Belfort has recently said he will only fight at middleweight if he is granted a well-deserved title shot. Belfort has recently turned down a fight with Strikeforce alum Tim Kennedy and failed in attempts to get his fight with Chael Sonnen. Belfort (and his TRT) are on an impressive run as of late, beating Michael Bisping and Luke Rockhold after almost tapping out Jon Jones at UFC 152.
Machida has never fought at middleweight. Machida was on a 3-1 run since getting choked out by UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones, and some think he could dominate at 185 lbs. It is well known that Machida avoided a drop down to 185 lbs do to the fact his friend and training partner Anderson Silva was running the division at the time.
Now that Silva isn’t the current king of the mountain, now would be the time to drop down and fight the best in the division. With Belfort, Bisping, Chris Weidman and others ruling the division, this would be Machida’s time to shine, especially since no one wants to see a Jones/Machida rematch.