Haha Yeah after that Diego exchange I've been following you around waiting for you to slip up :yep The Liddell/Machida comparison? If I remember the fights right, Liddell fought Couture off his back foot looking to counter with his straight right hand and avoid the clinch. Which is the strategy I think Machida will take :good
I'm going to be very surprised if Couture does anything to bother Machida to be honest. I know he wants to challenge himself and I give him credit and admire that, but at this stage he should really be fighting easier fights IMO. Oh and also, Couture is boring to watch.
The only way he can win is by pushing guys up against the fence and grinding them out. That is boring for me to watch. Sorry.
Prone to hyperbole much? Aside from the Brandon Vera fight which I will agree was lackluster, whens the last time Randy was in a boring fight?
:good This aint a slip up bro :hey Liddell when he did score KO / TKO victories over Randy was not fighting anything like Machida has ever fought , straight off the bat Machida doesnt sit down on his shots like Chuck , if Machida has hurt you its because he has done it through precise timing and accuracy which you cannot always acheive ala Rampage , yes in essence they are counter strikers but Liddell is a kick boxer and Machida from karate background two completely different origins . Liddell being an aggresive power puncher who throw's very few kicks , granted he is a counter striker but he takes a lot of risks and does fight a lot off the front foot , when he isnt looking for that counter shot , Machida on the other hand takes no risks , times his attacks and launches his own offence from the offense of his opponents and looks to capitalise on mistakes as oppose to creating his own openings with aggression , something Liddell has been known to do very often . Additionally Couture is a better all round fighter now than he has ever been , Machida is used to being effective in the clinch , well he wont have any joy at all against Randy in the clinch therefore negating a huge part of Machida's arsenal , Machida will have to take a few more risks against Randy and will have to time his kicks to perfection because if Randy gets a good hold on Machida conventionally or against the cage in the clinch there is a good chance Machida is spending the rest of that round on the ground defending Randy's top game :deal , and if Randy gets a good 1st round in , pushes the pace and makes Machida fight his fight who's to say Machida wont fold under the educated pressure Randy brings . Randy Couture is the top strategist in the whole of MMA nobody applies a game plan better than Couture , i think stylistically this is a master stroke by the UFC in terms of match making and im very very much looking forward to it !!!
I know Machida and Liddel are very different fighters. BUT against Couture they are both looking to do the same thing, see an opening and crack his chin. Machida may not be as aggressive as Liddel, but you can ask Silva, Evans or Rampage how hard he hits when he sees an opening. Randy is very open on his feet. And to be honest, I'm not convinced that Randy will get the better of Machida on the ground. Machida is alot stronger than people give him credit for and also has a very good ground game. :deal
Couture isn't 35 anymore, obviously and it shows. His chin is non existent, not that it was granite but Machida is too young, too mobile, too athletic, and simply too good on his feet for couture. Couture doesnt have the stand up skills nor chin to survive this one... I give him little to no chance on this one.
Liddell is also a karate guy. Liddell's first discipline was Koei-Kan, followed by Kempo. He has the tatoos on his head, and shoulder, to prove it.