The Rear Naked Column 10.21.09: Enter The Dragon

Posted by Samer Kadi on 10.21.2009

UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida steps inside the Octagon this Saturday for his first title defense as he takes on top contender Mauricio “Shogun” Rua. Machida’s popularity has seemingly skyrocketed since his destruction of Rashad Evans back in May. But is The Dragon one of the UFC’s biggest draws?

This Saturday at UFC 104, one of the best pound for pound fighters in the world steps inside the Octagon to defend his light heavyweight title for the first time. That fighter is of course Lyoto "The Dragon" Machida.

Just a year ago, Machida was widely considered a "boring" –albeit very talented– fighter who was always going to find it difficult to be granted a title shot by the UFC due to his cautious and defensively oriented approach to fighting.

Machida came into the UFC with a very impressive resume, having defeated the likes of Stephan Bonnar, BJ Penn, and Rich Franklin. However, a hat-trick of decision victories over Sam Hoger, David Heath and Kazuhiro Nakamura hardly set the world on fire. It wasn't until Machida's submission win over the highly touted (at the time) Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou at UFC 79 that experts began taking notice of the undefeated Brazilian prospect.

Machida's next fight would pit him against former UFC light heavyweight champion and one of the sport's all time legends, Tito Ortiz. Ortiz was involved in a heavily publicized feud with UFC president Dana White: For months, the pair took turns hitting out at each other with every given opportunity. Their dispute was highlighted on the Countdown show leading up to the event to the point where Machida almost became an afterthought. Machida knew he needed to beat Ortiz, and recently admitted feeling the pressure prior to the fight due to the circumstances surrounding it. Lyoto emerged victorious, but not without some drama as he was caught in a deep triangle late in the fight. But his warrior spirit was on display as "The Dragon" persevered, hung through, and showed great athleticism by bridging out of the hold, thus securing the unanimous decision victory.



Opinion was split on the performance and while Machida showed flashes of brilliance, his aggression remained in question.

Despite edging out "The Huntington Beach Bad Boy" for the biggest win of his career, dark clouds loomed over Machida's quest for the title as the Ortiz fight did little to change Machida's image in the eyes of the casual fan. Lyoto was smart enough to recognize this and knew he had to make the necessary adjustments and adopt a more "viewer friendly" style.

A golden opportunity would present itself when Machida was slotted in the co-main event spot at UFC 94, headlined by Georges St. Pierre and BJ Penn in one of the biggest fights of the year. The PPV was all but guaranteed a big buyrate due to the heavy promotion and the hype surrounding its main event. With all eyes set on St. Pierre and Penn, it was Machida who would steal the spotlight with a first round knockout of fellow undefeated light heavyweight Thiago Silva.



It was a stern test for Machida, a test that he was able to come through in flying colors. Following the fight Machida cut a fantastic promo in broken English, asking the fans in attendance if they thought he was worthy of a title shot, to which they responded positively. The only thing left standing between Machida and a shot at the light heavyweight title was former champion Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, who was thought to be the next in line for a crack at then light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans.

Fate ultimately smiled upon Machida as Jackson suffered from an injured jaw following his fight with Keith Jardine and couldn't get ready to fight for the title in two months. Subsequently, the UFC announced Machida Vs Evans as the main event for UFC 98. The rest as they say, is history.

Almost as impressive as Machida's sublime performance in the Rashad Evans fight was the reaction from the crowd. While fans will cheer for any fighter who manages to produce a knockout, the reaction Machida enjoyed both during and after the fight was overwhelming. He went from being a defensive fighter few cared about, to becoming one of the most popular fighters in the world. They say you're only as good as your last performance, and Machida's last performance was simply flawless.



Two eyebrow raising numbers would emerge a few days after the show: The first one regarding the PPV buyrate, which came at a surprisingly high 635 000 buys. But perhaps even more impressive was the number of people who tuned in for the Countdown show prior to the event. It held the record for the most watched UFC Countdown show ever for the time before being topped by UFC 100 a couple of months later. The Countdown mainly focused on Machida, his training, and his martial arts lifestyle.

People were undeniably intrigued by Machida, but has that intrigue turn into full pledged fanhood following his title win at UFC 98? Can Machida be considered one of the UFC's top draws and get mentioned in the same breath as Brock Lesnar or Georges St. Pierre?

The answer to that will be revealed in the next couple of weeks when the buyrate numbers for UFC 104 surface. Machida is undoubtedly carrying the show on his shoulders. The co-main event pitting Cain Velasquez against Ben Rothwell is a decent one at best, and the undercard leaves a lot to be desired. Shogun, while extremely popular among the hardcores, isn't the most well known name for the casual fan and is unlikely to draw in a significant portion of the viewers. UFC 104 will be quite revealing when it comes Lyoto Machida's drawing ability.

With that said, if marketed correctly (and so far he has been), the UFC have a gold mine on their hands in Lyoto Machida.

Historically, the UFC's biggest draws have been the likes of Tito Ortiz, Randy Couture, Chuck Liddell, and more recently Brock Lesnar and Georges St. Pierre. Fans like personalities, characters, and fighters with charisma. Obviously guys like Tito Ortiz and Brock Lesnar are easy draws: They're cocky, loud mouthed, and easy to dislike (not to mention very successful, which sets them apart from the Frank Triggs of the world). Those types of fighters are always safe bets when it comes to drawing ability.

Chuck Liddell, undeniably the company's biggest ever superstar, was the epitome of a fighter. While he's not considered a "heel" by any stretch of the imagination, Chuck was just a badass who came to fight and knock people out. He had the personality, the fighter look, and the bombs he likes to call fists. All those factors helped establish him as the sport's most recognizable figure.

Of course, guys like Randy Couture and Georges St. Pierre prove that you can be a top draw while being soft spoken, respectful and humble. St. Pierre is the consummate athlete and one of the most talented fighters on the planet. He appeals to different audiences, and has an awesome accent to top it off, making him almost impossible to dislike. Couture is Captain America, the old guy who could. He's the miracle maker.

So compared to those guys, is Machida similar in any way? Well, not really (although he can be placed alongside Couture and St. Pierre as a nice respectful guy). But that's Machida's main attribute: his uniqueness.

In Lyoto Machida, the UFC possesses a once in a lifetime fighter, not only in terms of fighting ability, but also in terms of personality and lifestyle. Machida's Karate background makes him one of the most unique fighters in the world, a fact that is just as evident inside the Octagon as it is outside of it. While Liddell, Ortiz and Lesnar were pushed by the UFC as "fighters", Machida should be pushed as a martial artist.

The UFC did a tremendous job on the UFC 98 Countdown in showcasing Machida's liftestyle. And while I have yet to watch the Countdown show for Saturday's PPV, I'm confident they're smart enough to take that path once more.

Lyoto Machida is someone who embodies the martial arts spirit. He started training Karate since the age of three and received his black belt at the age of thirteen. In a recent interview, he mentioned waking up at 5 am in order to train, and has been doing it for the pretty much his entire life, 7 days a week. He trains in amazons, mainly with his father, who happens to be a Shotokan Karate master. This is the kind of stuff you only see in movies.



There's a certain mystique about Machida right now. He's a mysterious, unusual fighter that nobody seems able to figure out. And that applies to him both inside and outside the Octagon.

But is that really enough? Is training in the jungle and drinking some very questionable fluids enough to get people interested in Machida to the point of tuning in every time he fights?

This is where Machida proved his intelligence. He could have just as easily chosen to retain his old fighting style and kept on winning fights without putting himself at risk. But Machida acknowledged the fact that he needed to do more in order to make the jump to superstardom. Winning fights alone doesn't guarantee it. Even winning fights in exciting fashion won't automatically make people throw their money to watch a certain fighter. Anderson Silva spent the better part of his UFC career disfiguring faces and the PPV numbers have remained rather disappointing. Machida on the other hand, knew he had to connect with the crowd, and managed to do so without the ability to speak fluent English. His emotional promo after winning the title from Evans was one of the best post fight interviews in recent memory.

And perhaps the most effective weapon at his disposal in terms of drawing ability is the light heavyweight title. People's interest in a fighter will automatically increase if he happens to be one of the title holders. Not only that, but the light heavyweight title is arguably considered the top prize in the UFC. It is the title with the most history behind it, with guys like Tito Ortiz, Chuck Liddell and Randy Couture dominating the scene a few years ago. Their epic encounters remain some of the most memorable in UFC history and have helped legitimize the 205 pound division as well as its title belt. Machida being the champion of the UFC's most stacked division can only help his cause.



That is going to be all for this week, enjoy the fights this Saturday and hopefully Shogun throws my whole column to waste by dethroning the champion. I'm not holding my breath though. Feedback is always appreciated. Please leave your thoughts in the comments section below.