Lyoto Machida has still got it. The former UFC light heayvweight champion put the finishing touches on his all-Brazilian battle early in the second round with a kick that his opponent, Vitor Belfort, is all too familiar with.
Machida, a known Karate-style fighter, toyed with Belfort in the first round, stalking his opponent and looking for openings in his guard. After a handful of strikes landed in the first, Machida came out firing quickly in the second and landed the vicious front kick right on Belfort’s chin for the brutal knockout victory.
The kick was eerily similar to the one that Anderson Silva used to flatten Belfort in 2011 when he was challenging for the middleweight title.
Belfort (26-14, 1 NC) made his retirement official after the fight, laying his gloves down in the Octagon and thanking all of his fans, friends and family for supporting him throughout his 20-year career. Machida (24-8), meanwhile, called for a fight against Michael Bisping before the Brit decides to call it a career.
Lyoto Machida has still got it. The former UFC light heayvweight champion put the finishing touches on his all-Brazilian battle early in the second round with a kick that his opponent, Vitor Belfort, is all too familiar with.
