Lyoto Machida Doesn’t Think Recent Knee Surgeries Put Chris Weidman At A Disadvantage

Rapidly rising up the UFC middleweight ranks, former light heavyweight champion Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida picked up a golden opportunity when Vitor Belfort was forced out of his scheduled UFC 173 bout versus 185-pound titleholder Chris Weidman following the NSAC and UFC’s ban of testosterone-replacement therapy (TRT).

When Weidman went down with scopes on both of his knees, the fight was pushed back to the main event slot of UFC 175 on July 5. Although that may sound like an incredibly quick turnaround for the young champion, Machida told MMAFighting.com that he doesn’t think Weidman would come back unless he was definitely ready to:

“As a champion, I know he would never take risks if he really didn’t need it. I don’t think he will be in disadvantage because of the surgeries. He wouldn’t risk his title, so I believe he will be 100 percent ready.”

Ever the strategist, Machida was last seen picking apart former Strikeforce and DREAM champion Gegard Mousasi at UFC Fight Night 36. He’ll face an entirely different animal in Weidman, the decorated wrestler and grappler who is fresh off of two wins over Anderson Silva. “The Dragon” has respect for his opponent’s game, but overall, he has faith that his family’s vaunted karate will prevail:

“He has a good wrestling game and hits hard. He has a good cardio but I believe a lot in what I do and in my work. I believe in me. I sure do (know how to beat him) but I won’t tell you how now [laughs].”

Many fans and media alike think that Machida’s elusive counterstriking style will be the one to finally give the undefeated Weidman some problems in the cage, but the champion has looked unstoppable as of late. Only injuries have slowed his path to greatness.

And while Weidman needed a little extra time off to deal with injuries that had been haunting him since high school, Machida didn’t necessarily need any more training. “The Dragon” said he was eager to fight on May 24:

“The extra time to train was good, but at the same time it was not. I was training hard and would be ready to fight in May even though I got the offer with two months’ notice, but I will use the extra weeks to work even better and get in there stronger.”

That remains to be seen, but one thing is for sure: Machida has to put forth one of the best performances of his lengthy and illustrious MMA career to dethrone Weidman.

The last time the champion came into a title fight after recovering from surgery, he knocked out a showboating “Spider” at UFC 162. However, it’s safe to say Machida won’t be leaving his chin quite as open as Silva did that night.

Who’s your pick to emerge with the belt in one of summer’s most anticipated bouts?

Photo: Jason Silva for USA TODAY Sports