UFC
UFC Fight Night 30 victor Lyoto Machida targeting title run at middleweight
Oct 27, 2013 - 6:15:49 PM UFC Fight Night 30 victor Lyoto Machida targeting title run at middleweight

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Lyoto Machida knocked out Mark Munoz on Saturday at UFC Fight Night 30, defeating his friend and recent training partner in his middleweight debut. It was a bittersweet victory given their relationship, but Machida was feeling very good about his performance after the bout.

"I'm a professional. I have to do the job," Machida said. "It's very natural for me to set up the kick. I listened to my coach. He said: 'Try to kick his head right now,' and I did. I trained more for this fight. Sometimes you have to move forward."

Now that he's got his first 185 lb. win out of the way, Machida has his sights set on title contention in the UFC's middleweight field.

"I want to be champion. I want the belt," he said. "I have to chase the belt. I want to be busy. If they ask me to fight 205, I can still fight at 205. Bisping is a great fight for me next. If he accepted it, that’d be great."

Penick's Analysis: I don't think Bisping is likely given the situation with his eye, but Machida deserves a top ten opponent, possibly even top five opponent in his next outing. He was still top five at light heavyweight, he's a former Champion, and he's going to contend in this division sooner than later.

[Lyoto Machida art by Grant Gould (c) MMATorch.com]