1 - If, after Anderson Silva retired, Machida moves down to 185lbs, who would win a fight there between him and Vitor Belfort? 2 - Who would win a fight between the best 205lbs Belfort and the best 205lbs Machida? 3 - Who do you view as the greater fighter, all things considered, across their respective careers? :bbb
Lyoto, all three. Wouldnt bet two much on the h2h though as Vitor can kod anyone, but I see him encountering the same problems h2h as he did in the Anderson fight in closing the distance and getting his shots off
With regard to the last question... Belfort Titles: UFC champion (0 defences), UFC 12 tournament winner, Cage Rage lhw title Major wins: Wanderlei Silva, Rich Franklin, Randy Couture, Heath Herring, Gilbert Yvel, Anthony Johnson Significant losses: Anderson Silva, Dan Henderson, Alistair Overeem, Randy Couture, Chuck Liddell Machida Titles: UFC champion (1 defence) Major wins: Rashad Evans, Shogun Rua, Tito Ortiz, Thiago Silva, Rich Franklin, Ryan Bader Significant losses: Shogun Rua, Jon Jones Greater fighter in a career p4p greatness sense, Belfort or Machida? :bbb
Add the Saku and Tito losses, and the 1st Randy win was an unfortunate cut cause by the glove, then Id still go with Lyoto Vitor has face quality guys throughout his career no doubt,
Well Shogun kodded Lyoto, so it could be very interesting if he could close the distance somehow. But I doubt Machida will make the mistake of being that aggressive again
The problem is, Machida might be more elusive than Anderson. Vitor can't even touch Spider. He might be frustrated to lunge carelessly ala Bader and get caught.
I don't really credit Belfort with having a win over Couture, or Machida with having a win over Shogun. :conf :hat
History as it stands today may lean towards Belfort Being a pioneer and everything like that people just tend to see the Belfort types as more worthy and deserving of an AT ranking, not be argued with i suppose Its a really good question actually , ive got Machida in all scenario's but ill say this , its one hell of a fight where ever it takes place
Don't overstate how Belfort "couldn't touch the Spider". Neither of them hit each other in a very cagey opening, and then I think it was Belfort who landed first with a quick shot. The fight didn't last long enough to criticize Belfort's accuracy, that knockout was a unique, once-in-a-career thing; if Anderson hadn't thrown that, the fight could easily have been a war, as Belfort had fast hands while Anderson stands in punching range with his arms at his sides. If they fight again, expect a real battle for as long as it lasts, a 1st round clean KO wouldn't happen again most likely. Belfort isn't slow like Forrest Griffin, he can land on anyone. If Machida moves into range aggressively like he did in the Rua rematch, it's really not inconceivable to see an outcome similar to that fight. Belfort almost matches Rua for power and probably exceeds him in speed.
I'm aware of what Vitor brings to the table. Regarding Anderson, sure, we might see a different thing if they ever fight again. But Machida is usually a different story. I agree, if Machida gets aggressive, Vitor will surely fire away and he might clip Machida the way Shogun did. But what if Machida chose not to, and decided to play it safe? He can do that considering Vitor aggressiveness and willingness to attack.
I think it's a very even fight, because even if Machida fights smart, it's a lot more difficult to be super-elusive when the guy throwing punches at you does so with explosive speed. And, unlike Anderson Silva, Machida can be badly hurt by single shots. Ultimately, I would agree with you that Machida is the most likely winner though. As long as he is cautious for the first round or two, he should be able to find his range and break Vitor down.
I agree with your points as well Kitt. One well placed shot from Vitor can mean goodnight for Machida. He just have to be his boring self to keep the rhytm in his favor and try to keep Vitor frustrated and over-eager.
