Lyoto Machida facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lyoto Machida
Machida in 2011
Born	Lyoto Carvalho Machida (1978-05-30) 30 May 1978 (age 47) Salvador, Bahia, Brazil
Other names	The Dragon
Residence	Palos Verdes, California, U.S.
Height	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight	185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb)
Division	Heavyweight (2003–2006) Light heavyweight (2006–2013, 2019–2021) Middleweight (2013–2019, 2022–present)
Reach	74 in (190 cm)
Stance	Southpaw
Fighting out of	Los Angeles, California, United States
Team	Black House Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy Kings MMA
Teacher(s)	Yoshizo Machida Antonio Inoki Wallid Ismail
Rank	3rd dan black belt in Shotokan karate under Yoshizo Machida Black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under Walter Broca
Years active	2003–present (MMA)
Mixed martial arts record
Total	38
Wins	26
By knockout	11
By submission	2
By decision	13
Losses	12
By knockout	4
By submission	2
By decision	6
last updated on: 19 April 2018 (2018-04-19)

Lyoto Carvalho Machida, born on May 30, 1978, is a Brazilian-Japanese professional mixed martial artist. He is known for his unique fighting style. Lyoto used to compete in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he became a UFC Light Heavyweight Champion. He also fought for the UFC Middleweight Championship title. More recently, he competed in Bellator MMA, another major fighting league.

Early Life and Training

Lyoto was born in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. He is the third son of Yoshizo Machida, a highly respected Shotokan karate master. Yoshizo moved to Brazil from Japan when he was 22. There, he met and married Lyoto's Brazilian mother, Ana Cláudia.

Lyoto grew up in Belém, Brazil. He started training in Karate when he was just 3 years old. By the age of 13, he earned his black belt. He also began training in Sumo at 8 years old. Later, at 16, he started learning Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Judo.

Lyoto won many amateur karate tournaments, including the 2001 Pan American Karate tournament. He traveled to Thailand to learn Muay Thai. He also went to Japan to study Catch Wrestling and later to the United States to start his UFC career. Lyoto also has a college degree in Physical Education.

Lyoto's Fighting Career

Starting in Mixed Martial Arts

Lyoto Machida began his professional fighting career in Japan in 2003. He was helped by the famous professional wrestler and fighter, Antonio Inoki. In his first fight on May 2, 2003, he won against Kengo Watanabe. At this time, he used only his first name, Lyoto.

In his second fight, he won against Stephan Bonnar in Brazil. This was Bonnar's first loss as a professional fighter. On December 31, 2003, Lyoto fought Rich Franklin at a big event in Japan. Lyoto won this fight in the second round. He knocked Franklin down with a kick to the face and then finished with punches. This was also Franklin's first professional loss.

After these wins, Machida fought in the K-1 promotion. He beat kickboxers Michael McDonald and Sam Greco. He then moved to Hero's, another fighting series. On March 26, 2005, he faced former UFC champion B.J. Penn in Japan. Lyoto won this fight by a unanimous decision.

Joining the UFC

Machida made his UFC debut on February 3, 2007, at UFC 67. He won against Sam Hoger by unanimous decision. He continued his winning streak, beating David Heath and Kazuhiro Nakamura.

At UFC 79, Machida fought Sokoudjou. Lyoto won by using an arm triangle choke submission in the second round. His next big fight was at UFC 84 against former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Tito Ortiz. Machida won this fight by unanimous decision. He used his quick movements and counter-attacks to frustrate Ortiz.

At UFC 94, Machida faced Thiago Silva. Lyoto knocked Silva down twice in the first round. He then knocked him out with a punch just before the end of the first round. This was his first knockout win in the UFC and earned him a Knockout of the Night bonus.

Becoming a Champion

After his impressive win, Lyoto Machida got a chance to fight for the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship. He challenged the undefeated champion, Rashad Evans, at UFC 98 on May 23, 2009. Machida knocked Evans out with a series of punches in the second round. This made him the tenth UFC Light Heavyweight Champion. He also earned another Knockout of the Night award.

For his first title defense, Machida fought Maurício Rua at UFC 104 on October 24, 2009. Machida won the fight by unanimous decision. However, many fans and some experts felt that Rua had won. Because of this close and debated decision, a rematch was set up.

The rematch happened on May 8, 2010, at UFC 113. Both fighters started aggressively. Rua landed a powerful punch that knocked Machida down. Rua then continued with punches on the ground, winning the fight and becoming the new Light Heavyweight Champion. This was Lyoto Machida's first loss in his professional MMA career.

After Losing the Title

After losing his championship, Machida faced Quinton Jackson at UFC 123 on November 20, 2010. Jackson won the fight by a split decision. Many people, including Jackson himself, thought Machida should have won.

Machida then fought UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture at UFC 129 on April 30, 2011. Machida won by knockout with a jumping front kick to the face in the second round. This kick was praised for being similar to the "Crane kick" from the movie The Karate Kid. This win earned him another Knockout of the Night bonus.

On December 10, 2011, Machida challenged UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones at UFC 140. Machida fought well in the first round. In the second round, Jones took Machida down and later choked him unconscious while standing. Machida lost the fight by technical submission. Both fighters earned Fight of the Night honors.

Machida then faced Ryan Bader on August 4, 2012, at UFC on Fox 4. Machida won by knocking out Bader with a punch in the second round. This win was expected to give him another chance at the title. However, he declined a quick rematch with Jon Jones, saying he needed more time to prepare.

On February 23, 2013, Machida fought Dan Henderson at UFC 157. Machida won by split decision. His next fight was against Phil Davis on August 3, 2013, in Brazil. Davis won by unanimous decision, but this decision was also very controversial, with many believing Machida had won.

Moving to Middleweight

In August 2013, Lyoto Machida decided to move down to the middleweight division. His first fight in this new weight class was against his friend and training partner Mark Muñoz on October 26, 2013. Machida won by knockout with a head kick in the first round. He was praised for showing good sportsmanship by not hitting Muñoz after he was knocked down. This earned him his fourth Knockout of the Night award.

On February 15, 2014, Machida fought Gegard Mousasi in Brazil. Machida won the fight by unanimous decision after five rounds, earning a Fight of the Night bonus.

Machida then got a chance to fight for the UFC Middleweight Championship against Chris Weidman at UFC 175 on July 5, 2014. Machida lost the fight by unanimous decision. Even though he lost, his strong performance in the later rounds earned him another Fight of the Night bonus.

Machida faced C. B. Dollaway on December 20, 2014. He won the fight quickly, knocking out Dollaway with a body kick and punches in just 62 seconds. This earned him a Performance of the Night bonus.

He then fought Luke Rockhold on April 18, 2015, and lost by submission in the second round. On June 27, 2015, he faced Yoel Romero and lost by knockout in the third round.

In April 2016, Machida was supposed to have a rematch with Dan Henderson. However, Machida admitted to using a banned substance, which he said he didn't know was prohibited. He was suspended for 18 months and became eligible to fight again in October 2017.

After Suspension

After his suspension, Machida returned to fighting on October 28, 2017, against Derek Brunson. He lost the fight by knockout in the first round.

On February 3, 2018, Machida faced Eryk Anders. He won the fight by split decision, ending his losing streak. Machida then fought Vitor Belfort on May 12, 2018. He won by knockout with a front kick in the second round, earning another Performance of the Night award.

Bellator MMA Career

In June 2018, Lyoto Machida signed a contract with Bellator MMA. His first fight in Bellator was on December 15, 2018, against Rafael Carvalho. Machida won the fight by split decision.

On June 14, 2019, Machida fought Chael Sonnen in a light heavyweight bout. He won the fight by TKO in the second round. Machida then had a rematch with Gegard Mousasi on September 28, 2019, but lost by split decision.

On September 11, 2020, Machida had another rematch, this time against Phil Davis. He lost the fight by split decision.

Bellator Light Heavyweight Grand Prix

In February 2021, Machida joined the Bellator Light Heavyweight World Grand Prix tournament. He faced Ryan Bader in the quarterfinal round on April 9, 2021. This was a rematch from their 2012 fight. Machida had some success in the first round, but Bader controlled the rest of the fight with his wrestling. Machida lost the fight by unanimous decision.

Back to Middleweight

On May 13, 2022, Machida returned to the Middleweight division to fight Fabian Edwards. He lost the fight by knockout in the first round.

Lyoto's Unique Fighting Style

Machida is known for his special and unusual fighting style in MMA. It combines techniques from his training in Shotokan karate and Brazilian jiu-jitsu. He also uses moves from wrestling and sumo. Machida says this mix makes him ready for any situation in the fighting cage.

People often describe Machida as "hard to hit." He uses careful and exact counter-strikes. This means he waits for his opponents to make a mistake and then attacks. His style has earned him a lot of respect from fans and other fighters. However, some people find his careful style less exciting to watch because he often wins by decision instead of knockout. Machida has said, "If you don't like it, sorry. I always try to win."

After knocking out Rashad Evans at UFC 98, Machida famously told his fans, "Karate is back! Machida Karate!" Many fans have called his style "Machida Karate" ever since. He explained that "Machida Karate" is based on a very old form of karate. He believes modern sports karate has lost many techniques, but his style still uses them. These techniques include using knees, elbows, takedowns, and even some submissions.

During his fight with Ryan Bader, commentators noted that Machida's karate style means he fights from a longer distance than typical boxers or Muay Thai fighters. He is very good at controlling the distance and avoiding hits. His kicks are quick and hard to see coming, which allows him to finish fights with them. He has won several fights with his kicks, including against Randy Couture, Mark Muñoz, C. B. Dollaway, and Vitor Belfort.

Personal Life

Lyoto Machida is married to Fabyola, and they have two sons. They live in Palos Verdes Estates, California.

Lyoto's older brother, Chinzô, is also a Shotokan karate champion and MMA fighter. Lyoto and Chinzô once fought in a karate tournament final many years ago. Lyoto's kick gave Chinzô a scar on his cheek that he still has today. Lyoto also has two other brothers, Kenzo and Take Machida. Kenzo is a TV journalist in Brazil.

Achievements and Awards

• Ultimate Fighting Championship
  • UFC Light Heavyweight Championship (One time)
    • Successfully defended his title once against Maurício Rua
  • Knockout of the Night (Four times) against Thiago Silva, Rashad Evans, Randy Couture and Mark Muñoz
  • Fight of the Night (Three times) against Jon Jones, Gegard Mousasi and Chris Weidman
  • Performance of the Night (Two times) against C.B. Dollaway and Vitor Belfort
  • Has the highest takedown accuracy in UFC Light Heavyweight history (65.0%)
  • Tied for the third longest winning streak in UFC Light Heavyweight history (8 wins)
  • Fourth most knockdowns landed in UFC Light Heavyweight history (11)
• Sherdog Awards
  • 2011 Knockout of the Year against Randy Couture
  • Mixed Martial Arts Hall of Fame
• Black Belt Magazine
  • 2009 Fighter of the Year

Images for kids

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  Lyoto Machida in 2011

See also

In Spanish: Lyoto Machida para niños