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By: Kale Havervold, MMATorch Contributor
Chris Weidman will attempt to prove himself the best of the best at middleweight on Saturday night in a tough follow-up to his two wins over Anderson Silva. Taking on Lyoto Machida, the two will headline UFC 175 on pay-per-view. Here's how I see them matching up:
Striking
Weidman
From his sneaky and effective elbows and crisp combinations, the former standout wrestler has really started to become a dangerous striker who can give his opponents fits. His length and athleticism makes him able to throw a variety of strikes with accuracy, and what he may lack in pure power, he makes up for in the volume and accuracy in his strikes.
Machida
What can be said about "The Dragon" and his stand-up that hasn't already been said over and over? He is simply the greatest counter striker in MMA. He is able to lure in and lull his opponents to sleep, and then explode with a flurry of accurate strikes within seconds. He is very unpredictable, and has a wide array of attacks in his arsenal. Though Weidman is improving, there is no way his stand up is as deep or as well refined as Machida's.
ADVANTAGE – Machida (1)
Wrestling/Takedowns
Weidman
This is perhaps the bread and butter of Chris Weidman's game, his wrestling. He was an NCAA division 1wrestling star and has translated that extremely well to the world of MMA. He is deceivingly strong with his takedowns, and is capable of taking down anyone in the division if his timing is on point.
Machida
Machida's brilliance in the takedown department isn't on the offensive end, it's in his takedown defense. Though he has a very good trip that he utilizes every now and then that has been effective, he is notoriously difficult to take down, and has only been taken down five times in the last four years. That said, if anyone is able to take him down, it is Chris Weidman.
ADVANTAGE – Weidman (1)
BJJ/Grappling
Weidman
Though seen as primarily a wrestler, Chris Weidman is also a brown belt in BJJ, and has some impressive finishes via submission. His top game is very good, and his strength really helps him in the clinch as well. He is also very aggressive and willing to take risks in the grappling game, which is very impressive, and could be a factor in this fight should it go to the ground.
Machida
Machida too is very good when it comes to grappling, as he is a BJJ black belt under Walter Broca. He most definitely has the pedigree, but has not had a submission victory in seven years. So while he is no slouch on the ground in the division, he does not want to go there against Chris Weidman.
ADVANTAGE – Weidman (2)
5 Round/Championship Experience
Weidman
Obviously since he is the champion, Weidman has been scheduled in five round fights previously, but due to his stoppages of the great Anderson Silva, he has never seen a fourth, let alone a fifth round. His conditioning is on point, so that should not be an issue, but since we have never seen him in rounds four or five before, we really cannot be too sure of what we may see.
Machida
Lyoto Machida has a long history as a top level fighter in the UFC, and has been in numerous five round bouts, and has gone the full five round distance twice, against Gegard Mousasi and against Shogun Rua, winning both of those fights. Machida, as he is primarily a counter striker, doesn't expel a ton of energy in a fight, and thus is normally fairly fresh in the championship rounds. Against an aggressive fighter like Weidman, though, you never know what will happen.
ADVANTAGE – Machida (2)
EDGE – Push 2-2
This is an extremely difficult fight to call. I still am not completely sold on Weidman, but he has proven me wrong twice before. I think this fight can go one of two ways: if Weidman manages to move side to side and have good footwork against Machida - and not only move back and forth - he has a great shot of setting something up to defeat Machida. But if he is content standing in front of Machida and just ducking in and out, sooner or later Machida will have his timing down, and will be well on his way to winning the title back.
PICK – Lyoto Machida wins via Unanimous Decision
[Lyoto Machida art by Grant Gould (c) MMATorch.com]
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