I don't think it's that easy for Jones. Machida is too good at long range - much better than Jones at kickboxing. Jones would have to use his considerable grappling abilities to take Machida off his feet.
I think since the title shot was promised to Rashad he should get it if he beats Davis. Though I dont think rashad stands a chance but he has proved me wrong before. I too would rather see Machida vs Jones that fight should come in time. Does jones pay you by the hour to hug on his nuts?
Machida looked really good. No way he deserves a title shot after the past eighteen months though. Not sure who they have to match up against him now - all the other light heavyweights seem taken.
Well you have long range and then you have long, long range. Machida is used to fighting at his long range where he can measure distance and safely stay away, and even that did not go well against Rua, who was able to catch him going straight backwards and time him coming in. Jones, because of his reach, is a long, long range fighter. Its a difficult matchup for Machida, because even if you consider the experience gap, of that experience, how many fighters did he fight that were of that length and athleticism. Would Machida's speed and timing be good enough to negate differences in reach? Not only that, I honestly question Machida's durability. He is a tough fish to catch, but when he is caught, he doesn't seem that difficult to kill. Jones' durability is still in question as he hasn't really been caught with much, so nevertheless it would be intriguing to see him fight a good striker; wait, he did fight Rua and wiped the floor with him. Well you never know, styles can make fights, but I'd still favor Jones over Machida based on what I've seen. Who knows, maybe Segal could show Machida a few new tricks, but I'm not buying into Machida is > now because of a flying KO kick over an old antique who was up for sale anyway.
No one pays me but I just express what I see and people should start doing the same. I like Machida more than Bones, check out my posts. I just tell the truth. I was telling people that Jake Shields will not win a round against GSP and people were acting like this cant be. GSP is boring as **** but if people think Jake Shields (0 stand up)can win a rd against GSP, they are clearly and plainly delusional. I have also mentioned a 100 times that I hate wrestlers just because they are so damn boring at times. I would love nothing more for peopel to be flying and doing some crazy things but the fact is world class wrestling coupled with good striking is prettty much the template now for success in MMA. With Aldo, heck Ive never seen him with a great fighter besides Faber who has zero stand up and he couldnt finish Faber, I'm not going to annoint him as the same level as Anderson Silva (who btw I cant stand)
I'm not at all interested in Evans getting the next shot, but I really don't see what Machida did last night to leap frog him in the division's pecking order. Couture has been coasting the past couple of years on generous match-making by Zuffa and the gift decision that he got against Vera. Anything less than a stoppage would have been a total embarrassment for Machida. I definitely think that Machida is the biggest challenge for Jones in the division though.
Either Evans or Machida being next in line is fine with me. It doesn't really matter. Soon enough Machida will likely get a shot at some point anyway if he's not next for Jones. Rua, after suffering a brutal beatdown, might be softened enough for Machida to beat. I'd love to see Lyoto avenge his loss to Rua. If this happens it could be the right preparation for Machida before he takes on Jones.
I can easily say I'm not buying into the notion that Jones is invincible since he hasn't even defended his title yet. He defeated a healthy but rusty version of Rua who was coming off a long layoff. Don't get me wrong, Jones is a beast. He deserves a lot of praise. I'm just tired of hearing repetitive statements about proven world class fighters like A. Silva and Machida being huge underdogs against Jones. I've even had some fans telling me Jones would steamroll through the HW division. That's asinine. I don't think anyone is putting Machida on top of the LHW class after his big win over Couture. The big factor is Machida's confidence is now sky high and that could very well be the key for him in winning a title again. If Aldo and GSP appeared to be humans this past Saturday, I don't see why Jones can't be exposed or even defeated. Jones-Machida would be an interesting match. I'd give Machida a 40% chance of winning at this point. Sparring and training with Anderson will be tremendously beneficial for him.
I have a feeling the winner of Rashad-Phil Davis gets the next shot but if im Dana and Joe Silva im looking at all the options. The winner of that fight IMO needs to be impressive Rashad hasnt had an impressive win in years and Davis has yet to cleary defeat a top fighter. If Rampage pulls out the W vs Hamil I wanna see the Rampage-Machida rematch ASAP that is a fight that needs to happen so they can clear it up once and for all. I also wouldnt rule out Forrest if he beats Shogun agian. How long is Jon Jones on the shelf ? If its for a bit we could allow some of these guys to fight each other and cleary establish a number 1 contender.
I think that the fight is a toss up. There are still several unanswered questions about Jones, and a confident Machida is dangerous to anyone at LHW.
Stylewise Id like to see this fight, Id root for Machida but would favour Jones probably. I still say an active Shogun is the best bet to spark Jones, call me crazy.
The winner of Rashad/Davis deserves the next shot, then the winner between Machida vs the Rampage/Hamill winner would get the next one.