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(born 30 May 1978), is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist and
karate (; ; Okinawan pronunciation: ) is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tii'' in Okinawan) under the influence of Chinese martial arts, particularly Fujia ...
ka, who currently competes in the Light heavyweight division. He formerly competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he was a former
UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champions are fighters who have won UFC championships. Historical notes At the time of the UFC's inception in 1993, mixed martial arts was not sanctioned in the United States, and did not include weight class ...
, as well as a
UFC Middleweight Championship Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champions are fighters who have won UFC championships. Historical notes At the time of the UFC's inception in 1993, mixed martial arts was not sanctioned in the United States, and did not include weight class ...
title challenger, and also in the
Bellator MMA Bellator MMA (formerly Bellator Fighting Championships) is an American mixed martial arts promotion founded in 2008 and based in Santa Monica, California, owned and operated as a subsidiary of television and media conglomerate Paramount Global. ...
.


Early life

Lyoto was born in Salvador, Brazil, as the third son of the highly ranked head of the Brazilian branch of the Japan Karate Association, Shotokan
karate (; ; Okinawan pronunciation: ) is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tii'' in Okinawan) under the influence of Chinese martial arts, particularly Fujia ...
master Yoshizo Machida (町田嘉三). Yoshizo moved to Brazil from Japan when he was 22 years old, where he met and married Lyoto's mother, Ana Claudia, who is of Brazilian descent. Growing up in
Belém Belém (; Portuguese for Bethlehem; initially called Nossa Senhora de Belém do Grão-Pará, in English Our Lady of Bethlehem of Great Pará) often called Belém of Pará, is a Brazilian city, capital and largest city of the state of Pará in ...
, Lyoto began training in karate at the age of 3 and earned his black belt at the age of 13. He also began training in sumo wrestling at the age of 8, and then
BJJ Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ; pt, jiu-jitsu brasileiro ) is a self-defence martial art and combat sport based on grappling, ground fighting ( ne-waza) and submission holds. BJJ focuses on the skill of taking an opponent to the ground, control ...
and boxing at sixteen. He won a number of amateur karate tournaments, including the 2001 Pan American Karate tournament. Later he travelled to Thailand to study Muay Thai, to Japan to study grappling at the NJPW Dojo and finally to United States to pursue his UFC career. He was the runner-up in the 2000 Brazilian Sumo Championships in the 115 kg division. As an adult, he became Brazilian Champion twice, and placed second in the South American Championship. He defeated American fighter and jiu-jitsu black belt Rafael Lovato Jr. at ''L.A. Sub X''. In addition to his sumo and karate achievements, he has a college degree in Physical Education. Lyoto's older brother Chinzô is also a Shotokan karate champion and MMA fighter, who fights in
Bellator MMA Bellator MMA (formerly Bellator Fighting Championships) is an American mixed martial arts promotion founded in 2008 and based in Santa Monica, California, owned and operated as a subsidiary of television and media conglomerate Paramount Global. ...
. Lyoto and Chinzô fought in a karate tournament final over ten years ago in which Lyoto gave Chinzô a cheek scar that still exists today. His other brothers include Kenzo Machida, a TV journalist for one of Brazil's biggest TV stations, and Take Machida. Machida trained at the New Japan Pro-Wrestling Dojo for six months in 2003 where he lived with future WWE Superstars
Shinsuke Nakamura is a Japanese professional wrestler currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand. Nakamura is known for his time in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is a former three-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion, with his firs ...
and
Bryan Danielson Bryan Lloyd Danielson (born May 22, 1981) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a member of the Blackpool Combat Club. He is also known for his time in WWE, where he worked from ...
.


Mixed martial arts career


Early career

Machida began his career in mixed martial arts under the management of legendary professional wrestler and MMA pioneer
Antonio Inoki Muhammad Hussain Inoki (born ; February 20, 1943 – October 1, 2022) was a Japanese professional wrestler, martial artist, politician, and promoter of professional wrestling and mixed martial arts. He was best known by the ring name , a homage ...
in Japan. On 2 May 2003, he defeated Kengo Watanabe by decision in his professional debut on a card promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling in Tokyo. During this time he competed under the name of ''Lyoto'', written in all caps. He was discussed by Inoki as a symbolic "successor" figure for himself, as
Naoya Ogawa (born 31 March 1968) is a Japanese Olympic and world champion judoka, retired professional wrestler, and mixed martial artist. He won a total of seven medals at the All-Japan Judo Championships (second only behind Yasuhiro Yamashita), and se ...
and
Kazuyuki Fujita is a Japanese professional wrestler, mixed martial artist and a former amateur wrestler, currently signed to Pro Wrestling Noah, where he is a one-time GHC Heavyweight Champion. He has most recently fought in Road FC, but is also known for ...
had been in the past. In his second fight, he defeated future UFC Hall of Famer
Stephan Bonnar Stephan Patrick Bonnar (April 4, 1977 – December 22, 2022) was an American mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist. Bonnar competed as a Light Heavyweight (MMA), Light Heavyweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, UFC for most of his car ...
by technical knockout due to a cut in the inaugural event promoted by Jungle Fight in Manaus, Brazil. This was Bonnar's first professional loss. On 31 December 2003, he took part in Inoki's annual event ''Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye 2003'', where he fought future UFC Middleweight Champion
Rich Franklin Richard Jay Franklin II (born October 5, 1974) is an American businessman and retired mixed martial artist. He is best known for competing in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, where he is a member of the UFC Hall of Fame and a former UFC Midd ...
in a
catchweight A catchweight is a term used in combat sports, such as boxing or mixed martial arts, to describe a weight limit that does not adhere to the traditional limits for weight classes. In boxing, a catchweight is negotiated prior to weigh-ins, which are ...
bout in which both men weighed in at 214 lbs (97 kg). In front of over 40,000 fans at
Kobe Wing Stadium The , also known as The , is a football stadium in Misaki Park, Hyogo-ku, Kobe, Japan. The stadium has a capacity of 30,132. This stadium, which features a retractable roof, is the home ground of J1 League club Vissel Kobe and the rugby union Jap ...
, Machida defeated Franklin via TKO in the second round. He staggered Franklin with a counter left punch and knocked him down with a front kick to the face, finishing up with punches which forced the referee to stop the fight. This was Franklin's first professional defeat. Following this, Machida went on to compete for the
K-1 K-1 is a professional kickboxing promotion established in 1993, well known worldwide mainly for its heavyweight division fights and Grand Prix tournaments. In January 2012, K-1 Global Holdings Limited, a company registered in Hong Kong, acquired ...
promotion, where he beat kickboxers Michael McDonald (by submission) and Sam Greco (by split decision) under MMA rules. When K-1 began promoting
Hero's Hero's was a Japanese mixed martial arts promotion operated by Fighting and Entertainment Group, the parent entity behind kickboxing organization K-1. Grown from and branched off of K-1's earlier experiments in MMA, including the ''K-1 Romanex ...
, a series of fight cards featuring only MMA bouts rather than cards mixed with kickboxing matches, Machida was transferred there. He took on former
UFC Welterweight Champion Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champions are fighters who have won UFC championships. Historical notes At the time of the UFC's inception in 1993, mixed martial arts was not sanctioned in the United States, and did not include weight class ...
B.J. Penn Jay Dee "B.J." Penn III (born December 13, 1978) is an American former professional mixed martial artist and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner. Penn competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and in K-1. Penn was the first American Go ...
on 26 March 2005, in Saitama at ''Hero's 1'' in an openweight match. Machida weighed in at while Penn weighed in at . Machida won by unanimous decision.


Ultimate Fighting Championship

Machida made his UFC debut on the preliminary card of '' UFC 67'' against Sam Hoger and won by unanimous decision. He was expected to fight Forrest Griffin at '' UFC 70'', but Griffin became ill with a
staph infection A staphylococcal infection or staph infection is an infection caused by members of the ''Staphylococcus'' genus of bacteria. These bacteria commonly inhabit the skin and nose where they are innocuous, but may enter the body through cuts or abrasio ...
and was replaced by undefeated David Heath, whom Machida beat by unanimous decision. He next faced
judo is an unarmed modern Japanese martial art, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyclopedia Nipponica, "Judo"). ...
practitioner and
Pride Fighting Championship PRIDE Fighting Championships (Pride or Pride FC, founded as KRS-Pride) was a Japanese mixed martial arts promotion company. Its inaugural event was held at the Tokyo Dome on October 11, 1997. Pride held more than sixty mixed martial arts even ...
veteran
Kazuhiro Nakamura Kazuhiro Nakamura ( , born July 16, 1979) is a retired Japanese mixed martial artist who competed as a Middleweight in DREAM, and is a former DEEP Middleweight Champion. He fought out of the Yoshida Dojo and also competed in the Pride Fightin ...
at ''
UFC 76 '' UFC 76: Knockout'' was a mixed martial arts (MMA) pay-per-view event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship. The event took place on September 22, 2007, at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. Although the event was advertised with the ...
''. Machida won by unanimous decision and Nakamura would later test positive for marijuana. At '' UFC 79'', Machida faced
Sokoudjou Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou Nkamhoua (; born April 18, 1984), mostly billed simply as Sokoudjou, is a Cameroonian professional mixed martial artist. A professional competitor since 2006, Sokoudjou is the former KSW Light Heavyweight Champion, and h ...
, a judo practitioner making his UFC debut after back-to-back upset knockout victories over Pride veterans Antônio Rogério Nogueira and
Ricardo Arona Ricardo Arona (; born 17 July 1978) is a retired Brazilian mixed martial artist. A professional from 2000 until 2009, he competed in PRIDE Fighting Championships and RINGS in his mixed martial arts career, and was a member of Brazilian Top Team ...
. Machida submitted Sokoudjou with an
arm triangle choke Arm triangle choke, side choke, or head and arm choke are generic terms describing blood chokeholds in which the opponent is strangled in between their own shoulder and the practitioner's arm. This is as opposed to the regular triangle choke, wh ...
at 4:20 of the second round. Machida's next fight was at ''
UFC 84 ''UFC 84: Ill Will'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on May 24, 2008, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Background The card featured the return of Sean Sherk, who was suspended and ...
'' against former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion
Tito Ortiz Jacob Christopher "Tito" Ortiz (; born January 23, 1975) is an American mixed martial artist and politician. He is currently signed to the Combate Americas promotion. Ortiz is best known for his stints with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (U ...
, in what was thought to be Ortiz's final UFC appearance after a dispute with UFC President
Dana White Dana Frederick White Jr. (born July 28, 1969) is an American businessman who serves as president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), a global mixed martial arts organization. In August 2019, White's net worth was estimated at $500 mil ...
. Machida frustrated Ortiz with lateral movement and counterstriking while successfully defending against the former champion's takedowns. In the closing minutes of the third round Machida knocked Ortiz down with a knee to the body. As Machida moved in to finish the fight, Ortiz almost locked in a triangle choke before transitioning to an armbar attempt. Machida managed to escape and win by unanimous decision, with all judges scoring the fight 30–27 in his favor. Years after the bout, Dana White revealed that the only time he ever awarded a personal check of his to a fighter was to Machida, for defeating Ortiz. In the co-main event of ''
UFC 94 ''UFC 94: St-Pierre vs. Penn 2'' was a mixed martial arts (MMA) pay-per-view event promoted by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on January 31, 2009. The card featured five televised MMA bouts, as well as five un-aired preliminary bouts. I ...
'', Machida faced fellow undefeated Brazilian contender
Thiago Silva Thiago Emiliano da Silva (born 22 September 1984) is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for club Chelsea and captains the Brazil national team. Considered one of the best defenders of his generation, he is known f ...
. The two were originally scheduled to meet at ''
UFC 89 ''UFC 89: Bisping vs. Leben'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on October 18, 2008, at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham, United Kingdom. Background The event was headlined by a middleweight b ...
'', but a back injury forced Silva to withdraw from the contest. UFC President Dana White indicated in the pre-fight press conference that Machida would receive a title shot with a victory, while Silva would need to defeat Machida and win one more contest before earning the same opportunity. Machida was able to knock down Silva twice during the first round before ultimately knocking him out after tripping him and jumping in landing the knockout punch at 4:59 of the first round, scoring his first UFC knockout victory and winning his first ''Knockout of the Night'' bonus award.


Light Heavyweight Championship

Despite Machida's knockout of Thiago Silva, Dana White indicated that he was not the number one contender for a title shot. Instead, a scheduled fight between former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Quinton Jackson and Keith Jardine would determine Machida's title fate. A victory for Jackson would earn him a fight with champion
Rashad Evans Rashad Anton Evans (born September 25, 1979) is an American mixed martial artist. Evans started his professional career in 2003, he was the Heavyweight winner of The Ultimate Fighter 2 and is also a former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, and a 2 ...
, but a win for Jardine would mean Machida would be awarded with a title shot. Jackson won the fight via unanimous decision, but torn ligaments in his jaw forced the former champion out of the bout. Instead, Machida would challenge Evans for the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship at '' UFC 98''. Jackson would retain his title shot against the winner of that match upon returning from injury. Machida then met Light Heavyweight Champion Rashad Evans in another clash of undefeated fighters on the main event of ''UFC 98''. Machida scored an early knockdown in the first round and ultimately knocked Evans out with a flurry of punches at 3:57 of the second round, becoming the tenth UFC Light Heavyweight Champion. His performance earned him ''Knockout of the Night'' honors with a $60,000 bonus for the second time. Machida was expected to face Quinton Jackson in his first title defense, but Jackson opted to coach the tenth season of ''
The Ultimate Fighter ''The Ultimate Fighter'' is an American reality television series and mixed martial arts (MMA) competition produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Pilgrim Media Group currently airing on ESPN+. It previously aired for fourteen ...
'' instead. Pride Fighting Championship's 2005 Middleweight Grand Prix winner Maurício Rua was then selected as Machida's first title challenger. The bout took place on 24 October 2009, at '' UFC 104'', with Machida winning by unanimous decision, 48–47 from all three judges, with one stating that Machida "landed the more damaging strikes throughout the fight" and was the more "effective aggressor". Out of the three judges, Nelson Hamilton gave Machida rounds 2, 3 and 4. Cecil Peoples and Marcos Rosales each gave Machida the first three rounds. In spite of this, a significant amount of the audience in attendance booed the decision after it was delivered, voicing their support for Rua. Writers for a number of sports websites and magazines also claimed they felt Rua had won. There were also MMA fighters in attendance who voiced support for the decision, among them were several of Machida's training partners, including Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira,
Junior dos Santos Junior dos Santos (; born 30 January 1984) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist and professional wrestler who competes in the Heavyweight division of Eagle FC. As a mixed martial artist, he is a former UFC Heavyweight Champion; as a professio ...
, José Aldo,
Rafael Cavalcante Rafael Cavalcante (born 5 April 1980) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who fights in the light heavyweight division. He is currently competing for Bellator MMA. He trains with Anderson Silva and Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira as part of the Blac ...
and
Anderson Silva Anderson da Silva (; born 14 April 1975) is a Brazilian-American mixed martial artist and boxer. He is a former UFC Middleweight Champion and holds the record for the longest title reign in UFC history at 2,457 days. This started in 2006 an ...
. A FightMetric analysis of the fight suggested that Rua had been more aggressive and had landed more blows to the head and legs than Machida, while CompuStrike reported that Rua landed almost twice as many strikes as Machida did. Both FightMetric and CompuStrike explicitly state on their websites that they are not intended to be used to judge MMA events, and are merely a way to track a fighter's activity. Because of the controversy surrounding the close decision, on 8 May 2010, at '' UFC 113'' in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, Machida and Rua rematched, seven months after their original fight. In the much anticipated rematch, both fighters started aggressively and scored significant points in striking exchanges, with Machida scoring two takedowns during the round. Rua showed strong defense on the ground, spinning to attempt a
kneebar A leglock is a joint lock that is directed at joints of the leg such as the ankle, knee or hip joint. A leglock which is directed at joints in the foot, is sometimes referred to as a foot lock and a lock at the hip as a hip lock. Leglocks are featu ...
before both fighters returned to their feet. In a striking exchange, Rua swerved to avoid a left straight from Machida and landed a powerful counter overhand right to the temple, which knocked Machida down. Rua then took the full mount and proceeded to knock Machida out with
ground-and-pound Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorp ...
, making him the new Light Heavyweight Champion at 3:35 of round 1, with Machida suffering his first MMA career loss.


Back to title contention

In his first fight after losing the title, Machida faced Quinton "Rampage" Jackson on the main event of ''
UFC 123 ''UFC 123: Rampage vs. Machida'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on November 20, 2010 at the Palace of Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, Michigan. It was the first UFC event in the Metro Detroit area since ' ...
''. During the first round Machida landed several leg kicks and some counter punches while Rampage predominantly landed from the clinch, utilizing stomps and punches to Machida's side. Both Compustrike and Fightmetric records show that Rampage out-struck Machida when counting blows such as stomps and elbows to the thigh in the clinch, while Machida landed more strikes during the standup exchanges. In the second round, Compustrike and Fightmetric records show Rampage as the busier overall fighter, and Rampage also scored a takedown. The cleanest and most significant blow of the second round was an uppercut landed by Rampage. In the third round, Machida landed a counter left that stunned Rampage and followed it with a flurry of punches, kicks and knees that backed Jackson into the cage. When Rampage tried to retaliate, Machida scored a takedown, eventually gaining full mount and attempted a submission. At the end of the bout, Rampage was declared the winner via split decision. In the post-fight interview, Rampage expressed that the fairest thing would be to offer Machida an immediate rematch, as he felt he had lost the fight. Five of 7 media outlets scored the bout in favor of Machida. However, since UFC President Dana White personally felt that Rampage won the fight, he denied the possibility of an immediate rematch. This generated some controversy, as White had previously awarded an immediate rematch to Rua in spite of a unanimous judgment decision awarded to Machida in that fight. Machida was then set to face UFC Hall of Famer
Randy Couture Randall Duane Couture (; born June 22, 1963) is an American actor, former U.S. Army sergeant, former mixed martial artist and former collegiate and Greco-Roman wrestler. During his tenures in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), he became ...
on 30 April 2011, at ''
UFC 129 ''UFC 129: St-Pierre vs. Shields'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on Saturday, April 30, 2011 at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Background The event was the sixth that the UFC has hosted in ...
''. UFC President Dana White had indicated that Machida was under pressure to perform in his upcoming bout against Couture, saying, "this is a must-win for him." Machida defeated Couture via KO with a jumping
front kick The front kick in martial arts is a kick executed by lifting the knee straight forward, while keeping the foot and shin either hanging freely or pulled to the hip, and then straightening the leg in front of the practitioner and striking the targe ...
to the face at 1:02 of the second round, earning his third ''Knockout of the Night'' bonus award. Machida's kick received praise for being similar to the
Crane kick The crane kick is a fictionalized version of the Mae tobi geri ( ja, 前飛蹴). The move was created by Darryl Vidal for the classic film ''The Karate Kid'' (1984). The move is taught by the character Mr. Miyagi to Daniel LaRusso and eventually ...
featured in the 1984 movie ''
The Karate Kid ''The Karate Kid'' is a 1984 American martial arts drama film written by Robert Mark Kamen and directed by John G. Avildsen. It is the first installment in the '' Karate Kid'' franchise, and stars Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita, Elisabeth Shue and ...
''. Dana White commented that Machida's performance versus Couture put him back into the mix at the top of the division, but stated that he was not yet the next in line for a title shot. Joe Rogan ranked it as the 4th Deadliest Head Kick Knockout in 2015. Machida was then briefly linked to a rematch with Rashad Evans at ''
UFC 133 The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...
'', replacing an injured Phil Davis. However, Dana White claimed that Machida wanted "Anderson Silva money" for taking the fight on short notice and the UFC decided to schedule Tito Ortiz for the fight with Evans. Machida was in talks to face Phil Davis, but the fight did not happen due to Davis needing more time to recover from knee surgery. Instead, Machida replaced an injured
Rashad Evans Rashad Anton Evans (born September 25, 1979) is an American mixed martial artist. Evans started his professional career in 2003, he was the Heavyweight winner of The Ultimate Fighter 2 and is also a former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, and a 2 ...
and faced UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones on 10 December 2011, in the main event of ''
UFC 140 ''UFC 140: Jones vs. Machida'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on December 10, 2011 at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was the penultimate event for the UFC in 2011. The event ...
''. After a first round that saw Machida rock Jones with a punch, in the second round Jones took Machida down and cut him with an elbow strike. After standing up, Machida was knocked down with a straight left counter and then caught in a standing guillotine and choked unconscious at 4:26 of the second round, losing the title bout by technical submission. Both men won ''Fight of the Night'' honors. Machida then faced ''
The Ultimate Fighter ''The Ultimate Fighter'' is an American reality television series and mixed martial arts (MMA) competition produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Pilgrim Media Group currently airing on ESPN+. It previously aired for fourteen ...
'' Season 8 winner
Ryan Bader Arizona State Sun Devils Ryan DuWayne Bader (born June 7, 1983) is an American mixed martial artist currently signed to Bellator MMA where he is the current Bellator Heavyweight Champion, the former Bellator Light Heavyweight Champion, a ...
on 4 August 2012, in the co-main event of ''
UFC on Fox 4 ''UFC on Fox: Shogun vs. Vera'' (also known as ''UFC on Fox 4'') was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on August 4, 2012 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. Background Chad Griggs was expected to fac ...
''. In a dominant performance throughout the contest, Machida knocked out Bader with a counter right hand at the 1:32 mark of the second round. As a result, Machida was expected to get another title shot. Following the abrupt cancellation of ''
UFC 151 ''UFC 151: Jones vs. Henderson'' was a planned mixed martial arts event that was to be held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on September 1, 2012, at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. It was to be headlined by a UFC Light H ...
'', Machida's rematch with Jon Jones was expected to take place at ''
UFC 152 ''UFC 152: Jones vs. Belfort '' was a mixed martial arts pay-per-view event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on September 22, 2012, at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Background Rory MacDonald was expected to face fo ...
'', but Machida declined the fight citing that he did not have ample time to prepare, and was replaced by
Vitor Belfort Vítor Vieira Belfort (; born 1 April 1977) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competes in the Heavyweight and Middleweight divisions. Belfort previously competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he fought in the Heavywe ...
. As a result of turning down the fight at ''UFC 152'', it was later confirmed by the UFC that Machida no longer had an immediate title shot. Machida faced the Final Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion, Pride Middleweight Champion, Pride Welterweight Champion and at that time #1 contender Dan Henderson on 23 February 2013, on the co-main event of '' UFC 157''. The winner of the fight was expected to get a title shot. Machida defeated Henderson via split decision, but ultimately
Alexander Gustafsson Alexander Gustafsson (born 15 January 1987) is a Swedish professional mixed martial artist. Gustafsson currently competes in the light heavyweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Gustafsson spent a major part of his MMA ...
was given the title shot against Jon Jones. Machida returned to his native Brazil to face Phil Davis on 3 August 2013, at ''
UFC 163 ''UFC 163: Aldo vs. Korean Zombie'' was a mixed martial arts event held on August 3, 2013, at the HSBC Arena in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. Background The main event was expected to feature current UFC Featherweight Champion, José Aldo taking o ...
''. Davis defeated Machida by unanimous decision. This caused controversy among many MMA fans. In one sample, 13 of 13 media outlets scored the bout in favor of Machida. ESPN scored it for Davis. Davis had takedowns near the end of rounds one and two, and landed a few punches on the ground, which formed his only significant offense in the fight. Many UFC affiliate bloggers also scored the fight 30–27 in favor of Machida. UFC President Dana White stated shortly after the fight that he had Machida winning all three rounds, and later told
Yahoo! Sports Yahoo! Sports is a sports news website launched by Yahoo! on December 8, 1997. It receives a majority of its information from STATS, Inc. It employs numerous writers, and has team pages for teams in almost every North American major sport. Bef ...
that "Machida definitely won" and "MMA judging sucks". Fightmetric analysis shows that while Davis landed more total strikes, Machida landed the more significant strikes. ESPN released a similar analysis tracking each fighter's activity in each category, and reporting the 29–28 victory scored by the three judges at ringside. After the loss but before his move to middleweight, Machida remained higher than Davis in the official UFC rankings.


Move to Middleweight

Dana White announced on 21 August 2013, during Fox Sports Live that Machida would be dropping down to the middleweight division. He was expected to face Tim Kennedy on 6 November 2013, on the main event of '' UFC: Fight for the Troops 3''. However, Machida was pulled from the bout and was set to face his friend and training partner Mark Muñoz on 26 October 2013, at ''
UFC Fight Night 30 The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...
'', replacing Muñoz's original opponent Michael Bisping, who was forced out of the bout with an eye injury. Machida defeated Muñoz via head kick KO at the 3:10 mark of the first round, earning him his fourth ''Knockout of the Night'' award. Machida was praised for demonstrating class and
sportsmanship Sportsmanship is an aspiration or ethos that a sport, or activity will be enjoyed for its own sake. This is with proper consideration for fairness, ethics, respect, and a sense of fellowship with one's competitors. A "sore loser" refers to o ...
by not throwing any additional punches to the grounded Muñoz after knocking him down before the referee stopped the fight. He became a free agent after the bout, and after entertaining offers from various promotions he re-signed with the UFC. In his second bout in the middleweight division, Machida returned to Brazil and faced former Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion Gegard Mousasi in the main event of '' UFC Fight Night 36'' on 15 February 2014. Machida won the fight via unanimous decision after five rounds, also earning his second ''Fight of the Night'' bonus award. Machida was then expected to get a title shot against the winner of the ''
UFC 173 ''UFC 173: Barão vs. Dillashaw'' was a mixed martial arts event held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on May 24, 2014. Background A Middleweight Championship bout between then champion Chris Weidman and number one contender Vi ...
'' fight between UFC Middleweight Champion
Chris Weidman Christopher James WeidmanMIXED MARTIAL ARTS S ...
and
Vitor Belfort Vítor Vieira Belfort (; born 1 April 1977) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competes in the Heavyweight and Middleweight divisions. Belfort previously competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he fought in the Heavywe ...
. However, after Belfort withdrew from the bout on 28 February 2014, it was announced that Machida would replace him in the main event ''UFC 173'' on 24 May 2014. On 24 March 2014, it was revealed that Weidman would need to undergo knee surgery. The title fight with Weidman was rescheduled and eventually took place at ''
UFC 175 The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...
'' on 5 July 2014. Machida lost the fight via unanimous decision. After Weidman had controlled much of the action throughout the first three rounds with his wrestling and relentless pressure, Machida began to find his range on his strikes in the fourth. Machida landed a number of hard strikes in the round including a left hook which stunned Weidman at the very end of the round. Machida would continue to find success striking early in the fifth as well. However, Weidman would land several hard shots of his own later in the round before seemingly clinching the round with a takedown and controlling Machida from top position for over a minute, although Machida managed to stand up and attack with a flurry of strikes in the closing seconds of the fight. Despite losing on the scorecards, Machida earned his third ''Fight of the Night'' bonus award for his performance. Machida next faced C. B. Dollaway on 20 December 2014 at
UFC Fight Night 58 ''UFC Fight Night: Machida vs. Dollaway'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 58'') was a mixed martial arts event held at the Ginásio José Corrêa in Barueri, Brazil on December 20, 2014. Background The event was the second that the UFC has hos ...
. Machida won the fight via TKO only 62 seconds into the first round after landing a body kick that dropped Dollaway, finishing him with a barrage of punches that forced the referee to stop the fight. Machida also earned a ''Performance of the Night'' bonus award. Machida faced
Luke Rockhold Luke Skyler Rockhold (born October 17, 1984) is an American retired mixed martial artist. He is best known for his time in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he competed in the Light Heavyweight and Middleweight division. ...
on 18 April 2015, at
UFC on Fox 15 ''UFC on Fox: Machida vs. Rockhold'' (also known as ''UFC on Fox 15'') was a mixed martial arts event held on April 18, 2015, at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Background The event was the sixth event that the UFC has hosted in New ...
. He lost the fight via submission in the second round after being dominated on the ground by Rockhold throughout the whole of the fight. Machida faced Yoel Romero on 27 June 2015, at
UFC Fight Night 70 ''UFC Fight Night: Machida vs. Romero'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 70'') was a mixed martial arts event held on June 27, 2015, at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida. Background The event was originally expected t ...
. After a fairly competitive first two rounds, Machida lost the fight via knockout in the third round. A rematch with Dan Henderson was expected to take place on 16 April 2016, at UFC on Fox 19. However, on 13 April, the UFC announced that Machida declared the usage of a banned substance –
7-Keto-DHEA 7-Ketodehydroepiandrosterone (7-keto-DHEA,7-oxo-DHEA), also known as 7-oxoprasterone, is a prohormone produced by metabolism of the prohormone dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA). 7-oxo-DHEA is even more effective than DHEA for inducing heat productio ...
– during an out-of-competition sample collection the week prior. Machida stated that he was unaware that the substance was prohibited both in and out of competition. Therefore, he was removed from the bout and Henderson was re-booked for another event at a later date. Machida was ultimately suspended for 18 months by USADA, becoming eligible to return on 8 October 2017. On 13 August 2016, Machida faced former Strikeforce middleweight champion and UFC welterweight contender, Jake Shields, in a grappling only benefit event called Submit Cancer. After gaining top control, Shields submitted the much larger Machida by inside heel hook with just 30 seconds left in the match.


Post-suspension reign

In his first fight after returning from his suspension, Machida faced Derek Brunson on 28 October 2017 at
UFC Fight Night 119 ''UFC Fight Night: Brunson vs. Machida'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 119'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on October 28, 2017, at Ginásio do Ibirapuera in São Paulo, Brazil. Background ...
. He lost the fight via knockout in the first round. Machida faced
Eryk Anders Eryk Ryan Anders (born April 21, 1987) is an American professional mixed martial artist and former American football linebacker. He competes in the Middleweight division of the UFC. He played college football at the University of Alabama. Early ...
on 3 February 2018 at
UFC Fight Night 125 ''UFC Fight Night: Machida vs. Anders'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 125'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on February 3, 2018, at Arena Guilherme Paraense in Belém, Brazil. Background Wh ...
. He won the fight via split decision, snapping his 3-fight losing streak. Machida faced
Vitor Belfort Vítor Vieira Belfort (; born 1 April 1977) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competes in the Heavyweight and Middleweight divisions. Belfort previously competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he fought in the Heavywe ...
on 12 May 2018 at
UFC 224 ''UFC 224: Nunes vs. Pennington'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on May 12, 2018, at the Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Background The UFC was initially targeting a UFC Wom ...
. He won the fight via knock-out in the second round. This win earned him the
Performance of the Night UFC Bonus Awards are three separate cash bonuses usually awarded to four fighters after each UFC event, based on internal decisions by UFC management. More/fewer bonuses have been awarded at some events, especially when no knockouts or submissions ...
award.


Bellator MMA

On 22 June 2018, it was reported that Machida signed a multi-fight contract with
Bellator MMA Bellator MMA (formerly Bellator Fighting Championships) is an American mixed martial arts promotion founded in 2008 and based in Santa Monica, California, owned and operated as a subsidiary of television and media conglomerate Paramount Global. ...
. On 12 September, it was announced that Machida is set to make his promotional debut against former
Bellator Middleweight Champion Bellator MMA (formerly known as "Bellator Fighting Championships") is an American mixed martial arts promotion, and the following is a history of its champions in each weight class. At the time of its inception in 2008, CEO Bjorn Rebney founded B ...
Rafael Carvalho Rafael Carvalho de Souza (born 27 July 1986) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who most recently competed in the light heavyweight and middleweight divisions of Bellator MMA, where he was a former Bellator Middleweight World Champion. As o ...
in the co-headliner of Bellator 213. On weigh-in day, Carvalho missed weight, weighing in at 186.5 pounds, over the non-title Middleweight limit of 186.0 pounds. Carvalho was fined 20% of his purse and the fight proceeded as a
Catchweight A catchweight is a term used in combat sports, such as boxing or mixed martial arts, to describe a weight limit that does not adhere to the traditional limits for weight classes. In boxing, a catchweight is negotiated prior to weigh-ins, which are ...
bout. Machida went on to defeat Carvalho by split decision. On 4 April 2019, it was announced that Machida would be facing
Chael Sonnen Chael Patrick Sonnen (; born April 3, 1977) is an American submission grappling promoter, mixed martial arts (MMA) analyst, and retired mixed martial artist. Beginning his MMA career in 1997, Sonnen competed for the Ultimate Fighting Champions ...
in a light heavyweight bout at Bellator 222 on 14 June 2019 at Madison Square Garden. He won the fight via TKO in the second round. Machida rematched prior UFC opponent Gegard Mousasi at Bellator 228 on 28 September 2019. He lost the bout via split decision. Machida headlined Bellator 245 in a rematch against Phil Davis on September 11, 2020. He lost the fight by split decision.


Bellator Light Heavyweight World Grand Prix

On February 9, 2021, it was announced that Machida would be participating in the Bellator Light Heavyweight World Grand Prix. He faced
Ryan Bader Arizona State Sun Devils Ryan DuWayne Bader (born June 7, 1983) is an American mixed martial artist currently signed to Bellator MMA where he is the current Bellator Heavyweight Champion, the former Bellator Light Heavyweight Champion, a ...
in the quarterfinal round. This was a rematch of their August 2012 bout, which saw Machida win via second round knockout. The bout took place at Bellator 256 on April 9, 2021. In the first round Machida had success with his kicks, outstriking Bader, but would soon be dominated for the next four rounds by Bader's wrestling and ground and pound, losing the fight via unanimous decision.


Return to Middleweight

Returning to Middleweight in the last fight of his prevailing contract, Machida faced
Fabian Edwards Fabian Edwards (born 24 March 1993) is an English professional mixed martial artist who competes in the Middleweight division of Bellator MMA. As of 28 June 2022, he is #2 in the Bellator Middleweight Rankings. He is the younger brother of UFC We ...
on May 13, 2022 at
Bellator 281 ''Bellator 281: MVP vs. Storley'' (also known as '' Bellator London'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by Bellator MMA that took place on May 13, 2022, at SSE Arena in London, England. Background Yaroslav Amosov was to make his firs ...
. He lost the fight via knockout in the first round.


Fighting style

Machida uses a unique, unorthodox style in MMA that combines elements from his diverse training background. His style is based mainly on tactics using Shotokan karate and
Brazilian jiu-jitsu Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ; pt, jiu-jitsu brasileiro ) is a self-defence martial art and combat sport based on grappling, ground fighting ( ne-waza) and submission holds. BJJ focuses on the skill of taking an opponent to the ground, control ...
, but also integrates techniques from wrestling and sumo, which Machida says makes him "fully prepared for any situation" in the Octagon. Often described as "elusive," Machida relies on cautious and precise counter-striking that frustrates his opponents into making mistakes. Machida has earned considerable respect from MMA fans, fighters, and commentators for his effectiveness and winning ways. At the same time, his cerebral and conservative style is sometimes deemed boring and unsatisfying to watch. Machida has drawn fire from fans, and criticism from MMA commentators for his limited aggression and many decision victories. In response to these criticisms, Machida said, "If you don't like it, sorry. I always try to win." He also stated that he believes fans are coming to appreciate the efficiency of his style just like they came to appreciate
Royce Gracie Royce Gracie (; born 12 December 1966) is a Brazilian retired professional mixed martial artist, a UFC Hall of Famer, and a Gracie Jiu-Jitsu practitioner. A member of the Gracie family, he is considered to be one of the most influential figures i ...
's jiu-jitsu. Machida defied expectations at ''
UFC 94 ''UFC 94: St-Pierre vs. Penn 2'' was a mixed martial arts (MMA) pay-per-view event promoted by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on January 31, 2009. The card featured five televised MMA bouts, as well as five un-aired preliminary bouts. I ...
,'' where he earned ''Knockout of the Night'' honors for his first-round stoppage of then-undefeated
Thiago Silva Thiago Emiliano da Silva (born 22 September 1984) is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for club Chelsea and captains the Brazil national team. Considered one of the best defenders of his generation, he is known f ...
. Machida noted that he started to include weight training in his preparation for the bout. Commentators hailed the knockout as a step in the right direction toward building interest in him as a potential champion. In addition, Machida showcased his improved English during interviews for the event, which gave him the ability to connect with fans more easily. Machida's limited English was previously seen as a marketing liability. After knocking out Rashad Evans at '' UFC 98'', in the post fight interview with Joe Rogan, Machida announced to his fans, "Karate is back! Machida Karate!" Many fans have referred to his style as "Machida Karate" since then. In an issue of MMA Unltd magazine, Machida once again mentioned the phrase "Machida Karate", claiming that it was based on a very traditional form which is very different from modern sports karate. He also said that the karate seen nowadays has lost many techniques over the years in which it was practiced, and that his style was one of the very few that still kept those techniques. "My style is Machida Karate and it is a very traditional form", he said, "It differs from sports karate which we usually see in karate schools and competitions as it has many elements which were lost in the style including the use of knees, elbows, takedowns and even some submissions". Machida is a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under Walter Broca. During his fight with Ryan Bader, Joe Rogan mentioned that Machida's karate style meant his fighting distance and range is at least a foot farther than a typical boxer or Muay Thai fighter. Machida controls the range and avoids being hit or rushed effectively, but does so in a way that is different from
Anderson Silva Anderson da Silva (; born 14 April 1975) is a Brazilian-American mixed martial artist and boxer. He is a former UFC Middleweight Champion and holds the record for the longest title reign in UFC history at 2,457 days. This started in 2006 an ...
(who controls range through a variety of strikes and kicks) and Jon Jones (who controls range using his reach). Like Silva though, Machida changes stance from southpaw to orthodox frequently, with minimal drop-off in efficiency. While his kicks do not seem to land with as much power because he does not step into his kicks, they have quicker release with no tells, so they are difficult to anticipate and counter. Despite this purported lack of power, Machida's combination of accuracy, traditional kicking style, and frequent hip and eye feints have allowed him to finish several fights with his kicks, as he did against
Randy Couture Randall Duane Couture (; born June 22, 1963) is an American actor, former U.S. Army sergeant, former mixed martial artist and former collegiate and Greco-Roman wrestler. During his tenures in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), he became ...
, Mark Muñoz, C. B. Dollaway, and
Vitor Belfort Vítor Vieira Belfort (; born 1 April 1977) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competes in the Heavyweight and Middleweight divisions. Belfort previously competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he fought in the Heavywe ...
.


Personal life

Machida's wife is named Fabyola, and they have two sons named Taiyo (町田太陽) and Kaito (町田怪盗). His older brother, Chinzo, also competed in mixed martial arts, most notably for the
Bellator MMA Bellator MMA (formerly Bellator Fighting Championships) is an American mixed martial arts promotion founded in 2008 and based in Santa Monica, California, owned and operated as a subsidiary of television and media conglomerate Paramount Global. ...
promotion.


Championships and accomplishments

* Ultimate Fighting Championship **
UFC Light Heavyweight Championship Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champions are fighters who have won UFC championships. Historical notes At the time of the UFC's inception in 1993, mixed martial arts was not sanctioned in the United States, and did not include weight class ...
(One time) ***One successful title defense vs. Maurício Rua ** Knockout of the Night (Four times) vs.
Thiago Silva Thiago Emiliano da Silva (born 22 September 1984) is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for club Chelsea and captains the Brazil national team. Considered one of the best defenders of his generation, he is known f ...
,
Rashad Evans Rashad Anton Evans (born September 25, 1979) is an American mixed martial artist. Evans started his professional career in 2003, he was the Heavyweight winner of The Ultimate Fighter 2 and is also a former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, and a 2 ...
,
Randy Couture Randall Duane Couture (; born June 22, 1963) is an American actor, former U.S. Army sergeant, former mixed martial artist and former collegiate and Greco-Roman wrestler. During his tenures in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), he became ...
and Mark Muñoz
** Fight of the Night (Three times) vs. Jon Jones, Gegard Mousasi and
Chris Weidman Christopher James WeidmanMIXED MARTIAL ARTS S ...
**
Performance of the Night UFC Bonus Awards are three separate cash bonuses usually awarded to four fighters after each UFC event, based on internal decisions by UFC management. More/fewer bonuses have been awarded at some events, especially when no knockouts or submissions ...
(Two times) vs.
C.B. Dollaway Clarence Byron "C. B." Dollaway (born August 10, 1983) is an American mixed martial artist currently fighting in the Light Heavyweight division. A professional since 2006, he formerly fought in the UFC and was a finalist on SpikeTV's '' The U ...
and
Vitor Belfort Vítor Vieira Belfort (; born 1 April 1977) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competes in the Heavyweight and Middleweight divisions. Belfort previously competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he fought in the Heavywe ...
* Sherdog Awards **2011 Knockout of the Year vs. Randy Couture **Mixed Martial Arts Hall of Fame *
Black Belt Magazine ''Black Belt'' is an American magazine covering martial arts and combat sports. The magazine is based in Valencia, California, and is one of the oldest titles dedicated to martial arts in the United States. History and profile The magazine w ...
**2009 Fighter of the Year *MMA Torch.com **2014 Fight of the Year vs.
Chris Weidman Christopher James WeidmanMIXED MARTIAL ARTS S ...
at
UFC 175 The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...
*Fight Matrix **2014 Most Noteworthy Match of the Year vs.
Chris Weidman Christopher James WeidmanMIXED MARTIAL ARTS S ...
on 5 July 2014
*
MMAJunkie.com MMA Junkie is a news website that covers the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA). It was founded in 2006, and is owned by Gannett Company since 2011. The site and its content have been featured in ''Time'' magazine'', ''ESPN The Magazine'', ''The N ...
**2014 July Fight of the Month vs.
Chris Weidman Christopher James WeidmanMIXED MARTIAL ARTS S ...
**2018 May Knockout of the Month vs.
Vitor Belfort Vítor Vieira Belfort (; born 1 April 1977) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competes in the Heavyweight and Middleweight divisions. Belfort previously competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he fought in the Heavywe ...


Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 26–12 ,
Fabian Edwards Fabian Edwards (born 24 March 1993) is an English professional mixed martial artist who competes in the Middleweight division of Bellator MMA. As of 28 June 2022, he is #2 in the Bellator Middleweight Rankings. He is the younger brother of UFC We ...
, KO (elbow and punches) ,
Bellator 281 ''Bellator 281: MVP vs. Storley'' (also known as '' Bellator London'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by Bellator MMA that took place on May 13, 2022, at SSE Arena in London, England. Background Yaroslav Amosov was to make his firs ...
, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:18 , London, England , , - , Loss , align=center, 26–11 ,
Ryan Bader Arizona State Sun Devils Ryan DuWayne Bader (born June 7, 1983) is an American mixed martial artist currently signed to Bellator MMA where he is the current Bellator Heavyweight Champion, the former Bellator Light Heavyweight Champion, a ...
, Decision (unanimous) , Bellator 256 , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 , Uncasville, Connecticut, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 26–10 , Phil Davis , Decision (split) , Bellator 245 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Uncasville, Connecticut, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 26–9 , Gegard Mousasi , Decision (split) , Bellator 228 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Inglewood, California, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 26–8 ,
Chael Sonnen Chael Patrick Sonnen (; born April 3, 1977) is an American submission grappling promoter, mixed martial arts (MMA) analyst, and retired mixed martial artist. Beginning his MMA career in 1997, Sonnen competed for the Ultimate Fighting Champions ...
, TKO (flying knee and punches) , Bellator 222 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:22 , New York City, New York, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 25–8 ,
Rafael Carvalho Rafael Carvalho de Souza (born 27 July 1986) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who most recently competed in the light heavyweight and middleweight divisions of Bellator MMA, where he was a former Bellator Middleweight World Champion. As o ...
, Decision (split) , Bellator 213 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Honolulu, Hawaii, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 24–8 ,
Vitor Belfort Vítor Vieira Belfort (; born 1 April 1977) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competes in the Heavyweight and Middleweight divisions. Belfort previously competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he fought in the Heavywe ...
, KO (front kick) ,
UFC 224 ''UFC 224: Nunes vs. Pennington'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on May 12, 2018, at the Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Background The UFC was initially targeting a UFC Wom ...
, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:00 , Rio de Janeiro, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 23–8 ,
Eryk Anders Eryk Ryan Anders (born April 21, 1987) is an American professional mixed martial artist and former American football linebacker. He competes in the Middleweight division of the UFC. He played college football at the University of Alabama. Early ...
, Decision (split) , UFC Fight Night: Machida vs. Anders , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,
Belém Belém (; Portuguese for Bethlehem; initially called Nossa Senhora de Belém do Grão-Pará, in English Our Lady of Bethlehem of Great Pará) often called Belém of Pará, is a Brazilian city, capital and largest city of the state of Pará in ...
, Brazil , , - , Loss , align=center, 22–8 , Derek Brunson , KO (punches) , UFC Fight Night: Brunson vs. Machida , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:30 , São Paulo, Brazil , , - , Loss , align=center, 22–7 , Yoel Romero , KO (elbows) , UFC Fight Night: Machida vs. Romero , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 1:38 , Hollywood, Florida, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 22–6 ,
Luke Rockhold Luke Skyler Rockhold (born October 17, 1984) is an American retired mixed martial artist. He is best known for his time in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he competed in the Light Heavyweight and Middleweight division. ...
, Submission (rear-naked choke) , UFC on Fox: Machida vs. Rockhold , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:31 , Newark, New Jersey, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 22–5 , C. B. Dollaway , TKO (kick to the body and punches) , UFC Fight Night: Machida vs. Dollaway , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:02 ,
Barueri Barueri ( or ) is a Brazilian municipality in the State of São Paulo located in the northwestern part of the Metropolitan Region of São Paulo. The population is 276,982 (2020 est.) in an area of . Its boundaries are Santana de Parnaíba to ...
, Brazil , , - , Loss , align=center, 21–5 ,
Chris Weidman Christopher James WeidmanMIXED MARTIAL ARTS S ...
, Decision (unanimous) ,
UFC 175 The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...
, , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 , Las Vegas, Nevada, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 21–4 , Gegard Mousasi , Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Machida vs. Mousasi , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,
Jaraguá do Sul Jaraguá do Sul () is a city in the north of the Brazilian state of Santa Catarina. History The city was founded on July 25, 1876, by engineer and Brazilian Army colonel Emílio Carlos Jourdan and his family. The city was originally named jus ...
, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 20–4 , Mark Muñoz , KO (head kick) , UFC Fight Night: Machida vs. Munoz , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:10 , Manchester, England , , - , Loss , align=center, 19–4 , Phil Davis , Decision (unanimous) ,
UFC 163 ''UFC 163: Aldo vs. Korean Zombie'' was a mixed martial arts event held on August 3, 2013, at the HSBC Arena in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. Background The main event was expected to feature current UFC Featherweight Champion, José Aldo taking o ...
, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Rio de Janeiro, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 19–3 , Dan Henderson , Decision (split) , UFC 157 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,
Anaheim, California Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orange County, the 10th-most p ...
, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 18–3 ,
Ryan Bader Arizona State Sun Devils Ryan DuWayne Bader (born June 7, 1983) is an American mixed martial artist currently signed to Bellator MMA where he is the current Bellator Heavyweight Champion, the former Bellator Light Heavyweight Champion, a ...
, KO (punches) , UFC on Fox: Shogun vs. Vera , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:32 , Los Angeles, California, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 17–3 , Jon Jones , Technical Submission (guillotine choke) ,
UFC 140 ''UFC 140: Jones vs. Machida'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on December 10, 2011 at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was the penultimate event for the UFC in 2011. The event ...
, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:26 , Toronto, Ontario, Canada , , , - , Win , align=center, 17–2 ,
Randy Couture Randall Duane Couture (; born June 22, 1963) is an American actor, former U.S. Army sergeant, former mixed martial artist and former collegiate and Greco-Roman wrestler. During his tenures in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), he became ...
, KO (front kick) ,
UFC 129 ''UFC 129: St-Pierre vs. Shields'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on Saturday, April 30, 2011 at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Background The event was the sixth that the UFC has hosted in ...
, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:05 , Toronto, Ontario, Canada , , - , Loss , align=center, 16–2 , Quinton Jackson , Decision (split) ,
UFC 123 ''UFC 123: Rampage vs. Machida'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on November 20, 2010 at the Palace of Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, Michigan. It was the first UFC event in the Metro Detroit area since ' ...
, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,
Auburn Hills, Michigan Auburn Hills is a city in Oakland County, Michigan, Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 21,412 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. Before incorporating as a city in 1983, the area was part of the now-defunct ...
, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 16–1 , Maurício Rua , KO (punches) , UFC 113 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:35 , Montreal, Quebec, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 16–0 , Maurício Rua , Decision (unanimous) , UFC 104 , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 , Los Angeles, California, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 15–0 ,
Rashad Evans Rashad Anton Evans (born September 25, 1979) is an American mixed martial artist. Evans started his professional career in 2003, he was the Heavyweight winner of The Ultimate Fighter 2 and is also a former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, and a 2 ...
, KO (punches) , UFC 98 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:57 , Las Vegas, Nevada, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 14–0 ,
Thiago Silva Thiago Emiliano da Silva (born 22 September 1984) is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for club Chelsea and captains the Brazil national team. Considered one of the best defenders of his generation, he is known f ...
, KO (punches) ,
UFC 94 ''UFC 94: St-Pierre vs. Penn 2'' was a mixed martial arts (MMA) pay-per-view event promoted by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on January 31, 2009. The card featured five televised MMA bouts, as well as five un-aired preliminary bouts. I ...
, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:59 , Las Vegas, Nevada, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 13–0 ,
Tito Ortiz Jacob Christopher "Tito" Ortiz (; born January 23, 1975) is an American mixed martial artist and politician. He is currently signed to the Combate Americas promotion. Ortiz is best known for his stints with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (U ...
, Decision (unanimous) ,
UFC 84 ''UFC 84: Ill Will'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on May 24, 2008, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Background The card featured the return of Sean Sherk, who was suspended and ...
, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Las Vegas, Nevada, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 12–0 , Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou , Submission (arm-triangle choke) , UFC 79 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:20 , Las Vegas, Nevada, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–0 ,
Kazuhiro Nakamura Kazuhiro Nakamura ( , born July 16, 1979) is a retired Japanese mixed martial artist who competed as a Middleweight in DREAM, and is a former DEEP Middleweight Champion. He fought out of the Yoshida Dojo and also competed in the Pride Fightin ...
, Decision (unanimous) ,
UFC 76 '' UFC 76: Knockout'' was a mixed martial arts (MMA) pay-per-view event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship. The event took place on September 22, 2007, at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. Although the event was advertised with the ...
, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,
Anaheim, California Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orange County, the 10th-most p ...
, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 10–0 , David Heath , Decision (unanimous) , UFC 70 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Manchester, England , , - , Win , align=center, 9–0 , Sam Hoger , Decision (unanimous) , UFC 67 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Las Vegas, Nevada, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–0 , Vernon White , Decision (unanimous) , WFA: King of the Streets , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Los Angeles, California, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–0 , Dimitri Wanderley , TKO (exhaustion) , Jungle Fight 6 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:24 , Manaus, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 6–0 ,
B.J. Penn Jay Dee "B.J." Penn III (born December 13, 1978) is an American former professional mixed martial artist and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner. Penn competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and in K-1. Penn was the first American Go ...
, Decision (unanimous) , Hero's 1 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Saitama, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Sam Greco , Decision (split) ,
K-1 MMA ROMANEX This is a list of events held and scheduled by the K-1, a kickboxing promotion based in Hong Kong. The first event, K-1 Sanctuary I, took place on March 30, 1993 at Kōrakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan. 2023 events 2022 events 2021 events ...
, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Saitama, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Michael McDonald , Submission (forearm choke) ,
K-1 Beast 2004 in Niigata This is a list of events held and scheduled by the K-1, a kickboxing promotion based in Hong Kong. The first event, K-1 Sanctuary I, took place on March 30, 1993 at Kōrakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan. 2023 events 2022 events 2021 events ...
, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:30 , Niigata, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 ,
Rich Franklin Richard Jay Franklin II (born October 5, 1974) is an American businessman and retired mixed martial artist. He is best known for competing in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, where he is a member of the UFC Hall of Fame and a former UFC Midd ...
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Kobe Kobe ( , ; officially , ) is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture Japan. With a population around 1.5 million, Kobe is Japan's seventh-largest city and the third-largest port city after Tokyo and Yokohama. It is located in Kansai region, whic ...
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Stephan Bonnar Stephan Patrick Bonnar (April 4, 1977 – December 22, 2022) was an American mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist. Bonnar competed as a Light Heavyweight (MMA), Light Heavyweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, UFC for most of his car ...
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Jungle Fight 1 The year 2003 is the first year in the history of Jungle Fight, a mixed martial arts promotion based in Brazil. In 2003 Jungle Fight held 1 event, ''Jungle Fight 1''. Events list Jungle Fight 1 Jungle Fight 1 was an event held on Septemb ...
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NJPW Ultimate Crush Ultimate Crush was a major professional wrestling and mixed martial arts event promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). The event took place on May 2, 2003, at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan. The card contained a mixture of pro wrestling matche ...
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Pay-per-view bouts


See also

*
List of male mixed martial artists This is a list of notable professional male mixed martial arts fighters in alphabetical order. __NOTOC__ A * Shamil Abdurakhimov - ( M-1, UFC) * Daichi Abe - (UFC, Pancrase) * Hiroyuki Abe - (Shooto, KOTC, Cage Rage, DEEP, Pride) * Pap ...


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Machida, Lyoto Living people 1978 births Brazilian people of Japanese descent Brazilian people of Portuguese descent Brazilian people of Italian descent Brazilian male mixed martial artists Brazilian sportspeople in doping cases Doping cases in mixed martial arts Middleweight mixed martial artists Light heavyweight mixed martial artists Heavyweight mixed martial artists Brazilian expatriate sportspeople in Japan Brazilian expatriate sportspeople in the United States Brazilian male karateka Brazilian Muay Thai practitioners Brazilian male kickboxers Brazilian submission wrestlers Brazilian practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu Brazilian sumo wrestlers Mixed martial artists utilizing Shotokan Mixed martial artists utilizing Jeet Kune Do Mixed martial artists utilizing Sumo Mixed martial artists utilizing Muay Thai Mixed martial artists utilizing wrestling Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Ultimate Fighting Championship champions Sportspeople from Salvador, Bahia People from Palos Verdes, California Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters Bellator male fighters Mixed martial artists utilizing boxing