Wednesday, 13 April 2011

UFC 129: Randy Couture is 'looking to get a hold of Lyoto Machida, choke him and make him tap'

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Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC - Zuffa LLC via Getty ImagesMore photos »
The offensive style of former UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida may be a mystery to some fighters, but it's no mystery as to what Randy Couture plans to do to neutralize it when they butt heads at UFC 129 on April 30 in Toronto.
"Get a hold of him, choke him and make him tap."
Sounds like a fairly simple gameplan for "The Natural's" co-main event north of the border, but when has getting a hold of Lyoto Machida ever been simple?
"The Dragon" has a history of befuddling competitors with his fleet-footed defense, frustrating his foes with precision counter-punching and unorthodox footwork.
But he's also dropped two straight fights (three if you scored it for "Shogun" at UFC 104).
Couture tells The MMA Fight Corner (presented by FiveKnuckles.com) that if he can "cut him off and run him into the fence," it's going to be a long night for the Brazilian.
"I think obviously the most effective thing is his footwork, his ability to move and stay out of the way of things is pretty impressive. I'm not real big on making predictions, I think if I can cut him off and make him to fight me I'm gonna have a good night. If I can run him into the fence and use the clinch skills and the cage fighting skills I've developed from my Greco background, it's gonna be difficult for him. I think if I can get him on the ground, I can make him work there. We'll see what kind of ground skills he really has because nobody has really put him there. I'm looking for a way to get a hold of him, choke him and make him tap."
The UFC Hall of Famer and multi-time (and multi-division) champion is coming off a submission win over bloated braggart James Toney back at UFC 118 and has won three straight as his career winds to a close.

Can he slay "The Dragon" before he leaves MMA for good?

Machida has not been as fortunate. After 15 dominating victories over the likes of Tito Ortiz, Thiago Silva and Rashad Evans (during which he seemed untouchable), he took a controversial decision over Mauricio Rua in his first defense of the light heavyweight title back in October 2009.

The rematch at UFC 113 ended early with "The Dragon" lifeless on the canvas. His subsequent fight against Quinton "Rampage" Jackson at UFC 123 also ended in controversial decision, this time against him.

Can the urinator defeat the man that Father Time couldn't and regain some lost ground in the upper echelon of the 205-pound division?
Or could we really be looking at a three fight losing streak (and possible pink slip) for the once unbeaten Karate master?

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