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  Closer than they'll be during the fight. In a recent interview with Tatame.com (the Brazilian MMA equivalent of The New York Post - but good), Thiago Silva answers 'how he expects the combat to roll' during his upcoming fight with Bore-oto Machida: I look at the facts. Lyoto is a guy that has the same record that I do, 13 fights, but I think he has eight victories by decision. He doesn't fall for the combat and, if he does, I'll thank God. I believe he will run away the entire fight and I'm prepared for this. My head is good and he'll not let me nervous. If he runs, I'll run after him. If by "run after him" he means "fail", then, yes he will. Running is how Machida beats everyone. It's as obvious as a fart in a crowded bank line. Thiago Silva knows it. He is so sure of Lyoto Machida's game plan of snore-worthy back-peddling that he will give his thanks to God, the omnipotent entity of the entire universe responsible for having created all mankind / plantkind / monkeykind, for anything otherwise happening. He won't end up doing that though. Chasing after Lyoto only results in a big load of nothing. Only one person has "caught" Machida, and that was David Heath. The result was him getting hit with three or four knees in the clinch and becoming the centerpiece (onlypiece?) of Lyoto's highlight reel. What if you can start unloading on him? It's not like he has a weak chin. Machida is like a pair of magnets with the same polarity: perpetually at distance (but not as fun as the magnets.) Nobody wants to see any point-fighting garbage because it sucks; that's why the WCL is canceled. Yes, Machida has somehow managed to make violence boring. In a sport with the singular goal of synthesizing time tested fighting styles to physically harm your opponent into a state of defenselessness or otherwise concede defeat, Lyoto Machida has induced apathy to all but a majority its most vocal marks. I have the utmost respect for Jordan Breen as a journalist and prognosticator, I devote four hours a week to the man and hang on his every word, but I can't agree with him on the Machida subject. I WON'T agree with him. Mr. Breen himself consistently points out that he's interested in who will "solve" him. Yes Machida is a puzzle, but so what? The Rubik's Cube is too but I'm not going to watch someone play with one for fifteen minutes, especially not twenty-five either. Don't get me wrong. I understand that there are people like Mr. Breen who legitimately take appreciation in the fine arts of Machida's style of fighting and that's fine. But for every one of those, there are three who defend him out of some inner desire to be an elitist in a sport where just being a fan five years ago gives you credibility with todays. Lyoto Machida is an avenue for remorseful Johnny Come-latelys to say they're better than the just average TUF newb by claiming they can comprehend what the average fan doesn't. MMA fans: Don't be afraid to stand up for yourself and what you believe. I'm going to be torn to shreds by everyone for this article, but I don't care. Writing about a sport with conflict as its entire point, I'll be sorry to see everyone who gets upset over anything I've said. How dare someone have a differing opinion than yours and express it, huh? I for one will speak for all those Machida-haters that have been oppressed, and I know there are many. You like Machida? No problems as long as you don't berate and look down at those who don't. I like Machida fans, they'll be the ones to wake me up when he does something cool or loses. If you're shocked anyone thinks Machida is "running" when he fights, keep this this in mind while putting your monocle back in: his next opponent just said he will need divine intervention to make him do anything else.  I am a Machida fan, and I'm a fan of anyone that has a fighting style that people shit on. The true wonder and appeal of MMA (to me) is you can do whatever the fuck you want and if it works, it works, and the other guy has to react. You don't like Machida's style? Find someone that beats it.  I have a feeling Machida will make an example out of Thiago just like he did with Sok.  Epic fail of an article, yet again. See the difference between good writing, such as Ryan's, and bad writing, such as this, is that at least Ryan explains why he thinks Machida is boring and does so in an amusing way. That is satire. He does not make blanket, unsupported generalizations such as "Machida sucks because he always runs". This is flat out fighter bashing and is not what I contributed to Fightlinker for. Can we maybe get Ryan and/or Jake to edit/moderate the new guys' posts before they go up?Disclaimer: yes, I'm a Machida fan, but I can tolerate difference of opinion. This was smearing, not opinion.  Point out where I said MACHIDA sucks. You can't, can you? For the record: I said "point-fighting" sucks.  It's spelled "concede". And I have refrained from judging Rodriguez but this entry was weak. I have been a fervent Machida hater til he toyed w/Sok. I even enjoyed the Ortiz fight. But I think T. Silva is a little overrated & Machida **may** very well expose it. And yes, Sok tricked me after his Pride wins so it's not such a great feat. And Thiago probably tricked most fans after the Houston Alexander fight.  I like to watch machida simple to see how he will do agains the next guy they put against him. He kicked Soku ass which I loved, and I'm a Soku fan. He kicked Tito's ass, which made me cry in pleasure cause Tito is #1 on my fighters i hate list. He may not be as exciting as Stephan Bonnar vs Forrest Griffin but he's like Aoki, who I hate, when it comes to striking. he's slick but not really that impressive to watch to everyone. Machida runs / "point fights"Running / "point fighting" sucks Therefore, Machida sucks. Zurich it seems like you're coming to that conclusion yourself with that circular logic.  I'm betting on the guy who has his own theme song.[Link] i think Zurich is right that you implied that Machida sucks since point fighting sucks "Nobody wants to see any point-fighting garbage because it sucks; that's why the WCL is canceled. Yes, Machida has somehow managed to make violence boring." Godzillad-->I agree w/the sentiment. I just think it was poorly written! But like Rashad (who I actually liked til the Bisping fight), if Machida keeps beating people, you can't deny the guy... I think Thiago's overrated too. My point is proven though, look at how much I've been attacked 40 minutes after this went up.  Machida fights are great for...-Taking a piss -Getting a beer -Checking the internet to get the reactions of previous fights -Making yourself seem "superior" the drunken UFC watcher who is pissed he is forced to watch some point fighting shit. You just have to tell him he doesn't understand machida's striking skills, his outstanding elusiveness, and he is just a TUF noob. I mean shit, you can catch ALL of the action of a Machida fight the next day when people posts gifs of machida doing ANYTHING in some thread praising his great style. I completely agree with you that Machida's style is boring. He sucks (although the 7 strikes he throws per round are very nice) I certainly hope that someone can knock him off or he could spell disaster for the future of PPVs.Could Rashad take him? Dammit I'd still pay to see it. I hope Thiago beats the shit out of this dude but I am not optimistic.  Thiago is going to knock the shit out of Lyoto.....literally... Yeah you're right, Machida fights are boring just like when he fought ufc poster boy Rich Franklin. Especially the second round was extremely boring. Just ask Franklin.  El Guapo: that argument fails. To determine if a guy is "boring" or "exciting" or "sweats too much" or what have you, you have to look at the majority of the time. As such, Machida spends a LOT of time backpedalling and counter-striking, which many people find boring. Personally, I get excited for his fights because he has a very unique style that isn't seen very often -- and he has utilized it to perfection thus far. If every fighter fought like him, I would be upset and it would become boring. Because he's so different from anyone else, he's refreshing. Terrible article.The Machida haters confuse stick & move with running away. Watch any of Machida's fights and keep tabs on who initiates the most exchanges. The answer is always Machida. People just hate him because he doesn't stand in the pocket like a Rock 'em Sock 'em Robot and slug it out. He gets in, does his damage, and gets out. The myth of him spending entire fights backpedaling is just that ... a myth. His style does not always lead to a glorious climax for the finish fetishists out there, and nobody likes to have a handful of lotion and a flaccid cock, so they hate him for it. For those of us who can appreciate technical dominance without the full release of a finish, he is a breath of fresh air in a sport that is increasingly filled with a bunch of cookie cutter styles. Terrible article.If all you think is exciting is 2 guys throwing haymakers till one gets knocked out, take Kimbo to a taco bell parking lot and get all the excitement you want. Why get hit if you dont have to? Im sure Tito's liver wished all Machida did was run all night. This writer reminds me of the fans who boo when the fight goes to the ground, and if you arent standing in the middle beating on each other your a pussy. Is my point about Machida fans not proven now?
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