Enter The Dragon | Return of Lyoto Machida

steemsports (80)in #steemsports • 7 years ago (edited)

SteemSports Presenter:@brandonk

SteemSports Editor:@scottybuckets

“A karate practitioner should possess two things: wicked hands, and Buddha's heart” -― S. B. Ahmadi

Lyoto Machida:

The karate grandmaster of the UFC; nobody has implemented a pure martial art into the sport of 'mma' as well as this man. Lyoto never strays from his Shotokan southpaw footwork and devastating striking capabilities. His blend of nationalites in Brazilian and Japanese helped him develop his wide ranging of fighting skill sets. He is a Sumo practitioner along with being a legitimate Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt under the Gracie system.

He possesses some of the most viciously beautiful knockouts the UFC has ever seen; notably his crane kick to finish the legend Randy Couture, his blitz on Rashad Evans, and his karateka 'one shot one kill' finshes on Mark Munoz and C.B. Dolloway. Lyoto is one of my personal favorites, and he was so devastating in his prime. He returns to the cage at 39 years old to prove he truly is the fabled Dragon we remember!

Matchup Breakdown:

The upcoming opponent to welcome Lyoto back is the hard hitting bruiser Derek Brunson. The 33 year old top 10 middleweight is coming off a powerful knockout win over Daniel Kelly. Brunson is a sure shot win over those who can't withstand his powerful first round blitz, but his overall 'fight IQ' has failed him in the past. The youth, power, and cagetime in the past couple of years would show Brunson having many advantages in this bout, but he does not think on the level of Machida. They say to fear an old man, in a place where men die young...and I want to believe Lyoto will have trained hard, and become physically ready as he is mentally. To return to the mixed martial arts arena at the highest level, at his age, with the strain and delay he has put on his career, it is admirable and worrisome all at once.

I wish the best for Lyoto, he has truly some of the greatest performances I have ever seen in an octagon. His purebred Shotokan style is more an ode to the disciple and excellence of martial arts as it is to the ensued violence. I expect Lyoto to find his range and be in full form for this session. His sparring at King's MMA and Blackhouse pit him in the fiercest wars against the most dangerous of allies. The are sharpening him for battle, as he will need all of his wit and experience to guide him through to victory. Five, five minute rounds is a very long time to destroy an opponent's will, it all depends on whom engages first and most often. The Old Dragon is unafraid to fight the much younger, and much more powerful beast...but he still has tricks of his own.