UFC 163 – Aug 3rd: Lyoto Machida vs. Phil Davis Head-to-Toe Breakdown

At UFC 163, the No. 1 light heavyweight contender, Lyoto Machida, will face a formidable opponent in Phil Davis, who is ranked No. 8. Machida is riding a two-fight win streak and intends on returning to his glory days as the light heavyweight champion.

With this fight, Davis will attempt to re-establish himself as a contender, with hopes of a title shot in the near future.

Both men have a lot at stake at UFC 163.

For Machida (19-3), a win on August 3 would likely garner him an opportunity to fight for the light heavyweight championship. While a loss wouldn’t see him drop to far in the rankings, the 35-year-old would risk never attaining another title shot again.

Machida, a black belt in karate, brings a varied and unorthodox striking style to the Octagon.

“The Dragon” is a counter-puncher, who often backpedals to draw in his opponents. His elusiveness is perplexing and causes his adversaries to make mistakes. Machida is accustomed to taking advantage of these mistakes, which normally lead to the end of his competitors.

His craftiness and precise striking have led Machida to the top of the light heavyweight division. The Dragon plans to utilize these skills to earn himself another title shot. In an interview on Inside MMA (h/t MMAmania.com) about Machida’s skill set, Davis stated:

I think Machida brings weapons that no one has ever faced. Every time he fights somebody stuff happens that you just never see. He just does stuff that you don’t see from anyone else. He’s just one of those guys, man. He’s a ninja. He’s a ninja.

Davis, like Machida, is a patient fighter. He enjoys waiting for opportunities to expose weaknesses in his opponents. The former collegiate wrestler is elusive as well and has never been finished.

In the striking area, however, Davis has only two knockouts to his credit. Although his striking has improved in his last couple of fights, Davis still won via decision over his last two opponents, both of whom were nonranked fighters.

Machida’s technical striking, elusiveness and power represent a major part of The Dragon’s game, and they will likely be on display at UFC 163.

Machida is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt; however, he only sports two victories by submission. One of those wins came over MMA veteran Sokoudjou. Despite his jiu-jitsu pedigree, Machida prefers the stand-up game and falls back on his karate in support.

via UFC 163: Lyoto Machida vs. Phil Davis Head-to-Toe Breakdown | Bleacher Report.