Light Heavyweight Rumor

[AE14]

There are sights aplenty in Brazil and elsewhere that are confirming a fight for UFC 79 of Lyoto Machida v. Soko

If you are unfamiliar with Soko, he is the man who both Arona and Lil Nog could not last a round with.

If true, this would be a hell of an addition to the LHW division

 

[Rodja]

I would love to see Soko in the UFC.

 

[AE14]

what a contrast in styles. Would be a hell of a fight

 

[CNorris]

I heard that Sokoudjou signed with Elite XC but obviously he hasnt fought with them yet.

I would love to see Sokoudjou KTFO Machida and show him how to finish a fight. Then we could see war of the KO machines with Soko vs Houston Alexander.

 

[AE14]

Soko v. Alexander is a war, however I dont know if Machida would be a push over. That would be a fun fight

 

[jas123]

I heard that Sokoudjou signed with Elite XC but obviously he hasnt fought with them yet.

I would love to see Sokoudjou KTFO Machida and show him how to finish a fight. Then we could see war of the KO machines with Soko vs Houston Alexander.

I think Sokoudjou backed out of that deal before it was officially signed.

I really like Sokoudjou from what I've seen of him and think that he could be a serious force in the LHW division. Sokoudjou might be explosive enough to catch Machida whose opponents' landing percentage must be like 1%. That would be a tough fight to call.

I'm not sure that Houston will get past Thiago. Maybe I'm just buying into the hype from last nights "Countdown", but if Thiago can take some punches from Drwal (sp?), he may be able to survive the onslaught from Houston. On a side note, for being such an animal/brawler in the ring, Houston's a pretty well spoken guy.

 

[AE14]

I gotta agree, I couldnt get over Houston. Considering the animal in the cage, it is impressive to hear certain fighters outside of it.

Also, I really have bought the hype on Machida. I dont like the style, but he is going to be tough to beat if you cant get him down. I am however, excited for Soko in a cage

 

[Alexander]

I would go with Machida in that fight, kind of like I did when Soko fought Rogerio and Arona, so Soko by brutal KO.

 

[exnihilo]

I gotta agree, I couldnt get over Houston. Considering the animal in the cage, it is impressive to hear certain fighters outside of it.

Also, I really have bought the hype on Machida. I dont like the style, but he is going to be tough to beat if you cant get him down. I am however, excited for Soko in a cage

Machida's jujitsu is actually not bad at all. You just never see it...

 

[AE14]

He is a frustrating fighter to watch, however, he is very talented in many aspects. HE would be difficult for almost anyone at 205

 

[jas123]

Here's another rumor but it's middleweight: Marquardt vs. Leites. This should be a great fight.


With a new contract in hand, Nate Marquardt (25-7-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC) will return from July’s loss to UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva to take on Thales Leites (12-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC). The middleweight bout will be part of Feb. 2’s UFC 81 event, which takes place at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas.

A representative from Marquardt’s camp notified MMAjunkie.com (UFC News & Rumors - MMA News - UFC Fighters - UFC Event Recaps and Previews - MMAjunkie.com) of the fight early this morning.

Additionally, MMAjunkie.com was told that Marquardt and the UFC are finalizing a new, four-fight contract that will go into effect for UFC 81. The new contract will replace Marquardt’s old deal, which has one fight left on it.

Contracts will be signed in the next day or two, we’re told.

Marquardt, a seven-time King of Pancrase, made his UFC debut with a unanimous-decision victory over Ivan Salaverry at UFC Fight Night 1. The 28-year-old fighter would string together three more victories — over Joe Doerksen, Crafton Wallace and Dean Lister — before earning his title shot with Silva at UFC 73.

Marquardt, a Team Jackson fighter who also trains with the High Altitude camp in his home state of Colorado, had earned top-contender status with his four-fight win streak. However, in the main event of one of the most-stacked cards in UFC history, Silva TKO’d Marquardt with a series of strikes in the waning seconds of the first round.

His journey on the comeback trail will begin with Leites.

The two fighters were originally scheduled to battle in October 2006, but Leites was unable to enter the country due to problems with his travel documentation.

Instead, the Brazilian made his UFC debut at The Ultimate Fighter 4 Finale and dropped a unanimous decision to middleweight standout Martin Kampmann. It was the first loss of the 26-year-old’s career, but Leites has bounced back for victories over Pete Sell, Floyd Sword and Ryan Jensen.

The Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu champion’s bout with Marquardt will be part of UFC 81’s televised main card.

UFC 81 also features a heavyweight bout between recent UFC signee Brock Lesnar and former champ Frank Mir.

For the latest news about UFC 81, check out the UFC Rumors section of MMAjunkie.com.

 

[Dancebot 2000]

I don't want them to fight yet. I like both fighter's a lot and I don't want to see either one lose. Them fighting later down the road would be great, but only after it's recognized by the public as a big deal.

Machida by UD.

 

[Beowulf]

I don't know what's wrong with me, but I love watching Machida's fights. He was so impressive against Hoger and Heath, who are both pretty good fighters. He made them look like absolute novices.

He does have a bit of the Yushin Okami tendency to wait for the 3rd round to unload. He turned it up against Nakamura, but still didn't finish him. However, neither could Lil' Nog or Shogun.

I love this matchup, but I agree that I'd like to see both kick some more ass before it happens.

Marquardt and Leites is another great matchup.

BTW, when in Jensen getting his title shot? Just kidding, but I watched that fight vs. Maia again, and Jensen did a hell of a job defending against a world class bjj guy for a while.

 

[Dancebot 2000]

I don't know what's wrong with me, but I love watching Machida's fights. He was so impressive against Hoger and Heath, who are both pretty good fighters. He made them look like absolute novices.

He does have a bit of the Yushin Okami tendency to wait for the 3rd round to unload. He turned it up against Nakamura, but still didn't finish him. However, neither could Lil' Nog or Shogun.

I love this matchup, but I agree that I'd like to see both kick some more ass before it happens.

Marquardt and Leites is another great matchup.

BTW, when in Jensen getting his title shot? Just kidding, but I watched that fight vs. Maia again, and Jensen did a hell of a job defending against a world class bjj guy for a while.

I find new fans tend not to get onboard with Machida, but I personally find it hard not enjoy him disecting opponents.

 

[Rodja]

My only complaint with Machida, and some other fighters like Karo, is that they never finish fights. I enjoy watching them, but you need to finish your opponent every now and then.

 

[MisterEZE]

Watching Machida KO Franklin was one of the better moments I've seen from him.

 

[Dancebot 2000]

Just in case you don't know, Soko/Machida at 79 is now officially confirmed.

 

[AE14]

u beat me to it, UFC.com has it

 

[jas123]

I don't know what's wrong with me, but I love watching Machida's fights. He was so impressive against Hoger and Heath, who are both pretty good fighters. He made them look like absolute novices.

He does have a bit of the Yushin Okami tendency to wait for the 3rd round to unload. He turned it up against Nakamura, but still didn't finish him. However, neither could Lil' Nog or Shogun.

I love this matchup, but I agree that I'd like to see both kick some more ass before it happens.

Marquardt and Leites is another great matchup.

BTW, when in Jensen getting his title shot? Just kidding, but I watched that fight vs. Maia again, and Jensen did a hell of a job defending against a world class bjj guy for a while.

I kind of appreciate Machida's smooth, elusive style too.

Haha, yeah Jensen got outclassed but at least he fought somewhat well in both fights. I guess we won't be seeing him for a while.

 

[Beowulf]

I kind of appreciate Machida's smooth, elusive style too.

Haha, yeah Jensen got outclassed but at least he fought somewhat well in both fights. I guess we won't be seeing him for a while.

If Jensen isn't back soon, that is BS!!!!! He got fed to two of the top guys in the division. There isn't much talent at 185, so they should give him someone like Pete Sell or Ed Herman. He put up a hell of a fight against Leites and Maia. Jensen vs. Herman could be very interesting.

I'm psyched about Machida vs Sok. What an interesting clash of styles.

 

[AE14]

it will only end 1 of 2 ways, Sak by brutal ko or Machida by UD